Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-12
CLIMBING MOUNT KENIA.
The Third Unsuccessful Attempt to Reach
Its Snow-Crowned Summit.

The Third Unsuccessful Attempt to Reach
Its Snow-Crowned Summit.
From the New York Sun
The third attempt to ascend Mount Kenia
the snow-crowned mountain of east Africa
lying directly under the equator, was made in
July last. Joseph Thomson was the first ex-
plorer to attempt this ascent. He climbed up
the west slope to high elevation, but was not
able to get to the top. Count Teleki met with
no better success few years later on the north
side of the mountain. One fact that made sue
cess difficult in the case of these explorers was
the unfriendly attitude of the natives living on
the lower slopes and at the foot of the noun
tain.
The third attempt in July last was made by
Capt. Dundas and his companions who as
cended the Tana river in the little steamboat
kenia for $50 miles and then marched over
land TO Mount kenia. The day they began to
climb the great mount tain on its south side they
forced their way through the dense forests
ovorgrown with MOSES, dark and gloomy, with
no sign OF life in It's deep shades. The cold was
severe, and the heavy mist and dew rendered
everything damp and chilly. The following
day the party entered the region Of bamboos
1t would have been impossible to proceed
further il the caravan had not taken advantage
Of the elephant tracks. Emerging from this
bamboo thicket on tho afternoon Of the second
day they found that the ridge along which they
were ascending ran nearly due west, with -four
distinct ridges visible between their stand
point and the peaks of Kenia, which
were about six miles distant. and
10000 feet above them. clad far up their steep
slopes with dense jungle. Between these ridges
were deep raviues too steep for men with loads
to pass, and if they followed the ridge on which
they stood to the summit 1t would take at least
three days more to reach it, the ridges all run
ming around the mountain side in spiral fashion
from west to cast The party did not have a
sufficient supply Of provisions to enable them
to complete the ascent of Kenia. The highest
point reached was about {, 700 feet. and here
specimens Of volcanic ash were obtained. and
dog violets, thistles, docks. forget-me-nots and
clover were also found growing.
Capt. Dundas says that the mountain In not O
single mountain but more properly a mountain
chain, stretching from west to east, commence
ing In the high Leikipia plateau on tho west and
rising steadily until it eliminates in the great
double snow crowned peak. Then comes the
second large peak with five or six smaller ones
The ascent could, in all probability, be accom-.
plished without great difficulty from its north
east side, as the drainage, which in a great
measure forms the deep ravines. appears, as at
Kilima-Njar to be on the southern aspect. The
point at which Count Teleki made his attempt
| to the north Of the mountain seems to present
no insurmountable obstacles.
The highest point reached by Capt Dundas'
party was six miles south Of the equator The
&c neral appearance Of the mountain suggests
comparatively recent volcanic formation
though tho slope assembled was so dsnsely GOV.
cred with jungle that little geological Informs
ton could be gained, there being only two ex-
posures, one Of volcanic ash and the other OF
basalt.
Mount Kilima- Marc, which is south of Kenia
and little higher, was assembled to the summit
OF its tallest peak by DR.. Hans Meyer three