The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-01-30
FIRST ASCENT or RAINIER.
Gen. Ksufx Tells of the Historic
Expedition
A rrsp vron rsrs ssesisessn 70 the
s.m~ss u shs Mss.saia
in 1887.


that ssMajog- GenefsI A. v. Kautx, xhs
IL Hox spending tour-snsnfhs Ieav
OF absence fYons Fort SioLraya. Ne
braska. OF which he il cornfnandAnr
I'm revIsfting the fafnfiiar scores Ii
Washington Territory. with the earl
history Of which his name il INSOFAR
ably identified. wss the Grsf whit.
man 70 rnake the ascent OF Moszn
Rainier and 10 establish the exisfenc.
Of glaciers Isl United states territory
Such, however. 10 an historical fact
and Gen. Rautzss claim 10 sks hoaol
n now 20 well established that rs0ns
dare dispute IL.
A reporter ~ho called on 5ersra
Kaufz last evening at his rooms in the
Occidsnsai hotel. % get bis story o.
the expedition, was cordially greetesi
and placed at ease by that gentleman
who has q vast fund % stories Of q
reminiscent nature, which be tells in q
pleasant conversational manner. L pon
being questioned a. 20 bis ascent 81
Rainier. the general said
" Yes. il il trae thas ! was the flrsI
white mar 10 make the ascent oi
Mount Rainier, . said the general
. and | was ais0 first 10 establish the
existence Of glaciers in United states
territory. Il made the accent in july
1851. and an aeeoant OF the expessi.
ton which was printed IN the HasA.
ingfoa Republicans. psiidlshed at seiia-
coon. July a. 1851, i believed &, con.
tain tbe first Isssf,ii he'll recognition OF
u glacier in United states territory.
I'm tsTy Clarence King, who had
charge OF the United States geological
survey of the 4fth parallel. published
an article in the AftanfE Monthly in
tended to set up a claim 10 bis being
the discoyerer OF glaciers in United
states territories. He was taken 10
account for this by number Of his
torieaI and scientific societies, and par
ticuiarIy by the California Academy Of
Sciences. Prof. Davis. president OF
that association, published al
answer to Kings article. In
which he gave accounts Of various as
cents made o. Mount Rainier. Mount
Baker, Mount st. Helesis and other
mountains prior to 1872. aud my as
cent OF Mount Rainier took precedence
OF all of them. At the request OF Prof.
Davis | filed copy of the Hashiaqfoa
Republican containing the account
of the ascent made by me with the so
eiety. and since that time my claim
has not been disputed.
II was stationed at Fort steilaeoom
ia Is53 and was made full second
lieutenant about six months later
Orders had Just been issued from the
department at Washington for the
survey TO be made in this part Of the
country. / was young and full oi
ardor and wanted 60 distinguish my
self In July, 1888. / started out and
made the trip through NisquaIly pass
Very few had been through there before
and the trip was attended with great
danger. A month afterwards Theo-
dore Winthrop followed me. and in
his book Canoe and Saddle" he gave
the name OF Tacoma 10 the mountain.
He stated. however, that the name
was applied TO all snow peaks. 1t was
a number OF years after this that
made the ascent Of Mount Rainier, of
which | viii now tell YOU.
''On the 18th Of July left Fort Steii-
accom- with party organized 10 as
certain the practicability Of ascending
the mountain, whose precipitous and
giisteniag sides presented seemingly
impossible barrier Ito progress. The
expedition consisted of myself fI was a
first lieutenant at the tine), four en-
listed men from the fort and an Indian
guide named Wa-pow-e-ty, who had
once when a boy, been across from
the Cowiitx river, down the
Nisqualiy. and DR.. Craig, the post
surgeon. who joined us nc the last
moment. We had 10 days supplies
and took horses "a far as the Mishawl
prairie. distance of about 20 miles.
Thence, with six days provisions con-
sisting of dried meat and hard bread
and single blanket for each
man, we proceeded afoot across
the mountains between the Mish-
awi and Nisqualiy. coming on
the last named stream above the falls.
We continued for five days up the
river, travelling on the bars wherever
possible bat greater part of the way
through the dense underground of the
bottom, from where the Nisqually
emerged from an immense glacier,
The sixth day we started APP the
mountain. bat the weather was very
ss<ta satAA Nv HEiF E+Nft& t1ktttpfEAA III q
storm Of hail and mist, so that we
were unable TO see our course and
were Obliged % seek camp ~ an eie-
vatioa 81 goo feet above the level OF
the sea. The next morning. the 18th.
the stortr ceased and We agai.. COM
fnenred the ascent. Two OF the sol
diers remained at the camp and at
O'Clock in the afternoon, nj an ele-
walton Of about 10000 feet. another
soldier and the Indian gave out
aud returned 10 camp. At an eievs-
ton o. 1900 feet The fourth soldier
gave ont AMI nr. Craig. who was be-
hind came up to that point and joined
him, bat they could proceed no
further.
At this point the crest OF the
mountain vas turned and the ascent
MAS less steep and | continued my
journey alone 10 the nearest PEAK
which Was necessary to attain to make
The observations contemplated. When
| finally reached the summit il was 6
O'Clock and as il sas out OF the lues-
ton 10 pass around the crest. where a
dangerous crater was located, after
dark, only remained there about is
minutes.
Hazard Stevens. who reached the
summit In isss, claims To have found
Mn extinct crater there which made
IL warm enough fog him "a remain all
night, and his statement has been con
flrnied by Others This Is very i'm
portant fact for exploring parties Ia bc
made aware Of. a. il requires nearly a
fali day 50 make the ascent. A. the
satense cold preeiaslesi the posSi-
bssiEy 81 staying on the noun
tain al eisht retained To
camp We decided Ia try Ia
make the ascent again the next aay
bat when morning came We were al
So worn or with our previous siay 5
escrsions that the plau was gwen m
Another thing caused as to hurry car
rpturn - the Tort. An examination
of our Stack 81 provisions showed
about three crackers and pound al
dyiszi meat 80 each man. ~ carry Us
over a track 81 country that required
six days hard travel We arrived A,
Fort StellacooFn en the 2ist az iulv
after an absence of IL days, all ii
good health. although much reduced
in ilesh aud greatly tatigyeti
THE country ae Travelled ever hat
bat little interest for as. except shs
magnificent scenery % the mountains
For about twenty miles akeve shc tall,
oi Nisqually there i = valley sryera
miles ln width. sienSeiy timtmrexi Will
large cedar and isr trees. There arr
no erairieS, unless one hnrut ,ssStgict
several miles in extent. about so nsile.
- l. I'll