St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-11-13
Gbe Californian
"a. John-bury, Thursday, Nov. I3, 1890
THE ALASKAN MOUNTAINS.
The Recent Explorations on and near
MI ST Elias

which have been published of TIL
work of the United States topo
graphical survey in the recent expe
dition to Alaska Mark Kerr, who
accompanied Prof Russell of the sur
vey on an expedition TO measure th'
base line at Yakutat bay preparatory
to surveying Mt. St. Elias, supposed
to be the highest mountain in NORTH
America, gave an account on his re
turn of the expedition and of the dis
covcry by it of the largest glacier ii
the world.
The party consisting of the two
scientists and six skilful woodsmen
left Tacoma last June. Their first
discovery was that Yakutat bay is
navigable for its entire length OF
twenty miles. They camped at the
mouth of Kettle river and from this
point began the measurements, GO
ing ten miles up Kettle river, and
then, following the big canon toward
Mount St Elias, they found the ket-
tie and Augusta glaciers. At the
head of Augusta glacier, 800 feet
above sea-level, was a small island
IN the middle of the glacial streams,
covered with verdure. On it were
flowers and ferns, and spruce trees in
great quantity. They decided to call
this little paradise Blossom island
At this place a camp was esta blished,
and everything left in it except a
weeks provisions for four men.
Leaving the other four at this camp,
Kerr and Russell started on August
/ with two assistants to push on up
Mount St Elias Making their way
over moraine above the Augusta
glacier, and on above the glacier
which they called Hitchcock, after
the scientist, they reached the might
est glacier in the world, which they
named the Lucia glacier
This vast body is ten miles in
width and flows for twenty-five
miles until it falls by q big mOraine
into the Baird glacier, which includes
all the north side of Yakutat bay.
1t moves fifteen feet a day and is
covered with circular crevasses.
Proceeding up the Lucia glacier they
Pass at its head. This is a natural
pass into the interior of Alaska
across the st. Elias range. Next
they came to a second pass, which
they named Dome, leading to an
other glacier called the Conrad. The
Conrad glacier leads right up to the
northeast angle of the slope of
Mount St Elias. Following this
they came at last to an altitude of
5000 feet.
After many perils they finally
reached the height of 5000 feet on a
slope of hard snow leading directly
to the summit On August 26 they
began this ascent, which had baff1ed
Schwatka, Gelder and Seton Kari.
1t looked as though they could reach
the summit in few hours; but soon
after they started a binding snow
storm set i'll, and four feet fell in a
few moments They camped in a
sheltered spot, and the weather clear
ing they started again only to find
that their provisions were low. The
two attendants were sent back for
more food. When they had been
gone a few hours Kerr started after
them to order a fresh supply of oil.
He overlook them, but on his return
nearly persisted When the party
were once more supplied storms be
gan and prevented them from reach
ing the summit.
Mr.. Kerr was able to make many
observations of the mountain and
the glacier from the camp at Bios
som island. He declares that there
is no doubt that the mountain is i'll
the United States territory. He
puts it at 60 degrees and 81 seconds
latitude, and AL degrees longitude;
so the boundary lines between the
American and British territory cross
on the northeast slope, within a
short distance of the summit. He
chops off several thousand feet from
the summit of Mount st. Elias, as
put i'll the latest United States gov
eminent maps. Instead of being H.,
800 feet above Sea-level, he saws, it Is
500 feet less; and that, after careful
calculation, it may be found to be
only l 3, 800 feet in height. Between
Mount St. Elias and the Lucia
glacier are other peaks 10000 feet
in height, and covering a greater ter
ritorv than Mount ST. Elias. Mr..
Kerr named some of these peaks the
Newton" Augusta Logan,
shepard, "Bozman, "Malespina, >"
after an old Dutch explorer; and
Hubbard" after the president of
the National Geographical society
The high peaks in Naval range he
dubbed Bear" "Corwin,' y ''Thetis,
"Tcannette, "Pinta' and Rush"
BULFINCH'S ARCHITECTURE.
Not all the curves in old Boston
streets were made by cows in their
uncertain wanderings- One at least
was carefully designed, and repre-