Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-20

graphic Society and the United States Geo
logical Survey for the purpose of exploring
the region about Mount St. Elias, Alaska
has returned. Mr.. Russell, who organized
the expedition and had charge of the work
is now in Washington, and has furnished the
following picturesque sketch of the stock o
his party:
On his arriving at Sitka, the members o
the expedition were transferred at once Il
the United States steamer Pinta, undel
command Of Captain Farenholt, who haC
previously received instructions from tht
Secretary of the Navy to take them tt
Yakutat Bay.
THE EXPEDITION LANDS.
The Pinta reached the mouth of Yakutat
Bay on June 25. The bay is broad, deer
inlet, extending more than 80 miles inland
and it was the plan of the expedition to be.
gin work near its head on the west shore.
The weather being thick, Captain Faren.
holt did not think it advisable to take the
vessel up the Dav, and the voyage had to be
made By means of boats and canoes in a
driving rainstorm. The actual base OF
operations was reached on June %, and the
study of the geology and geography of the
region began at once.
when the storm passed away" says Mr..
Russell, Eve found ourselves on a wild
shore, encumbered by icebergs, and at the
immediate base of a majestic mountain
range there, ending southeast and northwest.
Along the southern base of the mountains
there is plateau some 80 miles broad. di-
vided by the waters of Yakatut Bav. Our
task was to explore and name the country
from the bay to st. Elias, and as far beyond
as practicable.
EXPLORING MOUNTAINS AND GLACIERS
Excursions were begun at once to the
neighboring mountains and glaciers and up
Iakutat Bay as far as the floating ice would
allow canoe to travel One of these ex-
cursious took us to an island near the head
of the bay. which VIC named Grand View
Island. From its summit which rises boldly \
thousand feet above the water, magnificent
view was obtained of vast stretch of snow
clad mountains, from which glaciers of great
magnitude decended to the sea, and ended in
cliffs OF ice several hundred feet high. From
there the lcebergs crowding the bav were
derived. One of these glaciers we named
after Danton, the pioneer explorer of the re-
EioA' oAONlCA VI Size, at Inc leaQ OF
the bay, was named in honor of Gardner
Hubbard, the President of the National
Geographic Society. A magnificent mount
ain peak, rising some 10, 0OO feet Immediate
iy above the Hubbard glacier, received the
same name
SNow-CAPPED MOUNTAIN PEAKS.
Another towering peak, on the same
mountain crest, triangular in shape. and
c IVrpT Of hn
Mount Seattle, in acknowledgment of the
faithful services of our camp hands, whose
homes are mostly in the Queen City of the
Sound
While glacial and geological studies
were being pushed forward, Mr.. Kerr. the
tOpographer of the party, measured a base
line with considerable accuracy, and began
a map of the region.
As soon as the topographic work was at
all under way a line of march toward st.
Elias was decided upon. All our rations.
bedding, tents, etc. had to be carried by the
men, the character of the country not allow
ing the use of animals. Our line of march
was toward the northwest, with the triangu-
lar summit of st. Elias as our guide. We
found passes in the mountains leading in
the direction we wished to travel, and no in
surmountsble difficulties in the way.
although patience and Judgment were re-
quired in threading the net work of
crevasses in the ice fields.
APPROACHING MT. ST. ELIAS.
Probably more than nine-tenths of our
journey was across glaciers and snow fields.
Ou the lst OF August We were midway be-
tween 1akutat Bay and st. Elias, but still
al the base OF the mountains. Our camp
was in the last and highest grove of trees
that 1t was practicable to reach. The tim
Der line is there about !, 500 feet high, and
all trees disappear few miles to the west.
An island of rock, surrounded bv vast
glaciers, but clothed with beautiful flowers.
rank ferns and dense spruce trees, furnished
a delightful spot for our base camp, We
named this lovely oasis in the desert of ice
Blossom Island From there our work in
the high mountains began.
"On following up Marvin glacier. which
flows to the west of Blossom Island for
about 10 miles, we reached an elevation of
1000 feet and found an easy pass, although
filled with glacial ice, leading westward
across what, from a distance, seemed an i'm
passable mountain range.
NEW GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES.
"We named this Pinnacle Pass on ac-
count OF the tapering spires overlooking it.
West OF Pinnacle Pass, we descended to a
glacier that has its source far to the north
OF Mount Cooh, and separates that mount
ain from the ST. Elias range. On crossing
this giacles and approaching the mountain
wall which rises to the west of it. we again
found pass leading toward St Elias. that
afforded an easy passage to the Conrad
glacier, one branch OF which rises on the
northern slope OF the great mountain. Fol-
lowing up this branch we at last after 20
days hard work above snow line, found
ourselves encamped at the base of st.
Elias.
The weather had been clear for ten days.
and we had every prospect of a good DAVIS
climbing on the morrow. Rising at In the
morning, we began what we believed to be
the final ascent, but after a few hours storm
CLOUDS settled down around us, snow began
10 fall and all landmarks were lost to view,
HANDICAPPED BY SNOW STORMS.
''The storm continued for 80 hours with
out cessation, and il was with difficulty that
we found our way through the binding
snow to lower camp, where the necessary
ratlons were to be had. A second attempt
was made to reach the summit two davs
later, but another snow storm broke over
the mountains as suddenly as the first. This
time 1 was alone in the highest camp, where
l was imprisoned for six davs before being
able to rejoin my party below, while Mr..
Kerr was similarly isolated at the first camp
lower down. When I started down there
were six ieet of new snow which refused to
harden, and rendered it impossible to do
more work among the high peaks.
"0n descending to lower level, I started
on an excursion up the glacier between st.
Elias rauge and Mount Cook, which gave
promise OF leading to low pass across the
main range. but Il third snow storm coming