THE HONGKONG TE
LEGRAPH, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 1936,
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1933 AND 1936
DEFENCE
here
Everest (centre) and its mighty eighbours, Liotas (on the left) and Makalu (right). Everest is showing its plusne of loose snow blow. ing of the summit, which means, soya: Lord Conway, that there is a storm,
raging aloft.
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WEDNESDAY, MAR. 18, 1936.
BRITISH NAVAL
PROGRESS
1
Now that a fifth expedition is In any case this side has so leaving England to try its uncompromising an appearance fortune on Mount Everest, the that it is extremely doubtful moment seems opportune for a whether it could be ascended. description, in some detail, of the It is far steeper than the north difficulties which have hitherto face, but has two points in its proved an impassable barrier to favour: first, the strata dip from
south to north, so that more ac- commodating ledges might be expected than exist on the north face; secondly, it is protected from the
terrific north-west wind which relentlessly sweeps the north face.
the summit,
These difcutlies may con- veniently be summarised under the heads of
Geographical situation, Mountaineering obstacles pure
and simple, Meteorological
and
Altitude.
*
**
STILL, so long as these rocks remain free from anow, they can be crossed without undue difficulty.
But a fall of snow
renders them dangerous, for at this altitude it will not be of the kind that gives support to the foot; it will be dry and powdery.
cascading off at a touch.
In these conditions the climber can only proceed by laboriously clearing each sloping footholi of snow before de ventures on to it.
the
The great couloir, or gully which separates
final pyramid from the rest of the north face always hus a certain be treated with the greatest amount of snow in it, and has to caution, "Having reached its
western wall, the climber is faced with what are almost cer- tainly the greatest difficulties of
The mountain, standing as it phenomena, does near the eastern end of the great chain of the Himalaya, is exposed to a wind which has travelled practically the whole length of the chain, acquiring a very low temperature in the pro- eess; on its north face the day- light, even in summer, is com paratively short of the noun on the wrong side of the moun- tain for us; and lastly, the mon-
It is impossible to ascend soon air currents from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of directly upwards, for the rocks Bengal, especially the latter, there overhang: the climber's attack Mount Everest in full only hope appears to be to make force and render the climbing a diagonal upward traverse along season of very short duration. the west wall of the couloir to wards a small subsidiary gully which lends up on to the face of
The last is perhaps the most important of all, but let us take Two most reassuring facts them in the order named.
* concerning the efficiency of the British Navy were
revealed MOUNT Everest stands on the border between Tibet and during the debate on the naval
Nepil. For political reasons we estimates in the House of Com-are not allowed to enter Nepal, mons. The first is that, thanks and are therefore unable to ex- to the remarkable development plore the south face of the moun- of ships anti-aircraft batteries, the battleship still remains
Itain.
supreme at sea; the other, that NOTES OF THE DAY
Britain has devised an almost
a
*
湉
*
Up to the foot of the North
the ascent.
of
climbed while the north-west. wind is still strong enough to blow any occasional falls snow off the slabs. In anything like a normal year we must ex- pect climbing to become, Impos- sible somewhere about June 15. It will therefore be realised that our season is a very short
one.
*
think this may be described as our greatest enemy. for there are not many mountains which cannot be climbed on at least one of their faces or angles resolute by a competent and party whose strength has not
work in a rarified atmosphere. been impaired by prolonged
Was
Not many years ago.it thought that a man without an artificial supply of oxygen could not live at all at above 25,000
feet; at that height the supply
of oxygen in the air is only about one-third of that available at sea level. We now know that men can climb unaided to over 28,000 feet and return in safety, but we do not know whether they can reach 29,000 feet and survive,
Unfortunately, experiments made in decompression cham- the bers cannot reproduce all data required. In order that have the assault parties may every possible help, a great at- tempt is being made this year to carry oxygen apparatus to the highest camps on the mountain.
