Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-29

| of the Samovar Hills The tents were
| pitched amid lu1uriant blossoms on the i'm
! mediate border of a stupendous ice fall in
the great glacier we were ascending.
Owing to the glare of the sunlight on the
snow fields, and the softness of the snow at
! midday, our marches were made principally
| at night Although travelling at night was
| far more comfortable than by day it was
| more dangerous, as we were forcibly
reminded the night we made our first
| advance north of the Samovar Hills. We
| started as soon as the snow began to freeze
| after sunset and worked our way with
| loaded sled around the worst part of the ice
| fall at the west end of the Samovar Hills
| and through maze of crevasses above the
fall The snow ahead looked smooth and
but slightly crevassed, and turned back,
leaving the men to advance without me.
They had scarcely proceeded 100 yards, how
ever, when Stamy and White, who were in
the lead in the sled line, suddenly broke
vase. Fortunately, they landed on mass
of soft snow, which had been caught in the
chasm and formed aSkind of bridge.
Rescued From q PeriIous Position.
The men could not move from the position
in which they landed, because of the snow
that had fallen on them, and because on
either hand the chasm descended to unseen
depths. Their position was exceedingly
critical, but owing to the coolness and
promptness of McCarty rope was lowered
to them almost before they. reached the bot
tom. and they were drawn to the surface
On the way down White again dropped
through snow bridge near the same place,
and disappeared in the blue gulf below, but
without serious injury.
Our pioht ynorohau mn fho A sci1 oil o;o
continued until July IA, when we reached
the place where the Newton glacier pours
down a steep rocky descent and joins the
Agassiz. This was as far as we could take
our sled. Our course then led north
west up the Newton glacier, which we knew
from the experience of the year previous
was exceedingly rugged and broken by sew
eral great ice falls.
The work of packing" our tents, instru-
ments and rations was now resumed, and we
advanced more slowly than when we could use
the sled. Our camps were on the snow at
sufficient distance from the mountains to be
out Of danger of avalanches. Cooking was
done over oil stoves, and our food was neces-
sarily simple in the extreme, although usu-
ally sufficient as to quantity.
Cutting Steps to Cross a Crevasse.
At several localities steps had to be cut |
in steep snow slopes, which made progress |
very slow and tiresome. At one place ad- I
vance seemed to be impossible, owing to
maze of huge crevasses which crossed the
glacier from side to side. After viewing
the wild landscape from the summit of a
towering pinnacle of ice it was decided to
cut steps down into one of the broadest
and then up the precipice over
200 feet high, which formed its opposite
wall. This was accomplished in about
Nv nNo n-I IL. |
were then in the advance of the rest of the
party.
Cutting steps up the precipice was moro
difficult than in any case previously en-
owing to an over-hanging
,ornice like ridge, about six feet
,hick near the top, but was finally
and rope put in place to