The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-10-20
THE WONDERS Or THE WEST.
The HighestMountain in the Unite d
States.

|
The progress of the exploration
among the high mountain ranges of
Western America is narrowing down
the question as to where is the high
est mountain peak in the Republics.
The Rocky Mountains, the Sierre Me-
vadas, the latter's extention through
Oregon, the Cascades, and their fur.
ther extension into British America.
and Alaska, have all been contestants
for this distinction and very wild
statements have been made of the
heights,of the representative peaks of
each of these sections. Several peaks
need be more accurately measured bo-
fore the contest is fully closed; but
at present California, in her Mount
Whitney, carries off the palm. The
mountain, which lies in the Sierro
Nevada range, in the Southern part
of the State, was assembled by NJ
King, one of the State geological SUR
vey, III the summer of 1866, to apoint
Of 14,740 feet in height, where he took
accurate measurements Beyond
that point the peak was y'.inaccessible;T
but his skilled judgement was that
the summit rose from three to four
hundred feet. above him and he
therefore reports Mount Whitney as
$4,000 feet high-a claim which may
be held to be substantially correct.
In the -neighborhood of Mount Whit.
pey are Mount I.yell, 1927 feet
high, Dana, IS, ,227, Brewer, 1886,
[ and Tyndall 1856 feet. s4-' 10 szi'
But next to Mount Whitney, In
| California, stands Mount Shasta, in
the northern part of the State, and
perhaps the most magnificent snow&
covered mountain in the United States.
1t is l4,440 feet high and is appar-
emily destined more than any othe2
mountain in the Republic, to become
the object or curious interest and
pleasure seeking for travellers. Mount
Hood, its Oregon rival, and nearly
its equal in beauty of shape and ex-
tent of snow-felds, is but II, ,225 feet
high. Mount Baker and Rainers
still further north i'll Washington Ter
ritory, are respectfully 10,78O feet
and 1880 feet high. They are also
distinguished for the extent and mag
nifcence of their perpetual snow-helds.
The encyclopedia puts down two
mountains (still further north in Brit
/ ish Columbia)-Brown and Hooker
i-being 5,990 and 15,700 feet high,
respectively +; but they prove never
to have been accurately measured.
and these figures are but the widest
que ses OF superficial travellers, mo-
more to BE- depended upon than the
claim of the Oregonians to height of
over II 900 for Mount Hood, which
has only been overthrown within the
last three years. 1t is not probable
that either Of these peaks in British.
America ascend so high s.s either
Shasta or Whitney, in California; but
still they need to be accurately meas.
ured before the question can be held
to be finally closed against them.
| So, too, of Mount St. Elias in our
new Territory of Alaska. Heights OF
$4,000 and 1900 feet have been
claimed by travellers, and soberly put
down in books for this grand old vol
cano. But the measurement OF Sir
E. Belcher, which is the highest pat
forth by any one of respectable ,au--
thority, claims only 1870 feet for
it and other observers make it much
lower. The mountain has really new
er been accurately measured. Gss,n-'
Thus stands the case in the Pacific
Coast States and Territories. Of the
coast mountains. in California, no
one rises above 5 900 feet, that being
the figure for Panaehee Grande;
Mount Elablo, so conspicuous and OBJ
iect in the country, about San Fran
cisco, is but 3 1857 feet high.
| Coming east to the Rocky Mount!
aims, Colorado, which holds the high
est peaks of that range, has -four
mountains which are pretty certainly
between IA, 900 and 14,500 feet each
There are Longs, Gray's. and Pike'S
Peaks, and Mount Lincoln. aDrj-
Parry, of ST. Louis, has made the
most reliable measurement of the. Col
oradine Heights; but since one of the
1 barometers- which he depended upon
for the calculation was stationed in st.
Louis, there was some liability to
error in even the most accurate OF
his figures. He measured the lower OF
the two Gray's Peaks, and made it
IA, PSI feet. The other, to which he
endeavored to give the name of Tor
rey's Peak, but which the people of
Colorado join with its twin in the
same name of Gray, is evidently
from one to two hundred feet higher
but has not been accurately measured.
Pixies Peak is reported by DR.. Parry
at 1926 feet, and by Fremont, who
assembled it, at Ia, 300 feet. Mount
Lincoln has been accurately measured,
though often assembled. 1t is more
likely to be lower than higher than
Gray's Peaks. DR. Parry did not sue
ceed in reaching the summit ofLong's'
Peak, but made an approximate
measurement which he reported at
IA, ,956 feet. But this last season the
first successful ascent of the notabls
mountain was made by Professor
Powell and Mr.. Byers, of the. Roc Ky
Mountain Ne,cs, and their measu re-
ment, the first reliable one ever made;.
gives the figures at 14,250 feet
fhe New York Nation, therefore,
showed more presumption tn an knowl-
edge, when it undertook to criticise
Mr.. Bowles in his Switzerland OF
America" for not being more exact
in reporting the heights of the lead
ing mountains in Colorado. The No.
ton says; '.he ought to have known
that Longs Peak was 14,506 feet,p
which, in fact, no body did, or could
know outside of the Nation Office. sg
Thera are nunneror1s other rcaks In