The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-05-26
The Highest Mountain in the
World.
From the New York Sun

For many years past Mount Eve
rest. in that portion of the great Hi
malaga range which occupies the
western part of the strange kingdom
of Nepaul, Immediately north of In
dia, has been regarded as the high
est mountain in the world. It is
known to the Nepaulese as Gauri-
sankar. but the English named it
Everest, in honor OF distinguished
officer of the British Indian topo.
graphical survey. It's snow-capped
summit is %, ,002 feet or nearly five
miles and half, above the level of
the sea. OF course no one has as
cended to this hight, but its altitude,
like that of the lofty peaks Of the
Himalaya, was ascertained by tri-
angulation; and until the present
time it has not been supposed that
any higher land existed on earth.
If the news be true, however.
which has lately come to us from the
more distant East, there is loftier
peak than Mount Everest in the
great island of Papua or New Gui-
nea. This vast region, extensive
enough to form six States as large
as New York, is as yet almost Who'll
" unexplored, except along its
coasts. Lying close to the equator,
where the Indian ocean and the Pa
cific meet, it is the home of the cas-
sowary aud the bird of paradise, a
country grand in its scenery, riea in
its vegetation, and abounding in GU
rious and beautiful forms of animal
life-the veritable wonderland OF the
globe. An attempt to explore the
unknown interior of the island was
made from Torrea Strait, which sep
arates it from Australia, by Capt.
j. A. Lawson, in the year 1872 and
if we may believe his published mar
rative of the journey, which has just
appeared in London, he advanced
several hundred miles inland, and
about midway between the north
and south coasts discovered a noun
tain 32.783 feet high, which he
named Mount Hercules.
The height of this mountain-over
six miles-is not the only remark
able thing about it. It's apparent
elevation is but little less than its
actual elevation; for. instead of ris-
ing from lofty table land like the
plateau of Central Asia. it stands in
comparatively low plain about g.
600 feet above the ocean, and this
gives a clear rise of more than 30.-
900 feet above the surrounding
country. The traveller standing AT
its base could look up and see it's
snowy peak towering $4,000 feet
skyward from where he stood. I'm
der such circumstances the tatl1de
of a mountain is appreci ed
Capt. Lawson tells us tlEeUGHe un-
dertook the ascent, for rfhdabe as it
appeared. lie did not reach the
top, but we believe the achievement
which he relates is unparalleled in
the records of mountaineering. Ac-
companied by one servant, he set
out from the foot at 4 o'clock in the
morning. They passed through the
dense forests in the first 1000 feet
Of perpendicular progress, found the
limit of tree growth at 1000 feet,
and by o'clock had reached a
point l4,000 feet above the sea lev
el-almost as high as the famous
Matterhorn. A thousand feet higher
was the snow line, and they all began
to suffer from the cold. AS they
pressed on, drowsinees began to over
come them. Nothing was visible
but snow of the most dazzling white
ness. Every peak and crag was COW
cred with it. and it hung over the
edges Of the cliffs in long tieecy mass
es." Their eyes were affected by the
glare, and they felt themselves grow
ing more lethargic.
'sAt length blood began to flow
from our noses and ears" says Capt.
Lawson, s'and my head ached in a
distracting manner. ! saw that our
only chance of preserving life was to
retreat without delay for we were
in a pitiful plight. Our lips and
gums, and the skin of our hands and
faces were cracked and bleeding,
and our eyes were bloodshot and
swollen to an alarming extent. The
thermometer had sunk to twenty-five
degrees below the freezing point,
and the air was so rarilied that we
were gasping rather than breathing.
Our staves fell from our hands. II
was now / o'clock, and the greatest
elevation we had attained was 25,-
314 feet
They then turned back, descend
ed to the limit of the snow in three
hours, and arrived at their camp at
the base of the mountain about half
past seven in the evening. Thus, in
fifteen hours and a half. they bad
ascended an absolute height of 3d.
900 feet, to an elevation which we
believe il greater than any ever be-
fore attained by man upon the sur
face of the earth, although balloon
lists have occasionally gone higher.
These are wonderful stories, and
the reader may desire to know
whether we altogether trust in their
authenticity Gnd accuracy. The
fresh. spirited, and interesting mar
rative in which we have found them
is published by one of the most re-
spectacle firms in London, and put
forth as q genuine book of travels.
The authors account of the fora,
the fauna. and the inhabitants of
New Guinea, contains much that il
marvellous. and that certainly has
hitherto been unknown and unsns-
pected. Some of his statements. al
so, are difficult to reconcile with onr
previously acquired knowledge con-
cerning the island. Under these
circumstances. his narrative is likely
to be regarded much as we should