New-York tribune., 1900-09-30


and Translated BY signora Linda Vulari with
.5e ASthors Supervision Royal octave, PIP. xvi.
a Frederick A Stokes Company.
Lzyuen who have read Of climbers CONQUER
1g A1dean o. Himalayan peaks much more
1a1 twenty thousand feet in height might
sSsIy Uadervalue the ascent Of Mount St. Elias
made y the Duke OF the Abruzzi To them the
Alaskan peak with its 49, G90 feet may seem
minor affair when placed beside for example
Aconcagus, rising TO 22422 feet-to say nothing
u he colossal mountains Of India, which reach
even greater figures But climbers themselves
EEz more generous in appraising the Dukes ex-
ploit To them there is eloquence in the bald
czct that whereas the limit OF vegetation and
the consequent stoppage Of easily gathered fuel
occurs on Chimborazo, say. not until q height
q 1900 feet has been reached-so that only
aSto feet remain 10 be traversed before reach
Gg the sumnit-the same boundary lies on
Mount St Elias, less than 5000 feet above the
sea level and nearly i. 900 feet must be climbed
above the snow line before reaching the top
Mount St Elias was discovered in 1741 by
VItus Behring, the Russian navigator He cast
anchor OF the island OF Kayak $50 miles north
u Yakutat
Southeast OF his moorings he saw great
mountain rising from the sea and covered with
STOW from summit 70 base In honor Of the
patron saint Of the day this peak was named
ST Elias. Il Is possible that the name was not
chosen entirely on that account Nj FreshfeId
has observed that the prophet Elias seems TO
Be the special patron Of mountains wherever the
Eastern forms OF Christianity have prevailed
Many mountains in Greece bear the same name
and are crowned with cbapeIs dedicated n the
saint lille the alUars Of Zeus on Olympus have
been replaced by mOnasteries likewise dedicated
70 81 Elias. In the Caucasus there is still 6
tradition that when the primitive tribes were
driven up into the mountains by the Circassians
the vision Of the outraged saint was frequently
seen On the highest peaks, and that they carried
oI-er-ngs 70 nm OF milk butter and beer Some
writers derive the saints connection with noun
ea1ns from the important part in the Trans
e aglrallon assigned 10 Eilas BY the Greek
Church whereas Il i asserted by others that,
owing TO similarity Of name. Elias succeeded TO
a1ars originally dedicated TO Helios, the sun.
The Duke Of the Ab-uzzi organized his expe-
dition IN February. 1897. Late in May Of that
year he landed in New-York. Early in Septern-
Der n returned 70 Europe in the same steamer
that had brought him here. Between the time
when he set foot on the shores Of Yakutat Bay,
70 begin serious work. 10 the date Of his de-
Iarture from the same spot. c period Of only
ffty-thre= days elapsed That was quick work
considering al that had 10 be done The con-
ci-Eons Of Il= weather We're generally favorable
il s true bur Al The best the explorers had 10
sure- har6shiDs. The association Of ideas
causes the reader 10 experience something Of a
shock when n reaches the first critical stage
OF th= expedition. that on the bay shore. We
finished cur arrangements" says the author
amid violent explosions Of wrath against the
sRarrls oS vCracious mosquitoes which had tor
rented Us -neessantly from the moment We
landed. Al sorts Of oin-rnents were tried IN
va-n, neither nets nor wells could save Us from
their stinEs- the pertinaci0us insects penetrated
our clothes, UP our sleeves down our necks, and
completely exhausted our patience" SIgnor de
FIppI refers 10 Instances Of travellers being
killed ~ these mosquitoes, Of deer Ieaping into
rivers 70 escape The torture, Of bears scratching
themselves 10 death when maddened b. the pain
CT the stiugs- Surely an inappropriate state Of
affairs 10 meet on the brink OF a journey
through snow and ice, The explorers were not
long IN emerging from the luxu-iant belt that
fosters the mosquitoes, helped in their task
BY the way. by apliable barbarians who justi-
fed the familiar phrase honest Injun." The
author cannot refrain from noting the Uucom-
mon rectItUde Of the Indians employed by the
party once arrived IN the snowy zone life
became harder. but II was enriched by those
beautiful sights which the members Of the
Dukes company with their Latin blood, seem
70 have been peculiarly well qualified 10 en-
10y This IS the kind Of descriptive writing
taken from the authors chapter on the Malas-
pima gIacier-whlch is interspersed throughout
the volume
As the sun declined and its rays became more
slan-fng the Landscape transformed
Spreading shadows on all sides revealed the
rounded fittings Of whltened crests and vide,
at He'd n