The sun., 1897-05-27
To Climb Mount St. Elias.

1t is an interesting coincidence that Just
as treaty is pending for making Mount
st. Elias the starting point for the meridian
boundary line between Alaska and British
Columbia two expeditions should be on the
way for ascending to the summit of that
mountain.
One of these left Philadelphia, last week,
under the leadership of Mr.. H. G. BRYANT.
whose associates are Mr.. ENTRIKIN, a men,
ber of one Of the Peary Arctic expeditions.
and Mr. LATHAM of the Coast Survey. This
expedition modestly says it will explore the
region about Mount St. Elias, and ascend
the mountain II possible. 1t takes the
steamer from Seattle to Sitka on Saturday.
The other expedition, which is larger and
has made more of a stir, is headed by Prince
LUIGI of Savoy, nephew of King HUMBERT,
who brings three companions, one of them
VITToRIo SELLA, and four Alpine guides,
while Mr.. FAY of Boston, Messrs. DAVID
son and RUSSELL of the Geological Survey,
DR.. VECCHI of San Francisco, and Mr.. In
GRAHAM Of Seattle will be able to assist in
the enterprise here. The Princes party is
. due at New York from Southampton on
Friday, and expects to leave Tacoma near
the middle of June for Yakutat Bay.
whence it will proceed by boat and sledge,
crossing glaciers. to the divide between st.
Elias and Mount Wilson for the ascent.
or course it is not necessary that Mount
st. Elias should be explored in order to
make it serviceable as a boundary monu-
ment. Nature furnishes all the marks
necessary for the surveyors calculations.
1t is because this far-off volcanic peak has
hitherto detied all climbers. with its gla-
cier-covered slopes, while equally precipi-
tous mountains nearer the haunts of civili.
zation have yielded, that now another effort
is to be made to conquer it. Mount ST.
Elias is, in round numbers, $4,000 feet
high, and Of this about 1 900 feet, we be-
lieve, remains untrodden.
Eleven years ago Lieut.. ScHwATKA
made a beginning in the attempts upon
Mount ST. Elias. starting from Icy Bay,
west OF Y akutat, and ascending about where
Prince LUIGI will make trial He reached,
it is said, height of 1900 feet, but this
was apparently on range of hills around
the mountain proper.
After an interval of two years Mr.. Top
HAM, an Englishman, made another at
tempt from the same point, and reached,
~ 10 ooieJ u htikHt
feet before he was compelled to come down.
Two years again elapsed. and then Mr..
ISRAEL c. RUSSELL, tried his fortune,
choosing the northwest rather than the
southwest flank from which to attack the
mountain. That attempt failed. but it
seemed to be taking the right route.
Accordingly, the following year, 1891, the
explorer started again. At the outset a
misfortune occurred, through the swamp
ing Of the boats of the revenue cutter Bear,
which was landing the party, half dozen
men being drowned. MIR. RUSSELL, how
ever, pushed on and reached the Chalk
Hills, and then the Samovar Hills, where
two OF his men were near perishing through
fall into crevasse. Then the party AT.
tackled Agassiz and Newton glaciers, and
finally reached height estimated 10 be
about ii, 800 feet, on the north slope OF the
crowning pyramid. There, during a halt,
the weather changed, clouds set in, and
avalanches began, and the expedition came
TO an eEd.
such are forerunners of the attempts to
nc made this summer. These new efforts
will have the experience Of the earlier ex.
plorers to profit by, and, with favoring
weather, may fairly look for success.
The fact that VITToRIo SELLA Is one of
Prince LUIGIs party will crafty Ameri-
cans who know his ability with camera.