THE WHOLE DUTY OF THE CLIMBER--ALPINE DISTRESS SIGNALS
I cannot bring this book to a more fitting end than by quoting the
closing words of a famous article in _The Alpine Journal_ by Mr C. E.
Mathews entitled "The Alpine Obituary." It was written twenty years
ago, but every season it becomes if possible more true. May all who go
amongst the mountains lay it to heart!
"Mountaineering is extremely dangerous in the case of incapable, of
imprudent, of thoughtless men. But I venture to state that of all the
accidents in our sad obituary, there is hardly one which need have
happened; there is hardly one which could not have been easily
prevented by proper caution and proper care. Men get careless and too
confident. This does not matter or the other does not matter. The fact
is, that everything matters; precautions should be not only ample but
excessive.
'The little more, and how much it is,
And the little less and what worlds away.'
"Mountaineering is not dangerous, provided that the climber knows his
business and takes the necessary precautions--all within his own
control--to make danger impossible. The prudent climber will recollect
what he owes to his family and to his friends. He will also recollect
that he owes something to the Alps, and will scorn to bring them into
disrepute. He will not go on a glacier without a rope. He will not
climb alone, or with a single companion. He will treat a great
mountain with the respect it deserves, and not try to rush a dangerous
peak with inadequate guiding power. He will turn his back steadfastly
upon mist and storm. He will not go where avalanches are in the habit
of falling after fresh snow, or wander about beneath an overhanging
glacier in the heat of a summer afternoon. Above all, if he loves the
mountains for their own sake, for the lessons they can teach and the
happiness they can bring, he will do nothing that can discredit his
manly pursuit or bring down the ridicule of the undiscerning upon the
noblest pastime in the world."
ALPINE DISTRESS SIGNALS
No book on climbing should be issued without a reminder to its readers
that tourists (who may need it even oftener than mountaineers) have a
means ready to hand by which help can be signalled for if they are in
difficulties. That in many cases a signal might not be seen is no
reason for neglecting to learn and use the simple code given below and
recommended by the Alpine Club. It has now been adopted by all
societies of climbers.
The signal is the repetition of a sound, a wave of a flag, or a flash
of a lantern _at regular intervals_ at the rate of six signals per
minute, followed by a pause of a minute, and then repeated every
alternate minute. The reply is the same, except that three and not six
signals are made in a minute. The regular minute's interval is
essential to the clearness of the code.
GLOSSARY AND INDEX
GLOSSARY.
ALP A summer pasture.
ARÊTE The crest of a ridge. Sometimes spoken
of as a knife-edge, if very narrow.
BERGSCHRUND A crevasse forming between the snow still
clinging to the face of a peak, and that
which has broken away from it.
COL A pass between two peaks.
COULOIR A gully filled with snow or stones.
GRAT The same as _arête_.
JOCH The same as _col_.
KAMM The same as _arête_.
MORAINE See chapter on glaciers, page 7.
MOULIN See chapter on glaciers, page 7.
NÉVÉ See chapter on glaciers, page 7.
PITZ An Engadine name for a peak.
SCHRUND A crevasse.
SÉRAC A cube of ice, formed by intersecting
crevasses where a glacier is very steep.
Called thus after a sort of Chamonix
cheese, which it is said to resemble.
A
Albula Pass, 20
Aletsch glacier, 12, 142
Almer, Christian, 29, 50, 51, 71, 126, 134
Almer, Ulrich, 42
Altels, Ice-avalanche of the, 78
Anderegg, Jacob, 162
Anderegg, Melchior, 24, 50, 113, 162
d'Angeville, Mademoiselle, 204
Ardon, 59
Arkwright, Henry, 98
Aufdemblatten, Peter, 269
Avalanches, different kinds of, 15
B
Balmat, 52
Barnes, Mr G. S., 32
Bean, Mr, 108
Bennen, 59, 113, 252
Bich, J. B., 262
Bionnassay, Aiguille de, 169
Birkbeck, Mr, 113
Blanc, Mont, 3, 92, 107, 162, 203
Bohren, 52
Boissonnet, Monsieur, 59
Borchart, Dr, 150
Borckhardt, F. C., 269
Bossons, Glacier des, 9
Breil, 253
Brenva Glacier, Ascent of Mont Blanc by, 162
Burckhardt, Herr F., 147
Burgener, Alexander, 226
C
Carré, Glacier, 172
Carrel, J. A., 252, 259, 261,
death of, 280
Coolidge, Rev. W. A. B., 30, 171
Couttet, Sylvain, 89, 99, 109
Croda Grande, feat of endurance on, 48
Croz, Michel, 126, 134, 252
D
Davies, John, 269
Dent, Clinton, 58, 221
Douglas, Lord Francis, 45, 259
Distress Signals, Alpine, 291
Dru, Aiguille du, 221
E
Eigerjoch, 208
F
Falkner, Monsieur de, 269
Föhn Wind, Note on the, 80
G
Gabelhorn, Ober, 42, 45
Gardiner, Mr, 170
Garwood, Mr Edmund, 194
Glacier tables, 11
Gorret, Charles, 281
Gosaldo, 48
Gosset, Mr Philip, 59
Grass, Hans and Christian, 44
Greenland, Glaciers of, 7
Guntner, Dr, 33
H
Hadow, Mr, 260
Hamel, Dr Joseph, 92
Hartley, Mr Walker, 226
Haut-de-Cry, 59
Hinchliff, Mr T. W., 122
Hudson, Rev. C., 113, 269
I
Imboden, Joseph, 5, 30, 35, 38, 40, 84
Imboden, Roman, 32, 84, 194
J
Jungfrau, 147
K
King, Sir H. Seymour, 278
Klimmer, 150
Kronig, F., 269
L
Lammer, Herr, 72
Lauener, 41, 52, 66, 208
Longman, W., 142
Lorria, Herr, 72
M
M'Corkindale, Mr, 108
Mammoth, 105
Maquignaz, J. P. and D., 269
Martin, Jean, 154
Mather, Mr, 113
Mathews, Mr C. E., 289
Mathews, Messrs, 208
Matterhorn, 23, 72, 250
Maurer, Andreas, 46, 226
Maurer, Kaspar, 239
Meije, 170
Mercer, Mr, 269
Miage, Col de, 114
Moming, Pass, 126
Moore, Mr, 126, 134, 162
Moraines, 10
Moser, 269
N
Nasse, Herr, 150
P
Palü, Piz, 44, 150
Paradis, Maria, 203
Penhall, Mr, 72
Perren, 113
Pigeon, The Misses, 153
Pilatte, Col de, 134
Pilkington, Messrs, 170
Plan, Aiguille du, 46
R
Randall, Mr, 108
Rey, Emile, 46
Reynaud, Monsieur, 135
Richardson, Miss K., 169
Riva, Valley Susa, 18
Rochat, Mademoiselle E. de, 169
S
Saas, Prättigau, 17
Schallihorn, 83
Schnitzler, 150
Schuster, Oscar, 48
Scerscen, Piz, 194
Sesia, Joch, 153
Sinigaglia, Leone, 281
Stephen, Sir Leslie, 113, 208
Stratton, Miss, 206
T
Taugwald, Peter, 269
Taugwalder, 259
Trift Pass, 112
Tuckett, Mr F. F., 66, 113
W
Wainwright, Mrs and Dr, 44
Walker, Mr, 50, 134, 162
Wetterhorn, 51
Wieland, 194
Wills, Chief Justice, 51
Whymper, Mr C., 126, 134, 250
Z
Zecchini, G., 48
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