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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1952-12-17, Page 6Tried To Conquer Mount Everest -- Alone Once again the ice and snow- covered summit of Everest, the world's highest mountain, is fac- ing the challenge of puny man. All the world has been watch- ing the endeavours of two new expeditions --one Swiss, the othe°l! British --against the impregnable peak which for thirty years mountaineers have sought to con- quer in vain. Each successive expedition has been better equipped, tougher - trained and armed with more nigh -altitude information than Any before. Through the years,. xepeated assaults on the mein.. lain have written fresh chapters of highest adventure, And yet perhaps the strangest story has been almost forgotten -- the dy- namic saga of the thirty -five- year-old Yorkshireman who set met to conquer Everest single- handed. In Bradford, his home town, l reurice Wilson often startled people by telling them that if only they ate less they could live tenger and .accomplish almost superhuman tasks. And he deter- mined to climb Everest to prove tt Knowing nothing of mountain- eering, at first he planned to ,trashland a small aeroplane on 'the uglier slopes and start with a quick advantage. When he found this would be impossible —that the only way up Everest was the hard way—he rigorously trained and fasted and even made a parachute jump to test his nerve. Disguised as Priest Learning to fly, he bought a second-hand 'plane. After only 3orty hours' flying, the Air Min- Istry got wind of his attempt and warned him off. Wilson's answer was to take off from the airfield end head south. Watchers on the ground were horrified to see him stagger 08 the ground with the wand — instead of into it. With no practical experience of 'navigation, he was missing for several days. "Funny," he wrote from Rome, "I am now able to keep the machine on a straight course without looking at the Compass." Determined to stop Ns crazy attempt, the govern- ment wired ahead for him to lee refused fuel wherever he landed. But Wilson borrowed gas- oline from the British Consul at Bahrein so that he could return to Basra—and still he flew on. In India his 'plane was con- fiscated. Wison arranged its re- lease by agreeing to sell 11— and then came another blow. The ?9'epal government refused him permission to travel through their territory to Tibet, But Wil- son had met a Tibetan who prom - Med to try to smuggle him Through disguised as a priest. In dark glasses, wearing a bro- cade waistcoat, swathed in red, *lilt and carrying an umbrella, 'Maurice Wilson would have been t is igure of fun in Bradford. But police on the Tibetan road scarce - TERRY MENAGERIE i was a littIe late ptartI south - Ceti year," ly glanced at him. When he. passed patrale, Wilson raised his umbrella and walked with bent knees to camouflage his height. One in Tibet, Wilson abandon- ed. his disguise and went for- ward. in European clothes, Bread and. Porridge Then, on April 27th, 1934, he camped with his two Sherpa porters on the Rongbuk glacier, that windswept waste 20,400 feet up, The following day he was at Camp 1I, the second base established by the 1922 and 1924 expeditions, "the locality litter- ed with jam labels," as he re- ported, But above him now there towered the last vengeful 8,000 Peet—and Wilson meant to con- quer it ,alone on brown bread, tea and porridge, Marked out by previous expe- ditions, Camp III was only 600 ' feet above the second, but so devious was the climbing route that it entailed another venture- some six miles. Wilson noted with pride in his dairy that he was exceptionally dlt, no fat, all muscle." Yet every breath was now a labour, continuous thirst made him eat snow and ice. Porters Exhausted After six days he still had not reached the blizzard -swept Camp III and he decided to turn back. "If I stumbed, I just had to let myself go, roll over, and scram- ble up again," he wrote. Back at base, however, the circulation returned to his frozen feet—al- though the fierce impact of the ultra -violet rays at that high altitude gave him a swollen face and nearly closed his eyes. But by May 12th he had re- covered. The two porters agreed to accompany him to Camp III, so that he could again make a higher climb solo. The three-day struggle exhausted the porters, but Wilson was still fit. Camp 1II was safely reached. Then for a week wild blizzards swept the little tent, On May 21st he started again, with one porter to accompany him halfway to Camp IV. At the avalanche - haunted, crevasse - pocked North Col, the porter turned back. Wilson was now on his own, but he recorded in his diary the ghostly impressions shared by other Everest climbers. "Strange," he wrote, "but I feel there is somebody with me in the tent." Then came the final effort. Strapped on his pack was a con- cave mirror, reflecting his pro- gress to watchers in a monastery far below. Somewhere, within half -a -mile radius, was Camp IV and food. But Wilson