Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-07
CLIMBING MOUNT ST. ELIAS.
Interesting Experiences Of Prof. Ausselrs
Alaskan ExplorcrA

Interesting Experiences Of Prof. Ausseii's
Alaskan Explorer
sTRAvBrRnfKs AND MOSQUITOES N TER LAND OF
SHOWS AND oLAcrERs-rHk DIFFICULTIES II
THE VAT OF TRAVELLING AND cLusrxe-aAn-
BRkADrH HscAPEs-rHE LOST GLACIAL RrvKR.
STRAwBERRIES AND MOSQUITOES SEEN
~ TO be equally plentiful in the neighborhood
OF Nj St. Elias, according TO the stories re-
lated to . SrAR reporter by Prof. Israel C. Rus
sell, who has just returned TO Washington from
that region Of eternal Toe and snow in Alaska,
where the highest peak in North America rises
to an altitude Of Is, 900 feet from the midst Of
glacier 1000 square miles in area and as big -
all those Of the Alps put together.
Along the edge Of the glacier I'll the way
from Icy bay TO Yakutat bay there extends .
strip of green coast, which is covered with lux
uriant vegetation. Strawberry vinos cover the
ground for miles, and the verdant Selds are
Redeemed as far &c the eye can reach with lus-
cious fruit, which compares favotably in point
OF size and favor with the finest grown in tenn
perate ATTITUDES. There are huckleberries, too.
and salmon berries" which are something
between blackberries and raspberries but OF
giant size, measuring nearly two inches in
diameter. All the lowlands are carpetsd With
vlolets, buttercups, yellow monkey fovers and
other Wild blossoms Here and there in the
midst OF the vast ice fields are the loveliest
gardens, vatered by the melting snow.
DIFFICULT cLnBIxa.
There are plenty OF grizzly bears IN the
vicinity OF Mount St. Elias, but Prof Russell
did not find them very dangerous He says
that his encounters with them reminded him Of
killing pigs OF brown and black bears he saw
and shot great many. The expedition met
with enough perils, however. to satisfy the
most adventurous geographical explorers
Nearly all Of the climbing. had to be done mp
steep walls OF Ice and snow by cutting steps
At almost any time a slip would have precipi-
tated the party down the frozen precipices
thousands of feet On one occasion they were
descending, when they found that avalanche
had carried away the steps which they had
made in going up. The impromptu staircase
was destroyed for 800 feet and they had to
lower a man by rope to chop out another,
there being no other way of getting down
Such accidents this were not uncommon
Avalanches were continually falling-rushing
down the slopes with the speed Of railway
trains and with a roar like thunder that could
be heard twenty miles away.
NARROW ESCAPES
One night about IL o'clock the party was
passing over bad place in the Agassiz glacier.
Two men were in the lead, drawing q sled.
Suddenly they disappeared from sight. having
fallen into creyasse or assure in the ice.
Luckily they were caught upon a projecting
ledge at the depth of about 20 feet, else they
would never have been seen again. They were
hauled out with ropes The next day. in the
same neighborhood, Prof Russell CHANGED TO
look behind him and saw that the ice Geld over
which he had just passed was gone, leaving an
enormous hole OF unknown depth. Another
time one of his men tumbled into a creyasse
/ and a only we'd Inv he fos al 20 "a
shoulders, which interrupted his progress
through twist in the frozen tunnel that had
yawned for him.
ENORMOUS GLACIERS.
The Agassix glacier is one Of four great gla-
ciers which, together with about a thousand
small ones, flow out from the mountains at the
north to the mighty Malaspina glacier, pouring
their streams OF ice continually into this vast
| frozen sea. This glacier Of Malaspina-from
/ 500 to 1000 feet thick-is interesting not
merely because Of its enormous size but also
| by reason of the fact that il is the only one
| now in existence of the same type a. the gla-
cier which formerly covered all of this CONT
! nent as far south as Philadelphia and ST. Louis,
/ leaving traces that are visible to this day in
scratches on the rocks.
PROF. RUssELL's BEAR STORY
Prof: Russell told a STAR reporter q re-
markable story of a meeting that he had with
| two bears. He was returning to camp over
rather steep slope of glacier and found that the
quickest and easiest way to make the Journey
was by sliding Said he:
| Using NV alpen stock as n brake descended
swiftly and without difficulty for several him.
| dred feet NV dogs boundino along hes,de me
| Suddenly. upon looking nm. i was stsrtlea 10
see two hinge brown bears NOT mora thar lso
yards away. Had my slide been continued a
| few seconds more 1 sbould have beer in en-
eeedingly unpleasant COMPANY. / WAS nm
armed and entirely unprepared for conflict
with a pair of the most savage animals fopnd
IN that country. They were not at all dis
taIDeo Dy my presence. ana IN spite OF my
tra~e1 off one - them nam "o Ia;sa 1e .nen
me. His strides over the snow revealed a
strength and activity Commanding admiration
despite the decidedly uncomfortable feeling
awakened by his proximity and evident curi.
osity. Later in the season / measured the
tracks of an animal of the same ,pecies
| made while walking over n soft level surface
and found each impression TO measure nine by
seventeen inches and the stride TO reach si.ty-
| four inches So far as have been abls 40 Learn
! this is the largest bear track that has been re-,
| p..i;.;,,.. -. a...,-.z,- \