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Show WHITE THRONE CLIMBER TELLS STORY OF HIKE Zion National Park. July 12. Supported Sup-ported by two friends. W. H. W. Evans of South Pasadena, Calif., the man who climber the rugged, almost perpendicular perpendicu-lar side of the great monolith, "The Great White Throne" here, June 27 and 28. boardered a train for his home last night. Before leaving the hospital at Cedar City. Evans related the first detailed story of his climb to the Associated Press. Park oficials have officially recognized re-cognized Evans as the first man in known history to scale the walls and reach the summit of the rock, 3.200 feet above surrounding ground. . , Evans came here a few days before his climb and said that when he heard that no white man had ever been known to reach the summit, decided to make the attempt. He spent several days studying the walls and a few days before his successful ascent, he attempted at-tempted an ascent of the north wall, but soon abandoned it. The next morning Evans said he started the climb and succeeded in reaching the summit in the early evening. even-ing. He started a fire to inform his buddy. Douglas Graham, also of South Pasadena, that he had achieved his purpose. He picked out a point overlooking over-looking the public automobile camping park and started a signal fire. Winds carried embers over the rim to a clump of trees several hundred feet below and sparks soon started another fire. Evans climbed down over the wall and extinguished the blaze. He then returned re-turned to the summit and spent the night in a little cave into which a pack rat had carried some boughs and twigs. Shortly after 4 o'clock the following morning Evans began his descent. He remembers nothing of the fall or rescue. His watch which probably never will run again, stopped at 5:10 and rescuers are united in the belief that this was on the morning of June 28. He was found in a little clump of brush and sand shortly before 4 p. m. the following day or 35 hours after his watch is believed to have stopped. His clothing was torn to shreds. The climber carried a canteen of water, which was still strapped to him when he was found. However, it was necessary to cut off the cap to give him a drink. Evans suffered a concussion of the brain and an injury to his back, which caused him to walk with his spine curved cur-ved inward. Physicians here said it would be some time before he completely complete-ly recovers. Deseret News. |