could not find it. For six days he struggled up- ward, inch by inch. When he slept, his light tent parked at an angle of 35 degrees, he huddled snow round him for warmth. His diary grew monosyllabic. "No food, no water. Get back. May 26, 27. Stayed in bed," But with the last flicker of hope—"Wind nearly through my vitals"—the food was found. "Off again," he recorded on May 31st. "Gorgeous day." These were Maurice Wilson's last words. Sixteen months later the Er i c Shipton expedition found his frozen corpse at 22,000 feet. He had evidently died in his tent from exhaustion and then the wind had blown the tent clear.' The party buried Wilson in a neighbouring snow crevasse. "His body passed through the snow," wrote Eric Shipton. "It completely disappeared. There was no hole where it fell, just plain white snow ..." Good Heads fair Music—For over 500 years, these representations of angels n d demoris, saints and sinners, have played their part In producing music from the great Arp Schnitger organ, in the medieval St. Jacobi Church in Hamburg, Germany. The heads form pulls for the organ stops of the historic musical instrument, end help to make it one of the most precious examples of the ancient organmaker's art still in existence, Crystal Makes a Tinkly Christmas! X EDNA, XMAS r 11E holidays always mean more parties, more dinners, mere ems - pliable gatherings for everyone. And this, in turn, means more work for the housewife. It's the season of the year in which she gets eut her best glassware, her fine linens and polishes up her,good silver. If you're doing a great deal of entertaining this year, you might prefer to leave your crystal packed away and depend Upon modern, saoderately priced glassware. The latter will need only reasonabiq care to keep it intact and sparkling , This means less work far you. It also means that you Can relax and enjoy your own'partles, To keep your inexpensive glassware shiny and bright during the. holidays, try these tips for its caret Wash it in hot, not boiling, water. And never put Biasses that have Just, Contained ice straight into hot water. Warm them gradually, Then give them a quick rinse under the cold water faucet, They'll sparkle anew, Try adding a small amount of ammonia or detergent' to the water for a high shine; Then rinse the glasses in water of equal tempera- tare and air-dry with the rims down. If you do use soap, you should towel the glasses dry. It's best to place a' rubber mat' or towel in the bottom of the sink, particularly if you're washing' stemware. Never crowd either the sink or the drying rack. The rack should be rubber -covered. If you haven't a rack, place the glasses rim -down on a towel to dry. You can glean sticky milk glasses by rinsing them in lukewarm water before you wash them. Then use more lukewarm water softened with soda to remove stubborn stains. Often, glass dishes are stacked out in the kitchen during the rush of the holidays. If this happens and if the dishes stick together, don't try to pry them apart. Instead put cold water in the inner glass and hold the outer one in warm water, ,They'll separate easily. Informal table setting is very Modern, is achieved with dime -store' glassware, Me/teen-sive place mats and napkins. 'Flower container is r. budget -priced basket that can have many uses. When you put glassware away, place the different sized pieces in raves from front to back of the shelf. This Way you need not bother to reach oven; a low piece for a tall one, And never crowd glassware when putting 1t away. Crowding can cause chipping or breakage. Dry Run for Ike—Korean police, plainclothesmen and security men line the streets along the road to Seoul's airfield. Citizens thought the President-elect had already arrived. But this was only a rehearsal. TABLE TALKS Here are some of the questions most frequently asked by inex- perienced or disappointed cooks, together with answers Which should be of value not only to them, but to many other house- wives, I hope. B.—My mother was a wonder- ful cook. I have her recipes but my biscuits are never Ilaky and light and my pastry is barely edible. What causes my poor products? A.—Two people using the same recipe seldom produce the same results. Your mother probably handled her biscuit and pastry doughs with a very light hand. You may be the athletic type with a strong right arm and, although you are kneading the biscuits thirty seconds as her recipe directs, your strength is so great that half that time would be right for you. When you use her pastry recipe, toss the dry in- gredients up from the bottom of the bowl with a fork as the water is added. Then press the bits of dough into a balL Don't kneadPat the dough, out on a floured board and then roll it lightly in all directions. Don't roll back and forth. • a • Q.—What causes a layer or loaf cake to hump in the middle and sometimes to crack? A.