It is extremely difcult to de- vise an apparatus which will supply oxygen for the period re- quired for the final climb and which will, at the same time, be
climbers. light enough to be carried by the
DURING the early stages of the final pyramid. This probably the various attacks on Mount means some 400ft of difficult, fool-proof anti-submurine de-WISDOM OF THE EAST
Everest it was thought that, ln and certainly dangerous, climb
technical mountaineering ing. British vice which ensures
While Europe bickers and snaria, security from this form of at-and treaties and pledges seem to sense, the mountain was easy;
A careful observation of all have lost their potency as preserva- unfortunately, it has been foundi tack. It is therefore clear that, tives of peace, Wisdom is at work that the higher we go the more available photographs, including those taken by the Houston obstinate does the defence despite the decline in British in the Neur and Middle East. A l'an-Arab Federation,
rebecome.
Mount Everest flight of 1006, and naval strength-now, happily,miniscent of the ideal expressed in
by Mr. Shipton's reconnaissance party of last year, gives reason- to be made good-there has been Colonel Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," may be a direct out-
the no neglect of measures to en-como of the East African conflict. Col, at a height of about 21.000 able assurance that, once sure the fleet- being able to give The fierce, old hatreds which were ft., there are no difficulties what western wall of the great couloir has been climbed to the top of bred in the deserts and which bore ever... a good account of itself should fruit in many a bloody war and The ascent to the North Col the little gully at about 28,400ft, the necessity ever arise. Much heartless massacre, may be buried. involves competent and generally the general slope of the moun
For with nations of Europe build- has been going on behind the ing mighty fleets and armies and very laborious ice work, for we tain cases off. But there are in technical develop-secking new lands to conquer, Asia are dealing with a steeply falling bands of steep rock across the scenes
has awakened to the danger beset- glacier. This, of course, changes face of the final pyramid above ita form from year to year, and this, and it would be unwise to ments, and there is thus good ting its frontiers.
This is one interpretation to be each succeeding expedition has assume that the last six or seven hundred feet are free from reason for believing that in this
placed upon the significant diplo- to find its own route of ascent.
difficulty. respect Britain has kept well matic activity in the East. Turkey
In 1933 about 40 feet of prac- There and Persia are leading the
with moves towards closer political tically vertical ice wall had to ba has latterly been considerable and economic co-operation. Atten-surmounted, and this threw a of three routes, and a party at divergence of `viewpoint in navaltion must also be given to the pact very heavy strain on the men this stage of the climb may have
This process implies the mul of non-aggression recently nego- who made the first ascent. to make its decision on the spot. . circles regarding the size of tiated between Turkey, Persia and When all the necessary steps had Particular care will have to be tiplication of red corpuscles in blood, with consequent battleships, but the conclusion rak, by arrangements for a visit been cut, and a rope ladder fixed, taken on the descent; it is hoped the
of the Shah of Perain to Baghdad the ascent presented no serious that an assault party may be power to absorb what oxygen appears to have been reached to sign the treaty and iron out difficulites to the rest of the able to fix pitons and very light there is in the air. Unfor
frontier differences. One of the
rope .on the most dificult tunately there ects in, pari salient points of this accord is that party and their porters.
their return.
abreast of the times.
that this type of vessel need not
nations
reliof
лесиз
way
drawing closer together. And with
some Moslem toe.
Parties working here
There appears to be a choice
***
*
+
AP
*
*
*
PART from the question, of artificial oxygen supply, we have to consider the problems of acclimatisation and deteriora- tion. It is generally accepted now that very little, useful ac- climatisation can be obtained above 21,000 feet.
mus-
So
deterioration,. very definite shown mainly in loss of cular tissue and of power of mental concentration.
