Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-11-13
Mount ST. Elias.
The Work of an Exploration Party the
Past summer.

Past summer.
A Seattle, Washington despatch says
Prof. Israel c. Russell has returned safely
from tour of exploration around st. Eli
as. The party left Seattle May 30 by the
revenue cutter Bear, to begin the third
seasons exploration under the auspices of
the National Geographical society and the
United States Geological survey. They
reached ley Bay, and when they attempted
landing, June 6, the waves were so high
that one boat was swamped, and two mem
bers of the party and four members of the
Bears crew were drowned. Some of the
provisions and instruments went down
with the Inflated boat, hut most of them
were washed ashore later. The surf was
so high that it took three days to make a
landing
Having reached shore, they started for
the northern side of Mount st. Elias. One
days marching brought them to the snow
line. For two months following they
spent their time in the snow and ice, and
for at least thirty nights they slept in the
snow. The rest of the time they found
beds on rocks of glacial moraines. Their
clothing was wooden, and they were often
drenched to the skin and slept without
change of garments. Yet. in spite of all
that they never caught cold. Their food
was carried by men in tifty-pound cases,
and an oil stove was used above the line of
vegetation.
The first six weeks We're spent crossing
glaciers on the mountains northern side,
which offers the only possible route for as
cent. Their highest camp was pitched
5000 feet above sea level, and there they
waited twelve days, hoping for an oppor-
tunity to reach the summit They made
several attempts, but each time were driv-
en- back 10y snow. On one occasion they
reached point II. 800 feet above sea level,
but after twenty hours of incesSant climb
ing they had to take refuge again in camp,
utterly exhausted At one time a storm
came down when Professor Russell was
alone on the highest point, and for
| four days he was cut off from the rest
Of the party. From this point grand
! view to the north was obtained over
country upon which human eye had
never rested. They could see a sweep BOG
miles from Mount Fairweather, $50 miles
southeast. to a point $50 miles northeast.
The belt in sight was about forty or fifty
miles wide. 1T is a scene of utter desOla-
ton, said Prof. Russell, "a stretch of snow
fields, glaciers and ice, broken only by ice
capped peaks The height of Mt. St
Elias was fixed by surveys at between Is,
900 and 1900 feet.
Considerable time was given to study OF
the glaciers, one of the main objects of tn,
trip. Many observations We're taken of the
great Matas-Pina glacier, which covers lOOt
square miles southeast of st. Elias, be
tween ley Bay and Nakutat Bay. TIL,
| Elias glaciers are much larger than any il
| Switzerland; indeed, this one alone i
larger than all the Alpine glaciers takeT
together. The latter flow down through
the gorges till they reach the snow line
where they melt Some OF the Elias gla
ciers separate into smaller ones, but th'
great Matas- Pima is made up by the con
tluence of four big glaciers and thousand
of small ones. They flow into it as waite
into lake. These glacial streams unit
into a vast plain of ice, as hard, firm an'
clear as was ever found in a glacier Ma
tas-Pna melts on the plain, part breaking
into the ocean. The thickness of the ic
is estimated at from 1900 to 1000 feet. Tn
belt along the edge, from five to eight mile
in width. is covered with moraine of brok
en- and decompOsed rocks and soil groun
ont bv glacial action. The outer three o
four miles is overgrown with dense vegeta
ton, in which are found trees three fee
in diameter. Though the soil is not NOR
than two or three feet thick there is plent
of moisture to furnish plant life of a
kinds.
The party went inland thirty or fort
miles. and returned by the same rout,
When they reached Icy Bay again the
marched east $50 miles, along shore, t
Disenchantment Bay. The goyernmer
steamer Pinta took them to Sitlla, wher
they took the City of Topeka for Seattle