Biner_Leseprobe

First of all, it begs the question whether such a thin hemp rope with a diameter
of 8mm (which does not even measure up to today’s single static
ropes) would have been able to withstand the force of four falling bodies at
all. It has to be mentioned that the British Alpine Club carried out several
tests regarding the resistance of ropes, and their findings were terrifying for
all involved. The test consisted of holding a weight of 76kg, which is then
dropped by a bare 1.5m. The Alpine Club reported that of the woven ropes
normally considered to be very strong, not one resisted the strain of the
fall; and of the carefully manufactured, spun ropes, not many withstood the
forces inflicted on them. The ropes gave in in such an unsettling way that
some of their members were deeply terrified, since they had been using
such ropes regularly and fully relied on their integrity. They bestowed completely
unjustified trust upon these cords. The only rope resisting all tests
was the one made of Manila hemp. The Alpine Club stated that from that
moment onwards, this type of rope would be carrying a seal of quality. One
has to bear in mind that the rope used to tie Peter Taugwalder Senior and
Lord Douglas together was not made of Manila hemp, and it was thinner
that the ropes tested by the British Alpine Club. Furthermore, it had to carry
the weight of four bodies roped up at an interval of about 8m. Therefore,
the distance of the fall was far greater than the 1.5m in the tests. Also, the
rope was hanging over an edge – something that even today leads to the
breaking of ropes under relatively low strain.
Another point concerns the injuries Peter Taugwalder sustained on his
hand and his torso. According to Peter Taugwalder Senior’s account,
the rope between him and Whymper was not taut, which allowed him to
wrap it around a boulder above him as he saw his comrades fall. With
his other hand, he tried to hold on to the thin connecting rope. Because
of that, the pull of the falling companions was entirely absorbed by his
hand and his upper body, since he had wrapped a large part of the thin
rope around himself, as good mountain guides do. The subsequent injuries
to his hand and torso were severe and still visible months after
the accident. Peter Taugwalder showed them to his colleagues. He was
probably lucky that the rope broke immediately; otherwise, his injuries
would have been much worse.
The part where the rupture was located was quite far away from Peter
Taugwalder. Whymper said in his questioning by the investigating judge
that the rope had broken midway between Peter Taugwalder and Lord
Douglas. Since this report was sealed until after Whymper’s death, this
statement of his was never considered. In his third version of 1895, in
which Whymper described the events, he mentioned the breaking of the
38 The conquest of the Zermatt Mountains