—Too much flow is usually the cause of humps and cracks in cake. Sift the flour once be- fore measuring, spoon it into a measuring cup and level it off with a straight edged knife or spatula, Be sure to use the type flour indicated in the recipe. Too hot an oven during the first part of the baking pe.'io, also may cause humps and cracks. A crust must not form till the leavening has had time to seise the batter or it will rise more in the centre where the crust is Lender. Q.—What makes : cake chase - grained and heavy? A.—heaviness is usually the re- sult of averstirring or beating the batter. It is more ap to occur when an electric beater is used. Unless the cake is a very rich one the batter shrulei be stirred after each addition of dry and liquid ingredients only until well blended and smooth. Using a moderately slow speed. in a.nrixer prevents over -beating. Heaviness also may be caused by too much sugar, shortening or liquid or too little leavening. Q.—Recipes for sponge and angel rake always call for un - greased pans. Wouldn't It be bet- ter to grease pans so the cake would fall out on cooling? A.—Sponge and angel cakes should not be baked in greased pans. The batter, which is large- ly beaten egg whites, is too de- licate to hold up and give a cake of full volume without the support of the ungreased pan to which it clings during baking and cooling. A tube pan with a removable bottom facilitates re- moval of the cake. a • p Q.—What causes a sponge or angel cake to have a coarse grain and occasional large holes? A.—Useelly e coarse grain is caused by underbeatiing the egg whites or not -;,-sorreughly folding them into the batter. The large holes come from folding air into the batter as it is poured into the pan. After the pan has been filled, cutting thorough the batter with a spatula will break the air bubbles and eliminate the holes. Q --Can batters forwaffles and griddle cakes be made ahead of time? A,—If a double -action baking powder is used in a batter it may be stored in the refrigera- tor for several hours or perhaps longer. This is possible because a double -action powder release., only about one-third of its leav- ening when cold; the remaining two-thirds on baking. a M Q.—My daughter will be mar- ried soon and I want to equip her kitchen with the best kind of pans for cakes, pies and cookies. What would you recom- mend for each? A.—Pans are made of various materials which affect their bak- ing use to some extent. A heavy metal absorbs and retains heat. Thus, enamel or glass pie pans help to brown' the under crust of a pie. This browning would be undesirable in a cake or cookie. Shiny aluminum and heavy tin reflect the heat and foods baked in pans of these metals brown delicately all over, They are good for all baking and most recipes are written for their use. If glass, cast trot or enamel is employed, the temperature must be lowered, usually about 25°, or the time of baking de- creased, An official of the National Monuments Commission, Paris, expressed grave concern over the cancerous mold that is be- ginning to attack the gargoyles on the turrets of Notre Dame Cathedral and other buildings. it makes the stone turn to pow- der. Go Vest, Young Man; It's Fanciful Vanishing Weskit Makes a Comeback ., By RICHARD KLEINER NBA Staff` Correspondent New York — Some of you old- timers may remember a man's garment with the. quaint name, "vest" It vanished, almost, from the American closet somewhere between Pearl Harbor and chlo- rophyll, But now it's coming back. Not as a matching part of a suit so much as a separate, contrast-. ing piece of wearing apparel. The fancy weskit (which is a vest with delusions of grandeur) is now blooming on some of New York's most distinguished male torsos. This is a sudden, and almost inexplainable, trend. "Three, four months ago," Fifth Avenue shop, "you said a vestiess clerk in a fancy couldn't have given this thing away." The thing he was pointing to was a Tattersall weskit, a white job with a plaid of brown and red stripes. Looking at it, lying on the counter, it seemed like something only a movie actor or rookie bookie would wear. But, when you try it on, you begin to feel definitely debonair. Also a little warmer. * • • 4s the man was saying, the de- mand for fancy vests began picking up in the late Summer. Nobody quite knows why, but there are a few loose theories kicking around the garment dis- t trict. "Just like any other fashion for men," said a vestless execu- tive of the fashionable Witty Brothers firm, "it started in Eng- land- Some , lord or other was seen wearing one. Then the boys at Eastern colleges copied it, and we were off." A vestless expert on men's clothes had another idea. Men's overcoats, he said, aren't as heavy and bulky—and warm—as they once were. For simple weather protection, men needed something else to wear. Orinary vests they consider old-fashion- ed, sweaters aren't dressy, armor plate is passe. The weskit filled the bill. Ever ready to cash in on a trend, men's wear manufactur- ers have been quick to jump On the vest wagon. Now they're making separate vests in solid colors— such as, no less, red and green—and in material