Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-11-18
VISIT TO Ell MISTL
II Is n Long and Hard Climb to Hnr-
wards Lofty Meteorological
station There.

10 the Harvard university belongs
the credit of having established the
highest meteorological station in the
world. 1t is nearly four miles above
the sea level, and is situated on the
summit of El Misti, a quiescept volcano
near Arequipa, Peru. The main sta
tion connected with the Harvard OBJ
servatory is at Arequipa itself at an
altitude of $3.50 feet. There are seven
other stations at varying attitudes,
including one at the base of FL Misti,
1900 feet above the sea level. The
one on the summit is at an altitude
of 10,2O0, about $500 feet higher than
the meteorological station on Mount
Blanc. These observatories were es-
tablished under the will of Uriah A.
Boydcn in 1891 and subsequent years,
the one on the summit of FL Misti be-
ing started in October, 1893, by Prof.
Solon !. Bailey, then in charge of the
Arequipa observatory, after an un-
satisfactory trial of station estab-
lished by Prof. William II. Pickering
in the preceding year on Charcani at
an elevation of 1860 feet.
The trip TO the summit is by no
means an easy one, and the altitude
of the Misti is so great that almost
everyone going up suffers from noun
tain sickness. Although it has thus
far been impossible, in view of the
great altitude and the distance Of the
Misti station, TO secure complete and
continuous records from it, still the
broken records which have been OBJ.
tained are so interesting that this 10
considerable extent makes up for
their fragmental character. The
writer visited the Misti station twice
during a recent stay of three months
in Arequipa. The trip up and back oc-
cupies two days, and is accomplished
entirely on muleback.
1t is, of course, an extremely for
tunate circumstance that no phys
ical exertion need be made in the
ascent, for II persons unaccustomed
to climbing at high attitudes were
obliged to go on foot up the noun.
tains they would doubtless suffer se-
verely from mountain sickness, for IL
is well known that exercise always
increases the disagrecable symptoms
of this malady.
At the height of 13,4C0 feet, where
it was necessary to walk about 300
feet slightly uphill to visit the instru-
ment shelter, the writer was obliged
to walk slowly, and even then got
quite out of breath, but no consider
able effects of the altitude were no.
ticed until after the arrival at the
M. b." hut, at the altitude of 1900
feet. Here the slight exertion of dis
mounting from the mule and walking
into the hut brought on violent
headache, and the feeling of cxhaus-
ton was so great that any exercise,
even of the most trifing character,
seemed impossible.
While the ascent of the Misti is q
very easy ore, AID is not for n mo-
ment to be compared to the difficult
CllinD up suCH IlOUHIHlDS rs AEON
cagua or Mont Plane, the altitude is
so great that study of the physio-
logical effects it produces is interest
ing. The writer Jared very well, bet
ter, in fact, than most Of those who
have made the ascent. One Of the
former assistants Of the observatory,
to be sure, made the trip more than
so times, and never experienced any
discomfort, and one gentleman was
so well on the summit that he was
able to smoke there. These. how
ever, are the exceptions. Almost every
one has headache. nausea and feel
ing Of intense weakness, and many arc
subject TO faintness. The experience
Of the native guides, who are Of mixed
Spanish and Indian blood, is very
striking in contrast 10 that Of for.
eigners. These natives are usually
able TO walk al. the way to the sum.
nit from the hut without any diff-
Guilty, and feel MS well on the top as
they do at the hase.--Boston Tran.
script.