Cold, wind, discomfort, lack of sleep and loss of appetite all play their part in this process; as well as altitude itself. far, no means has been dis- covered of keeping this de- terioration at bay, though it varies in degree in different in- dividuals. The upshot is that, whether, we use oxygen or not, we must proceed as quickly as possible once the 21,000ft, level hus been passed.
be of mammoth dimensions. On it aims at bringing both the But these slopes have always sections, in order to steady passu with acclimatisation, a
powerful ledjaz and the Afghanis to be treated with the greatest this point, a well-known naval tan peoples within Its scope, and respect; after a fali of snow they writer recently expressed the that Yemen and Transient may may be swept by avalanches, and LIKE all great mountains, view that in the event of other drawn in later. The Arabs are this face is peculiarly liable to Mount Everest to some ex- constructing huge their unity the fusion of the insidious "wind sla Lorma tent makes its own weather; but battleships-far greater than Moslem world is as good as accom-tions, which may break away it is also, owing to its position, forplished, according to authorities., with little or no warning, some subjected to conditions which anything Britain security in home waters-Wesign for would-be conquerors in jerky movement of the glacier tionally severe.
This, if it is nothing more, Is times probably owing to sudden, make the climbers' tasks addi- should not follow suit, but Africa and elsewhere to
step itself. should be content to strike out cautiously for fear of treading on have to form an accurate judg The cold air of Tibet, rushing on our old lines, as of yore. The
ment of the conditions on each violently southwards to replace rest of the naval world, he
successive day.
the hot air rising from the plains of India, produces extremely thinks, would breathe a sigh of held that British interests will Above the North Col no.
were that line to be not be served by the building of serious mountaineering difficul- violent winds, rising at times to followed, and the good sense of any more Treaty abortions, such ties are met with until a height hurricane force. There are oc- the American people would soon as have been built since the war of about 27,000ft has been reach- casional lulls, succeeded at the shortest notice by tremendous
The great thing is to prevent call a halt to a policy of the to suit other countries, but that ed. What is called the "yellow "Biggest Ever." The position we should build to our own re- band" begins at that height, and gusts which are a very real deterioration from destroying danger to parties on the exposed the muscular condition of the in is considerably steeper than any- again,
north face. is aptly summed up In the words quirements once
climber. It is practically cer- thing below, but at its eastern that it is absurd to go on build-accordance with the considered end it provides a series of fairly
Up to about May 20 the cold tain that no man is capable of ing monstrosities which we do views of the nation's naval ex-well-defined ledges, on which on the upper part of the moun- going very high on Mount Ever- not want at a price we cannot af-perts. Admittedly,.divergencies ordinary mountaineering precau- tain is probably too severe for an eat more than once in a given
ascent; from that time we have season. ford. The crying need 'of of opinion will continue totions will insure safety.
constantly to keep an eye lifting I have not made this state- Britain, according to well-exist on certain points, but it As the climber travels west- for the advent of the warmer air ment of our difficulties in any We have. informed circles, is for cruisers. seems clear that the time forwards towards the final peak, currents from the Bay of Ben- spirit of defeatism.
pro- Seventy is said to be the ac-clear-cut policies has arrived, however, these ledges become gal, bringing up the monsoon. now a clear view of our cepted minimum, compatible and it is something to feel that, less and less accommodating; These in time overcome the blem, and intend to do our best with our worldwide responsi- with the technical advances the strata dip more and more north-west wind, but in doing to overcome it......
I, for one, am very hopeful bilities, and at present we are made and with the prospect of steeply outwards, until the effect so bring about a deposit of snow
is somewhat like that of a steep on the north face; and onco this that, if only the weather will woefully short of this number. greater naval strength in the slate roof. As on a roof, there has happened the mountain be
O us the chance which we These vessels should be as small days ahead, British security is are
were denied in 1938, possibly по handholds, and the: comes unclimbable.
Our one definite certainty is two of our very strong party as possible consistent with their being built upon firm founda-climber has to proceed in careful
that Mount Everest must be will reach the summit. balance. sca-keeping duties. The view is tions.
י