International Kanchenjunça Expedition. Dispatches in the New York Times of May 24th report the death of Chettan, a veteran porter of all three Everest expeditions, who was killed by an avalanche on the upper Kanchenjunga Glacier on the northwestern side of the mountain. By a miracle, the rest of the climbing party, Hoerlin, Schneider, Wieland, Duvanel and eleven porters escaped, although two of the latter were slightly hurt by blocks of ice. The avalanche which covered an area one mile square, stopped only three hundred yards from Camp No. 1. In consequence of this disaster, the party has abandoned its attack on the north ridge and will transfer its efforts to the west ridge from the unknown western branch of the Kanchenjunga Glacier.

The expedition left Darjeeling on April 6th under the leadership of Professor Günther Dyhrenfurth of Germany. The other members are: H. Hoerlin, Ulrich Wieland and H. Richter, all of Germany; Marcel Kurz and H. Duvanel of Switzerland; E. Schneider of Austria; F. S. Smythe of Great Britain and Enrico Gasparri of Italy. Frau Dyhrenfurth is also of the party. It is one of the best equipped and strongest mountaineering expeditions that has ever operated in the Himalaya.

Great transport difficulties were encountered on the approach, owing to a late winter plus a storm which deposited snow at low levels. At Jongri fifty Nepalese porters deserted on account of a blizzard, leaving a reduced and weakened party to traverse the 17,- 000-foot Kang Pass. Hoerling and Schneider climbed Kang Peak (19,000 ft.).