The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-19
Ascent of Mount Baker.

Information has reached this country that
Mount Baker, well. known snow-oapped peak
of the Cascade mountains, in Northwest
America, has been successfully scaled. 1t was
so named by Vancouver, in April, 1892 in
honor of Lieutenant Joseph Baker, aud has
long formed an object of great interest aud
curiosity to the settlers in Washington Terri
tory and the southern portion of Vancouver
Island, from which it presents the most con-
spicuous feature in the grand scenery of the
neighboring range. 1t is situated little
south of the 10th parallel of north
latitude, and is distant from the coast,
as the crow flies, an average OF sixty
miles. 1t is known to be an active volcano,
as are, or have been, most of the peaks of the
Cascade, and has been seen more than once,
within the last few years, to be in eruption.
In 1854 upwards of 1000 feet of the crater
seemed to have fallen in. The scaling of it
has often formed the subject of discussion
among the adventurous hunters and explorers
of that region, but the great labor and ex-
pense attendant upon an attempt to penetrate
on foot the sixty miles of unexplored, dense,
tangled forest-and and mountain in
tervening between the mountain and
the coast have always deferred from
the attempt. However, in August, 1866, Mr..
E. L. Coleman "a member of the Alpine Club,
and author OF 'Scene5 from the Snowfeld of
Mont Blanc''), the Hon. Justice Darwin, and
Vancouver exploring expedition), made the
attempt to reach the mountain by ascending
the Skadget river, which was supposed to
head in Mount Baker or that vicinity. After a
most romantic aud perilous canoe and land
journey, through unexplored primeval
forests, and by the homes of Indian
tribes, little, if at all, known, they were
repulsed by hostile tribe of Indians near
the base of the mountains-st he Tukalltum,
or White Stone river, and were again
forced to seek the coast Mr.. Brown having
Immediately after left for Nicaragua en- route
for England, and the Judge being occupied in
less exciting laboTs, Mr.. Coleman, after maua-
ging to enlist Mr.. Bennett, q settler, into the
enterprise, again the same autumn attempted
to reach the summit by another route.
Though they found, as hitherto, that the great
difficulty was in reaching the base, yet,
after enduring much hardship, which none but
those acquainted with the country, or who
have shared in such enterprises as ex-
ploTing the tTackless forests on the
imagine they succeeded in accom- plishiug
their object. Again, in August of this
year, Mr.. Coleman, with single companion
(and, it is hardly necessary to say, without
guides" or any of the conveniences supposed
to be Indispensable in more civilized coun-
tries), succeeded in planting the English aud
American flags Jointly on the summit, to the
great uelectaIlon Vi tne colonlSC5 OF fugeJ
Sound and Victoria, Vancouver Island. The
particulars yet received are very meagre;
but more extended account may be ex-
pected, as considerable excitement is
said to prevail over the event. The
aneroid barometer showed height Of
over 1l,000 feet, considerably less than has
been usually estimated (12,500), though the
latter figures rest on no very sure data.
Mount Hood, its rival (familisr to many
through Bierstadt's painting), has already
yielded its hoaors; and now that the noun
ain-climbers' attention has been turned to
such an inexhausible and magnificent field,
We may expect the two giant peaks which
guard the portals of the Athabasca Pass in
the Rocky Mountains-the 'Botanists' Noun
tains" (Hooker and Brown)-to be scaled.
Here, then, is a new ambition, which may.
well tax all the energies of the Alpine Club.-
London AhenGum.