Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-16
ON MOUNT MITCHELL.
The Nan Who Ascerhined The Altitude
Of the Lofty Peak.
1 SCIENTISTS TRAGIC DEATH.
while Endeavorine to Confirm His Caicu-
lations Professor Mitchell Fall Over
Precipice and Was Instantly Killed.
PHILADELPHIA Prees.)

peak WUOse aiutuue nc uestih'ro1'
Mitchell is sleeping his last long steep.
Until OF late only the rough stones OF the
mountain, piled irregularly about H.
marked his lonely grave. but the place OF
his sepulture was in itself distinction,
and the colossal mountain which bears
his name his most fitting monument.
a brief biographical sketch OF him, the
whole account measuring scarcely TWO
inches in length, gives the most salient
points in his history and tells In terse
language OF the manner of his death.
The "reminiscences attending that Tragedy
witnessed only by the silent stars ana
worked out like a mathematical problem
by the astute mountaineer who discovered
his remains, have, as 10 their details.
been preserved only in traditional
form.
MITCHELLS CAREER.
Elisha Mitchell, the eldest son OF Abner
Mitchell, a Connecticut farmer. was born
In Washington. Litchfeld county, Conn,
August 10. 1898. Through his mother
Phoebe Eliot, he was descended in the fifth
generation from John Eliot. the famous
apostle TO the Indians. and his maternal
grandfather, Rev. Jared Eliot, whom he
was said to resemble in personal appear
ance and mental and moral traits, re-
ceived, in 1862. a gold medal from the
Royal Society of London for valuable
discovery which ne made In the manufac-
ture OF iron.
Professor Mitchell was educated at Yale
College, graduating in 1913. In 1918 he be-
came a professor in the University OF
North Carolina, at Chapel Hill. and in
1926. after having been ordained a minis
ter OF the Presbyterian Church. occupied
the chair Of chemistry in the same insti-
tuition
Prior TO his Investigations In 1895 the
distinction Of possessing the highest ele-
walton east OF the Rocky Mountains had
been accorded to New Hampshire. BY
careful deductions. however, he ascertain
ed that this honor belonged to the "Old
North State" a spur of the Black Noun.
tains, the eliminating group Of the Appa-
lachain range, exceeding the bleak New
England peak in height by 4OS feet. and
possessing the additional attraction-for
here latitude triumphs over altitude-of
being covered from base to summit with
luxuriant vegetation.
THE SCIENTIST KILLED.
In 1857. for the purpose OF establishing
hts claim to this discovery (Which claim
was disputed by T. l.. Clingman. Of North
Cardinal, Professor Mitchell again as
cended the mountain and. missing his foot
ing, plunged over a precipice. and was
killed. 1t was just twelve years after this
event that two tourists. piloted by the
mountaineer who recovered the body of
the dead scientist. climbed the dizzy height
which led to his burial-place. and. stand
ing by the solitary grave. heard from the
mountaineer's lips the account of the
tragedy and the circumstances which led
to II.
a remarkable specimen of a man was
this mountaineer, by the way, with a head
betting statesman and the keen eye OF
general Tall and of colossal proper
lions. he seemed an eminatiom of the
mountain. and gave one an impression of
bigness. as does a Flemish horse the en-
bOdiment of strNlgth and power. He
could follow the trail up the mountain on
the darkest night. as If by instinct. and
the six-miles' climb up its rugged side,
with an extra load of twenty-five or
thirty pounds, was to him but a small
matter. Only a simple. untutored noun
taineer, he possessed natural capacity suf-
flcient TO have become a senator, and all
that he said and did bore the stamp of
clear penetration and resolute force.
big TOM WILSON'S" STORY.
4 story has all the more graphic inte-
rest from being related upon the scene
of its enactment, and the tragedy de-
scribed by big Tom Wilson" on that
spring morning lost nothing in dramatic
effect from being repeated by the grave
OF him who was its solitary actor and
amid the turbulent waterfalls and gigantic
boulders which formed its rugged stage
setting. While the mountaineer talked one
OF his auditors, touched by the pathos of
the tale and by reverence for its hero
removed from the grave the loose stones
which had fallen upon 1t that nature
might cover with her green mantle him
who slept upon her bosom.
you see," big Tom began, 1.-The Pro-
lessor had come to Jesse Stepp's at the
foot of the mountain about the middle Of
June with his son. Charles Mitchell. his
daughter, and a servant boy, and estab-
lished his headquarters there. meaning 10
fix the height of this peak by an instru-
mental survey. his former measurements
being only barometrical. He had been en-
gagged In the work for nearly two weeks
and had got a quarter of mile above
William Patton's mountain hotel when,
at half-past 2 o'clock on Saturday eve
ming, June 9th, he left off, Filling his son
he was going to cross the mountain to
xixy fAr q H.
purpose OF seeing me and another man OF
my name who had guided him up the
mountain on former visit. He was
alone and promised TO return to the
Mountain House on Monday at noon, but
when his son went 10 the spot accord
ing to appointment he did not find him
there. The next day the same thing &C.
Cured and the next, and on Thursday
morning when /. being applied to. in
formed his friends that he had not been
seen or heard Of at the settlement the
greatest alarm was felt. Search-parties,
consisting of experienced men, among
them z. b. Vance, of North Carolina now
United States SENATOR. set out in quest
OF the missing man, but nearly week
went by before any trace OF him had been
discovered.
THE SEARCH FOR THE PROFESSOR.
II felt pretty sure that they had all
gone on the wrong track. and that II Pro-
fessor mitchell had got lost on the noun
tain II was somewhere near the summit,
but when i said so they laughed at the
very Idea. was certain / was right,
however, and. getting two Tennessee
hunters to go with me, ! came up to this
spot. i first traced circle around here
Indicating with his hand), making II
gradually wider as / went down, and
presently i began TO see signs OF man
having passed that way. You see. 1t was
summer. and. though considerable tins
had gone by since the Professor was
missing, there had been no big storms
to disturb these signs. They were trifes
In themselves-a few twigs bent or broken
of. some laurel leaves turned the wrong
way. as II a mans shoulder had brushed
against them, but TO me they meant
. great deal called the attention Of the
two hunters to them, bus they could
see nothing In them.
They said that the tw!gs were broken
OH and the leaves turned out OF their
natural position by bear pushing his
way through the thick bushes.
But 1 objected, a bear wouldn't
reach high enough to turn these leaves
They were turned by a man, and by a
tall man at that
well, i had found the track for which
we were searching felt perfectly sure