REVIEWS AND NOTICES. Dolomite Strongholds. B y the Rev. J. Sanger Davies. Illustrated. (London : Bell and Sons. 1894.)
WE are informed on the title page of this book that it contains an account of ascents of the last untrodden Alpine peaks—namely, the Creda da Lago, the Little and Great Zinnen, the Cinque Torri, the Funffingerspitze, and the Langkofel. The title is itself somewhat misleading. Of the six peaks described the Cinque Torri may be dismissed as scarcely coming within the category of as Alpine peak, being merely an overgrown ‘ Kletterstein.’
The Langkofel was ascended twenty-five years ago, in 1869, or eight years before the ascent of the Meije and nine years before that of the Aiguille du Dru. The Grosse Zinne was scaled in 1872, and a good account of it is given in the Alpine Journal” for 1874, whilst the Kleine Zinne has been vanquished for thirteen and the Croda da Lago for ten years, since which such peaks as the Aiguille des Charmoz and other important points have been ascended for the first time in various parts of the Al ps. The book, therefore, does not claim to be a description of new ascents, or even of new routes, although the ascent of the Ftinffingerspitze by the S.E. side, or Daumenscharte,’ a route first taken by Mr. H. J. T. Wood, in 1890, has, we believe, not been previously described in English.
One is interested, therefore, in discovering for what class of readers the book has been written, and what are the special qualifications of the writer. We see from the preface that it is intended for the general public, whom it endeavours to stimulate with a desire to ‘go and do likewise ; ‘ but we fear we cannot congratulate the author on having succeeded better than those others ‘whose descriptions of rock-climbing are notoriously unsatisfactory.’
Unfortunately in describing these rock-climbs our author has no experience of other districts with which to compare the difficulties and peculiarities of these peaks, his previous mountaineering experience being confined, we are told, to the memory of youthful scrambles on the cliffs of Britain. Notwithstanding this warning the reader acquainted with the district will hardly be prepared for the highly-coloured description of these ascents.
Thus in speaking of the Kleine Zinne traverse’ he expresses the opinion that it ought to be taken without a rope, as ‘ there was absolutely no safe hand-grip from end to end’ of the traverse, which he estimates at ‘100 yards long going and 50 yards returning,’ with an absolutely vertical drop of nearly 2,000 ft., while he further states that the rope is of no possible use, as ‘in such a place no man can help his brother.’ Any one who turns to the illustration on p. 55, and observes the manner in which the rope was used, will readily acquiesce in this statement, as we hardly think this is the method of ensuring safety during a traverse recommended by the Alpine Code.’
In point of fact there is scarcely five yards at the end of the traverse without excellent hand-hold, and here the leading guide is directly over the traveller and situated in one of the firma loca’s ‘ which we hear a good deal about in the rest of the book. The length assigned to the ‘ traverse,’ estimated even at 50 yards, appears much exaggerated ; perhaps if the author renewed the ascent he might be induced, on further acquaintance, to let it go at 40 yards going and 20 returning,’ which would not, perhaps, be much under the mark. And can the drop from this ledge be really 2,000 ft.?
The height of the summit of the Kleine Zinne above the grays’ is, according to Wundt, 1,200 ft., and the traverse occurs about two-thirds of the way up Again, if we have understood the description aright, all the party appear to have climbed the difficult chimney near the top head downwards, some with their head in the cave and their feet leading, others with their legs tucked into the hole, and swinging head downwards in search of hand-holds, as shown in the remarkable illustration facing p. 58.g
These things are a matter of taste, and doubtless the author’s party preferred doing it this way; but we hasten to inform the timid reader, who might have had designs on the Kleine Zinne before reading this book, that this is neither the necessary nor usual way of surmounting that obstacle.
The above somewhat misleading descriptions are typical of many others in the rest of the book. Thus in the Croda da Lago we are told of a ‘traverse’ where the last guide had apparently passed the traveller, and was seen clinging to the ledge and stooping, while the other, straining upwards, spreading his body to the face of the rock, was ‘gradually hoisted upon his companion’s shoulders, and ultimately on to his head,’ &c. &c. We know of no such place on the mountain, and can only suppose that the methods adopted are another illustration of the climbing idiosyncrasies of the author and his party.
