The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-25
HIGH MOUNT LOG AN
It Is the Highest Known Peak IN
North America.
Official Measurements Have Given This
Mountain the Palm Over Orizabn and
st. Elias, Heretofore Thought 20
lie Higher Than Il.

was assumed that a splendid mountain
lying near the sea, where the one hun
dred and forty-frst meridian cuts the
southern coast OF Alaska, was the
highest on the continent of North
America The first civilized man TO
see this was Vitus Boring, after whom
the great sea recently involved in in
ternatioaal controversy was named.
Boring first saw it on July 20. 1741,
and as ST. Elias was the patron saint
of that day the mountain received his
name. It's summit is thirty or forty
miles from the sea and at its foot is the
famous Malispina glacier, the greatest
Of its species in all the world.
Mount st. Elias stands nearly upon
the 141st meridian of longitude west of
Greenwich, which meridian forms the
boundary between the great British
Alaskan peninsula and the British pos
sessions. IN the execution of q survey
for the determination of this boundary
line it became desirable, therefore, to
determine the location of this meridian
at its southern extremity, and this in
cluded an accurate determination of
the geographical position Of the sum-
nit of Mount ST. Elias. Accordingly
the United States coast and geOdetic
survey in 1892 sent a party, under the
! direction of J. E. McGrath to the foot
of the mountain for this work An ex-
tensive series of observations was car
| ried out, including numerous measure
ments of the angular elevation of the
mountain as observed from various
/ points. The distance of the summit
/ from these points of observation was
| determined with an accuracy far ex-
ceeding any previous work and the al
/ titude of the summit was determined
/ with precision that leaves nothing to
/ be desired. The mean OF results OBJ
tanned from five or six Independent
stations was 1900 feet and no single
result differs from this by more than
ten feet. A variation in height in diff
ferent seasons fully as great as this
might occur through the varying depth
OF the snow which rests perpetually
upon the greater part of the mountain.
The announcement of this definite
value for the height of Mount ST. Elias
made it necessary to revise conclusions
which had long been accepted as TO its
position among the great mountains Of
North America. It happened that just
at that time-1S91' lea new deter
mination of the altitude of famous
mountain in Mexico was undertaken
by DR.. j. 7. Scovell, and was SO sue
cessfully carried out that the height of
this mountain, Orizaba, became known
with degree of accuracy exceeding
any previous determination. DR.. SEQ
Wells measurement gave for the height
of OriZaba $4,000 feet, thus putting it
nearly 800 feet above Mount St Elias.
Only for a brief year or two, how
ever, was Orizaba destined thus to out
rank its fellows of the lar north, for
in one of the companions of St Elias
q mountain has been discovered which.
in altitude, so far exceeds either of the
two recent disputnnts as to leave little
probability that the glory OF the first
place viii ever again go to the south
The story is briefly this, says the !
Chicago News: While Mr. McGrath's |
party was at Yakutat bay and else.
where in the neighborhood Of Mount !
St Elias. in addition to taking hori- !
zontal and verdical angles on that |
peak, all other prominent peaks in |
that vicinity were observed upon, thus |
accommodating material for the calcula- /
ton Of their heights and distances. /
Among these was a group of three (
SUBMITS, possibly belonging to the !
same mountain, which had been seen /
by most explorers IN that quarter, and /.
the great height of which had especi- /
ally attracted the attention of Russell
Concerning it ne said: '.The clouds
parting toward the northeast revealed
several giant peaks not before seen,
some of which seem to rival in height
st. Elias itself. One stranger, rising
in three white domes far above the
clouds, was especially magnificent"
In honor of the founder of the geo.
logical survey OF, Canada Russell
named this Mount Logan. For some
months Mr.. McGrsth has been en-
gagged in the reduction Of all observa-
tons made by his party in the St
Elias region. On computing the dis
lance and height of Mount Logan his
establishment was great to find thatthe
altitude of the mountains was 10, 500
feet. At first he was inclined to at
tribute the result to erroneous eompU-
tation. but a careful revision disproved
this theory. Fortunately there were
two entirely independent stations
from which this mountain had been
observed, the distances and vertical
angles being quite different The re-
sulting heights from these two widely
stations differ by less than
twenty feet, being 10, 49T feet and 49,
5lz feet respectively. An observation
was also made on another of the three
peaks somewhat lower than the first.
giving for its height 1885 feet. 1t
thus appears that there can he little
doubt that Mount Logan IS 500 feet
higher than Nount 81. Elias The fact
that 1t isabout twelve miles nearer the
points from which they are usually OBJ
served has enabled the latter to main
tain q superiority, which was only aD-
parent for so many years. Mount
Logan is about 1900 feet higher than
Orizaba, aud. Whatever discoveries
may be made in the future. il seems
likely that the credit OF possessing the
highest peak on the continent must
remain with the lar north.
VOW She Wears = aaIo.
Husband witnessed q most dis
tressing accident az the railway station
a little while ago. \ handsomely
dressed lady was descending from The
Pullman when she missed her footing