Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-16

MT. ST. ELIAS.
MI. Russell Has Len for ALASKA TO FIT Out
Another Exploring Expedition
HIS VALUABLE WORK m Asc.xprSo This PEAK
LAST SUMNER DISCUSSED By fHH NATIONAL GEO.
GRAPHIC soorETY-orHER INTERESTING FAcrs
N REGARD TO ALASKA GIVEN BIZ DIR. JACKSON.
The National Geographic Society held an un-
usually interesting meeting last night In the
lecture hall Of the Cosmos Club and discussed
Alaska in several lines of thought. In the first
place . report was made by Mr.. Marcus Baker
on behalf Of the board of managers of the So
ciety to the effect that it had been decided to
continue the work of exploration set on foot by
the society last year, which resulted in the sue
cessful trip Of Messrs. Russell and Kerr of the
geographical survey to Mt st. Elias
In pursuance of this plan adopted by the
board Mr.. Russell left the CITY last night on his
way to Seattle. WASH, where he will nit out an
expedition similar to that which he headed last
summer, and will go north for the purpose of
continuing the investigations begun then by
him in the neighborhood of Mt st. Elias, which
ne VIII endeavor TO ascend. His plan is to uti-
lie the information cleaned by him during his
former experience in this region and to ascer-
tain, II possible, the nature of the country to
the north and west of the great mountain, be-
yond which no definite map exists. He will
then spend the remainder Of his time in an ex-
sminatlon OF the great Mslaspina glacier, which
forms the west coast Of the region to the north
OF Yakutat bay and which is regarded as one of
the most remarkable glacial formations in the
world. Thence he will push further up into
the extension Of Yakutat bay than he did last
year, this arm having been named Disenchant-
ment bay. 1t is his hope to be picked up at
about the point where he landed last spring
by some returning whaler during the latter
days In September and SO return to this eoun-
try.
One feature of his plan, which differs from
that Of last season, Is to be landed at point
further up on the coast than before, so as to
have the shortest possible land route to make
before reaching Mount st. Elias. The landing
VIII, therefore, be made at about the place
where Schwatka went ashore in his expedition.
VALUE OF LAST YEARS EXPEDITION.
Mr.. Baker, in making this announcement,
spoke Of the value of last years expedition to
geographic science and alluded to large map
Of the region between Yakutat bay and Mount
St. Elias, which hung on the wall, as being the
result of last seasons recognizance in this part
OF the world. What had hitherto been shown
on the ordinary maps a blank white space,
with Mount st. Elias and very few other
peaks indicated, and with no reference whatever
to glaciers, had been charted by the ex-
plorers in considerable detail, showing the
assemblage of ranges, the association OF peaks
and the system of glacial formations, all rum
ming generally, on the west side of the coast
range, down to the sea, or rather to the Malas-
pima glacier In the estimation of the speaker
this was great contribution in itself and its
value was to be enhanced by the addition Of
more details and of some information relative
to the country lying beyond the range that
| formed the limit Of explorations last summer,
which lies about fifty miles from the coast.
D.lr A. i l.
which the society is now working in its efforts
to stimulate exploration. having the co-opera-
ton not only of the geological survey,
but also of the revenue marine service
and the coast survey, all of these bu-
| reaus Of the government having promised
their aid in this matter. The revenue marine
will afford transportation to the party and
would have set date definitely for the start
had it not been for the delay in the issue of
orders to the vessels owing to international
complications that have made it necessary to
withhold them. In case the revenue marine,
from this cause, is unable to perform this serv-
ice the fish commission has placed the steamer
Albatross at the disposal of the society when
she sails north on her regular Alaskan trip. land
thus there is no danger that the party will not
be taken to Alaska without the least cost to the
society.
THE COAST SURVEYS INTEREST.
The coast survey has q large interest in this
matter on account Of the vagueness of the To-
cation of the international boundary line be-
tween Alaska and British Columbia. The
treaty stipulation is that the line in this region
shall follow the top of the range of mountains
unless this brings it more than thirty miles
from the windings Of the coast, and then it
ten marine leagues from it. There is
now party in Alaska, under the au-
spices Of the coast survey, that has been
working on this problem on the Yukon
river, and If Prof. Mendenhall can get word to
them in time before they start south for home
from their winter camp at st. Michael's, at the
mouth of the Yukon, they will be ordered to
proceed around out of the regular course into
the region of Yakutat bay, and there join the
Russell party and work during the summer
with it.
PROF. aILBERr's OBSERVATIONS.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Bakers remarks the
chairman, Lieut. Everett Hayden, called upon
some Of those present to advance whatever
views or information they might have regard
ing Alaska and Alaskan exploration. Prof.
Gilbert told why he was glad that this trip was
to be undertaken again, from the standpoint of
geologist He referred to one of the conclu-
sions to which Mr.. Russell has come on the
basis OF his observations last summer, namely,
that the mountains of Alaska are very young.
He had based this Conclusion upon two facts
which he had discerned. One of these was the
existence in the mountain formation of fossil
shells which are OF the same form as those that
exist in the waters OF Alaska today. 1t is a law
of geology that shells have cycles of form and
that those OF one geologic period differ mate
| rally from those of others. Hence the infer
ence that whenever these mountains were up
lifted the process took place in the
same geologic age that in which
we live, which shows them to be COM
paratively very young. Prof Gilbert
| is therefore anxious that Mr.. Russell shall find
| more shells. to verify or disprove, by the accu-
| mutation of evidence of this sort, this conclu-
sion beyond any doubt The other point of
| which the theory was based was the relation
| that was found to exist between the faults on
the mountains and the erosion that has been
carried on by the grinding ice that has flowed
down to the sea over the rocks for indefinite
| period. 1t has been found that what are known
| as 'ice cascades are frequent, that is. places
where the break in the contour is caused by
| fault, which causes in turn q sudden drop in
the grade. These places have, in most in
| stances, not been eroded down to uniform
grades, and the ice, instead of flowing down
gently and evenly, as it does in all older noun
tain regions, tumbles and falls like the CO scades
| of water, showing that the process of ice ero-
| sion has not been continued long enough to
| cause the smoothing Of the beds and the even
ing Of the grades.
The theory has become somewhat fixed in
| the minds of biologists that the dynamic
work Of the world has been done and is Q mat
ter entirely Of the past II this discovery of