The book is illustrated (!) with a map and 10 full-page photographs and drawings, 2 coloured, besides 25 smaller illustrations in the text, chiefly from drawings by the author. On the whole we have no hesitation in saying that they are the worst which we have come across in any Alpine book.
The photographs are decidedly poor, and the drawings, apart from their artistic merits, in no way resemble the places they purport to depict ; a moment’s comparison of the illustrations in the chapter on the Kleine Zinne with Herr Theodor Wundt’s beautiful photographs of that peak brings this home pretty clearly. Again, the sketch on p. 11 of Constable X. apparently in hot chase of the culprits who are disappearing over the orchard wall resembles nothing to be found on the Croda da Lago, while the only place resembling the numerous firma lout’s’ described as occurring on the same peak (illustrated on p. 14) is a large cave, into the depths of which there can be no possible reason for retreating.
The artist, did not apparently feel himself equal to representing the bedding planes of the limestone rocks, so that, instead of the innumerable ledges and hand-holds almost invariably present, we have, in most of the drawings, blank paper, which the affrighted reader is left to fill in with whatever form of abyss he prefers. It is, no doubt, greatly due to this fact that the drawings fail to convey a true idea of the places they profess to represent. Thus the rocks at the beginning of the Ftinffingerspitze, which Luigi Bernard is repre sented as climbing, resemble no rocks which we have come across, least of all Dolomite; while the picture of Monte Civetta strikingly recalls the weird microscopic sections of anatomical preparations at the Photographic Society’s exhibition in Pall Mall.
Many also will smile at the pictures of the Ice Camino ‘ and Cascade on the Langkofel,’ whilst ‘ Between the Zinnen ‘ might have done duty for the oyster supper of the walrus and the carpenter in that other book on Wonderland. For the rest, the book, which is brightly written throughout, contains interesting descriptions of Dolomite scenery, but we fear it can hardly be classed among the excellent series of Climbers’ Guides’ published on other districts, and we sometimes wonder whether it was altogether by chance that the book appeared in the publishing announcement column of a leading weekly ‘ under the heading of Fiction.
CORRESPONDENCE. DOLOMITE STRONGHOLDS.’
To the Editor of the ALPINE JOURNAL.
SIR,—I write in reference to a review of ‘Dolomite Strongholds’ in your last number—not that I have any wish or right to complain of its hostile opinions throughout, but merely because it seems necessary to correct an unintentional misrepresentation of the text of the book.
The very unpleasant reference to brother authors implied in the phrase those others “whose descriptions of rock-climbing are notoriously unsatisfactory” is not in the book; and it is an unfortunate error to include the word whole’ within the quotation marks, as the reviewer (or, I hope, the printer) has done, so that even my own friends have been misled by this misquotation into thinking that it was in the book, and could not account for my having written such a reflection ; therefore I feel the necessity of correcting the mistake.
And, while doing so, I may further clear the book of the somewhat vainglorious sentence ending with a presumed quotation, go and do likewise; ‘ and of the one which speaks of the author’s mountaineering experience being confined, we are told, t o the memory of youthful scrambles on the cliffs of Britain.’
These are not accurate renderings. The discussion of the ‘last untrodden peaks’ is hardly to be decided by the addition of one name to the number; but the one mentioned by the reviewer, i.e. the Aiguille des Charmoz, was first climbed in 1881, and not ‘since’ the first ascent of the Croda di Lago, as he has inadvertently stated, as a basis for some strong remarks.
Turning to the different estimates of the climbs themselves, I fear no two experiences are ever the same; but our differences might be settled on the spot. If we could only arrange a meeting, like that of the Walrus and the Carpenter, between the Zinnen,’ we might satisfactorily come to blows. I mean each man might blow his own cloud and reciprocally puff the other’s books and tobacco !
I remain, Sir, yours truly, J. SANGER DAVIES.
a wayfarer’s notes 