Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-21

mount look, ana separates tHat noun
tain from the st. Elias range On
crossing this glacier aud approaching
the mountain wall which rises 10 the
west of it. we again fOnnd PASS lead
ing toward st, Elias which afforded an
/ easy passage to the Conrad glacier one
branch of which rsasion the northern
slope of the great mopntain Follow
/ ing mp this bra ch we al last. after
twenty days hard wotk above snow
line, found ourselves eacamped at the
base of st Elias
Caught in snow storm
The weather had been clear for ten
days and We had every prospect for q
go9d days climb en- the morrow Ris-
( il 8 at o'clock in the morning we be-
gan what we believed TO be the final
ascent, but after II few hours storm
/ clouds settled down around us, snow
began 70 fall. and all iaud marks were
! lost to view, The storm continued for
! thirty hoars without Cessation anl it
/ was with difficulty tbat, we found oar
( way through the bihdirg snow TO q
lower camp where the Eecessary rations
were to e had. A seclad attempt was
male TO reach the summit two davB
later, but another snow storm broke
over the mountains as suddenly as the
/ first. This time / wds alone ia the
highest camp. where | WAS imprisoned
for six days before being able 10 reioin
my party below; whil4 Mr. ISarr was
so similarly isolated at the first camp
lower down. When | started down
there were six feet Of new snow which
refused to harden, and rendered it i'm
possible to domore work among the high
peaks.
Month Above the snow Line.
"On descending to lower level. l
started on IN excursion up the glacier
between st. Elias range ana Mount
Cook, which gave promise Of leading to
low pass across the msiu range, but q
third snow storm coming on, was OBJ
ligcd TO return to Blossom Island, and
there rejoined Mr.. Kerr. who had de-
Bcended few days previous. My stay
above the snow line lasted thity-tivo
days, During that time we lived in
tents, many times camping On the open
glacier, SO as to be out OF the reach of
aVaIanchts.
After r5tarning to Blossom Island an
excursion was made far out on the
great Piedmont glacier, which forms
plateau about 900 feet high, stretch
ing along the southern base Of the st.
Elias range This glacier is of the CON
tineutal type, in distinction from the
Alpine glaciers and has an area by
estimate of about 200 square miles. It
is the largest glacier known in the
northern hemisphere, with the excep-
tion OF the ice feds of Greenland.
Return to Ciyilix ition.
I'VE returned to Yakutat bay about
the 20th of September, having had
stormy weather almost all the time
since leaying the vicinity of St. Elias.
On the 22d of September our hearts
were gladdened by seeing the Corwin
steaming up the bay Capt. c. L.
Hooper, commander Of the Corwin,
acting on his own Judgment, and know
ing that we would have hard time If
letc at Yakntat unti9 winter set in.
made the cruise from Sitka especially
for our relief, and conveyed the expedi-
ti0n to Port Townsend, where we ar
rived on Get. >.
The Expedition Success.
From the point of view of the
scientist if not of the Alpinist, our ex-
pedition was a success. The plan pro-
posed Gefore starting was carried out
to the letter. SO far as the study of
glaciers, geology and topography was
concerned, but we did not reach the top
of Mount St Elias. The measurements
made have determined that all the
mountains in this region are lower than
was previously supposed, aud that St
Elias, instead of being the highest point
in North America, is in reality a second
rate mountain Its elevation, instead Of
being 10. 800 feet, as previously consid-
cred, is about 10, 500 feet Mount Cook
has an elevation of 10, $50 feet, and Van
couver 9,401 Many other peaks in the
same region are as elevated as Cook and
Vancouver, but St Elias is higher than
any of its immediate neighhors.
The results of the expedition will be
presented to the National Geographic
society some time in November. and as
soon after as practicable will be pub
lished by the society in The National
Geographic Magazine