The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-06
GOT NEAR TO MT. WRANGELL
THE FIRST WHITE MEN TO INSPECT
1L1sKA's GIANT ToLCASo. .''

American Miners Daring Trip Through n
barren Country-warned by Indians That
Soone Ever Came Back Alive from That
Region--They Suffered from Lack of
rood-Gold and Copper Orc Discovered.
SEATTLE. Wash. July 5.-The gigantic vol
.,uo known as Mount Wrangell. near the head
o,Copper River Alaska. was closely approached
on NAV 3, this year. by two mining prospect
nrs Roland s. Condor OF Lynn, Mass. and
George Divelbss Of Porterford. Ore Owing
70 the broken character Of the region white
mon have never before succeeded In getting 80
close 70 IT, although the smoking peak had
been observed for many years from a great
distance. and was generally believed to be
rival Of Mount st. Elias in altitude.
Condon and Divelbliss had spent the winter
IN cabin on the Copper River at the mouth of
thc Chttvna River. about sixty miles from
Mount Wrangcll. They started last April with
Frank Hoffman and five other prospectors to
exrlore the region about Mount Wrangcll for
eortcr and gold. They cut across the coun-
o., :, tho kotsina River. n branch Of Cop
nor River and assembled the kotsina. which led
them directly into tho vicinity of the volcano.
The rarity suffered greatly from lack of food.
having expected to- Kill game to supplement
their .,anty provisions. Finally they reached
q pniut OH the kotsina where high mountain
larrcI the way Condor and Divelhliss
climbed 10 the top and found themselves
Utmost up against the giant Mount WrangeIl
only narrow valley lay between. devoid OF
distinctions 10 the view. Condor says:
The great snow white dome reared into the
heavens, rising up from dcsolate circular val
lev al our feet 1t was shaped somewhat like a
sugar loaf and revealed a round crater. about
half milo in diameter. on the southern ex-
rosure A little peak on the northwestern side
projected slightly above the crater. Ice and
snow trimmed the crater to its edges. out OF
the interior rolled dense volumes Of black
smoke but apparently no fire nor ashes. Some
distance down the slopes of the volcano
ce INTO the air. pulsating regularly one
e' shot up every ihtee tn minutes ssvs, to ots
stood in a row under small cliff about half
mile below the crater and seemed most ylgor-
he The snow around the same locality. They
we're evidently geys"rS the on ~ ones kp low,
They are on the southwestern side otthe noun
tain, ,,i,o No ,ve-, in Damn nj the mouth Of the
Chttyna during the winter | had frequently
Observed what appeared to he a black mantle
overth" STOW On the tor G Of Mount Mrangelii
upon t now the snow was, white. so
suppose that the cinders and dirt from
white coverlet and then fresh snow covers up
ali the traces There was not a vestige OF
has: nothing but ice and snow and rocks.
evidently cooled lava, There vas not even
6ss9 and an e xaTy RourR summer Weather
was beginning to prevail in Alaska.
Mount Wra2ge!l is the d hig n St. mountain
upon which we made our discovery there was
no yesotation. 1t seemed az though the breath
south Sae there was stnntsd spruce The Ko
sine River appeared to come out Of the valley
heads there. as probably does also the iiebg-
stag River which is another branch Of the
be as Slopes
easy and no chqsms were NOTICEABLE.
,Is sNn Me m6unt Th bas
quantities Of copper in the vicinity and fire.
onc
great ledge Of COPPER pyTi .s on tss
rar T Fra Frank Holman Of South Dakota staRsd
side e Of m no and within twenty miles Of
Mount Wrangell. at the outside. The country
is 80 inaccessible at present that nobody can
III saw plenty Of copper all through that 10,
brought to our camp at the mouth of the Chit
tyna during the winter Taral Indians
s srsS ne tne ths Hoano Spn Moun Us
They said that marty Of their people had gone
there 10 investigate ana ndl never returned
Evil spirits haunted the locality and would Stay
any one who dared to approach.
I'VE found no game in the vicinity Of Wran
gell. only few signs Of mountain sheep Great
bears ar" reported 70 exist there. but We saw
tempted to approach Mount Wrangoll up to the
time Of our departure from Copper River in
May. Others may try it later this summer.
The foregoing interview with Condor is sup
pcmentod by the statements OF DivclbliSs and
Hoffman, the three having, Just arrived in
Seattle from Copper River. The men are evil
IDENTITY sincere in all their statements and have
not sought publicity They exercise great care
Inn their statements.
eons. II may prove to be the highest peak on
tho North American Continent. 1t occupies
the centre OF region shrouded in mystery.
Al the Alaskan natives have suncr1titiqus
roam about. protecting it from intrusion.
Mount Wrnngell was first lighted hy a Rus
sian baron Wrangcll. after whom the peak Is
mark in central Alaska Al efforts, OF
the Russians TO reach it failed In 1880
Lieut. Allen. L. $; A.. assembled the Copper
cano; He estimated it to he about $4,000
fiye Years later T, Hazard Wells, Of Cincin-
ss an T" ssRST4Mf ou
Yukon River near Forty Mile The Wells
5 Efane and n about @FS nifty FG msa
distant from the volcano when they nearly
persisted Of hunger and escaped from the
reached Tanana River and found Indians &c
subsequent efforts were made by miners or
explorers up to the time OF Condon's success.
fli Venture.
Condor further reports that MANY men are
pcrishing OF hunger and scurvy in tho Copper
River country and he has n list OF thirteen
dead including II. c, shaw OF Rochester, n. Y
Most OF the addresses are unknown.