two o'clock in the afternoon
A Catastrophe Which Cost Eleven Lives On the 5th of September , 1870 , a caravan of eleven persons departed from Chamonix to make the ascent of Mont Blanc . Three of the party were tourists ; Messrs. Randall and Bean , Americans , and Mr. George Corkindale , a Scotch gentleman ; there were three guides and five porters . The cabin on the Grands Mulets was reached that day ; the ascent was resumed early the next morning , September 6th . The day was fine and clear , and the movements of the party were observed through the telescopes of Chamonix ; at two o'clock in the afternoon they were seen to reach the summit . A few minutes later they were seen making the first steps of the descent ; then a cloud closed around them and hid them from view . Eight hours passed , the cloud still remained , night came , no one had returned to the Grands Mulets . Sylvain Couttet , keeper of the cabin there , suspected a misfortune , and sent down to the valley for help .