Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-09-03
The party first ascended the south.

1he party nrSt ascended the south
ern or southwestern peak. This is 9
long, exceedingly steep; narrow ridge
stringing out from the main dome Of
crown for aHodt mile. The ridge
did not afford over ten or twelve feet
Of foothold on top, and the sides
seemed to fall off almost perpendicu.
larly. 1t was covered with ice, very
much broken, in thin sheets Or pima.
cles, standing on edge very close TO-
gether. The wind had been blowing
hard all day, and had risen to sucll
fury by this time that the tourists were
obliged to brace themselves against it
to prevent being blown off the sharp
ridge, and to throw themselves behind
the pinnacles of ice for protection
every fifty yards or 80. fastening
forward in this way, they reached at
length the highest point, and with
three cheers waved their flags aloft,
and named the point " Peak Success
in token Of their victory. They were
just ten and one-half hours in making
the ascent, during all which time they
toiled hard, and were not obliged to
return single step.
They stood moment upon that
narrow summit. bracing themselves
against the furious and biting blast,
to view the prospect but the whole
country was covered with a dense sea
Of smoke, hiding everything except
one solitary peak to the southeast,
Mount Ada'ns) whose summit, like
Rainier's, loomed above the smoke.
Immediately about the mountain, on
every side, were deep gorges falling
off precipitously thousands of feet,
separated by vertical ridges of rock,
and each forming the bed of a glacier
which could be seen far below, wrin-
kled across with countless crevasses.
The great field Of ice and snow which
covered the crown of the mountain
overhnng these gorges, and was COLI
tinually breaking off in immense
masses, whicl, fell with the roar of
thunder. The wind was now a per-
feet tempest, and very cold smoke
and m;st wero flying about tho I"ec
of the mountain, half hiding, half
revealing its gigantic outlines; aud
the whole scene was grand, sublime,
awful.
Retracing their steps along the
narrow summit of Peak Success"
the tourists crossed the ice field and
assembled the middle peak, about a
mile distant. This is about two hun
dred feet the highest, and the ascent
is up an easy sloping snow field to
the summit, which is crowned by a
rocky ridge. Climbing over this, they
found themselves within circular
crater two hundred yards in diameter,
filled with solid bed of snow, and
with rim Of rocks projecting above
the snow all around. AS they crossed
the crater on the snow, Mr.. Van
Trump detected the odor of sulphur,
and the next instant numerous jets
of steam, hot air, and thin smoke
were observed issuing from the Gre
vices of the rocks forming the rim on
the northern side. Never was dis.
covcry more welcome. fastening
forward, they both exclaimed, as they
warmed their thoroughly chilled and
benumbed cxtremitics over one of old
Pluto's fires, that here they would
pass the night, secure against freezing
to death, at least; for it was now six
o'clock, and it would have been i'm
possible to descend the mountain be-
fore nightfall.
A deep cavern, extending under
and into the ice, formed by the action
of the heat, was found, and short
distance within its mouth they built
a wall of stones enclosing space five
by six feet around a strong jet of heat
and steam. Ensconced within this
shelter, they discussed their future
prospects while they warmed them
selves at their natural register. The
heat at the orifce was too great to
bear for more than an instant, but the
steam wet them, the smell! of sulphur
nauseated them; and, in short, they
passed most miserable night, freez.
ing on one side anu in a hot sulphur
steam bath on the other. The wind
outside roared and whistled; but,
secure within their cavern and their
wall, it did not much affect them ex-
cept when an occasional gust came
down perpendicularly.
The dawn at length slowly broke
cold and grey, and the tempest howled
still wilder. As it grew light, dense
clouds of snow.driven mist went
sweeping by overhead, and completely
hid the sun and cnvelol ed the noun
tain so as to hide objects one hundred
yards distant. They watched this
with great anxiety, fearing a storm
which might dctain them for days
without food or shelter; or, worse
yet, snow which wonld render the de-
scent more perilous. or, most likely,