like silk faille and' even floral design up- holstery materiaL They're selling from around $12.50 to $25. And they're really selling, with women buying many as gifts. A vestless salesman in. a department store said there is such a demand, at the moment, that weskits are in short supply, Of course, $25 is nothing to some New York dandies, Weskits can be made up' to suit your per- sonal taste. A few have been tailored with special buttons, with regimental or other insig- nia etched on. You can have your weskit initialed. Or even bullet-proofed. This weskit fad—and the in- dustry isn't sure if It's a fad or a here -to -stay style change—does. not herald the reappearnace , of the suit vest. That went out with the pants cuff during the war, as a fneasure to conserve material. The cuff came back, but the vest .didn't, ♦ a 4 A Industry/ leaders say it is eco- nomically unsound to sell a vest with a suit these days, except TA'TTEliSALX,t It made repgrlS'? er 'Kleiner feel.debonair. With certain ultra -conservative models, Moat men don't want vests, they say, "Usually," said a vestiesa manufacturer, "If a customer sees a vest on the hanger with the suit, he'll say, 'What with this suit? Left over from before the war or something?'" Other men oomplain vests make them look older, or fatter.. So the suit' vest is steadily log. ing popularity. In single-breast- ed suit sales—double breasted suits never have vests -51 per cent had vests in 1951. This - year, the estimate is only 48 per cent of single-breasted suits will have vests, The hst is definitely" on the way out. But the weskit, or the separate vest, is the garment of tomorrow. Pleasant dreams. Says Germ. Warfare Would Not Work Mention germ warfare in mix- ed company and you can almost see your listeners' scalps tingle, They conjure °up visions of sin- ister missiles,more deadly even than a hydrogen bomb, raining down silently and turning cities into ghost towns, with . them- selves and their families, friends, and neighbours, all lying dead in the streets. Yet, the .frightening idea that vast. areas could be depopulated by germs dropped from the air is really ridiculous, It's perfect- ly true that as little as a ,tea- spoonful of a particular bacteria could fatally infect every member of the British Isles, But the 'germs in question would have to be properly portioned out. And—fortunately for all con- cerned — the very germs which might Wreak most havoc would not themselves be tough . enough to stand warfare conditions, Contrary to general belief, germ warfare is nothing new. It was. first tried in the fourteenth century, when the Tartars swept across Europe from Russia and, in an attempt to overcome resis- tance at Caffe, hurled corpses and dying victims of" the bubonic plague over the city's walls. In World War 1 the Germans tried to introduce cholera into Italy. Later, they inoculated horses with glanders and set them free to mingle with horse-drawn units of the Allies. As recently as 1942, after 165 Chinese deaths, China accused Japan of dropping infected rice and .clothing from a 'plane, But it's extremely improbable that epidemics on a large settle could be started by germ war- fare. As the U.S. journal "To - fare. As an American joule- nal our-nal "To - day's Health" points out, t h e r e are no i.nown germs which could be lib- erated as free agents and be ex- pected to create a widespread pestilence, When subjected to 'the rigours of warfare they would expire long before they could do their dirty work, There's one other comforting factor. Simply this. it would hardly profit any nation to con- quer another with, say, typhus . or even foot-and-mouth. For the victorious race would soon find the disease ]mocking at its own doctor. Pestilence is no respecter of boundaries. Having dined in a restaurant' with her husband, a woman miss- ed her gloves when she was on her way out. Murmuring some- thing to 'her husband, she hur- ereied back to the table to look for them. Not seeing them on the table, she lifted the cloth and be- gan to grub about on the floor, Jut then a waiter came up. "Pardon me, madam," he said, "but the gentleman is over there bet the door." Speedy Service -The Canadien pacifip Railway's fast freighfi^'8edvidtr iset'recn Montreal ' and Toronto was speeded up and Improved December 1 by the utilization of truck trailers and railway flat cars as shown above, Under the newsystem shipments will be picked up in one city by trunks. The trailers will then be loaded on the flat cars from. ramps and the tractors detached. After being sped ter hs destination by an overnight fast merchandlze freight train, other tractors will be attached to the trailers and the goods delivered to the door of the con- tignee. Service is speeded by elimination of handling in freight sheds, damage is expected to be minimized and the convenience of pick-up and overnight deliyery will be increased. If the Montreal -Toronto operations prove successful, 1 is expected that wider application of the service will be made.