The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-31
OUR HIGHEST PEAK
Cook Party Fails to Get Nearer Than
Five Miles to Top of Mt,
Mckinley.
But Enthusiastic Mountain Climbers
Believe It Will Yet Be
Conquered. -.

q
Conquered. 49,.
From The Journal Bureau, Room IS, Post Build.
ing, Washington - 49,
Washington, Oct. 31.-The recent
failure of the Cook party to reach
the summit Of Mt. Mckinley, the
highest peak on this continent, leaves
turous spirits. A year ago one of the
geological survey parties, under the
lead of A. H. Brooks, went as far as
the snow line, which on that noun
tain is 1900 feet above sea level, or
about 1860 feet below the summit,
leaving a mountain in snow of no
small dimensions. The air line dis
stopped to the top was computed at
nine miles. ~ = *
''rhe Cook party has demon
strated," said Mr.. Brooks to-day, that
the mountain range can be crossed, a
or an almost as ,+naiP t as the
ton started on. the south side, follow
ing the pass which we discovered and
taking our route to the north side of
the range until 1t reached the base Of
the mountain at the point from which
the attempt at ascent was made. The
dispatches say that they were stopped
by granite cliff, but my interpreted
enough to explore routes. They started
too late. In climbing a new noun
tain the important thing is to pick out
the route and after that comes the
ascent. You cannot jump right in
and go up at any old place. In spite
that a route to the top can be found,
and from the north side. When they
turned back they were 5000 feet
higher than our party went, or within
| five miles air line Of the top. under
stand that another New York party
is making plans for accomplishing
the ascent
Recently Came Into Primary.
The pre-eminence of Mt. Mckinley
among North American peaks was not
discovered until 1898, altho the noun
years. Mr.. Brooks believes, however,
that primacy has now reached the
point where it will remain, and that
no higher elevation will ever be dis
covered on this continent. Why it's
pre-eminence was not sooner realized
mountain can be readily seen from
Cook inlet, which was visited by the
whites in 1880, and can be seen from
the Yukon country, which has been
widely visited for the last twenty
years. 1t is, to be sure, 1875 miles in
Elias rises directly out of the ocean.
Nevertheless, Mr.. Brooks says that
the first time he ever saw Mt. McKin-
ley, and 1t was from an interior point
100 miles away, it looked enormous
to him. He viewed it standing on an
elevation Of 1000 feet and still it rose
very impressively above all the ad-
o1ro hn of n
saw it from the coast this impression
Of it's size was strengthened. He can
not understand why it did not from
the start convince all behOlders of it's
pre-eminence. -
Mt. Mckinley was not officially as
certained to be the highest peak until
1898, under examination Of Robert
Muldrow of the geological survey.
Three years before a man named
Dicky wrote to one of the New York
newspapers calling attention to the
enormous height of the mountain
discovered. He made a wonderfully
good guess on it's elevation, or else
was saved by the natural tendency to
express estimates in round mum bers.
He said 1t was 10000 feet high,
whereas the geological survey found
it 10000. -: -.
Other High American Peaks.
Mt. st. Elias, which is 1904 feet
high, has dropped to the fourth place
among mountains of this continent,
after generations of school geo
Logan on the Canadian side Of this
boundary is 1880 feet high, and ORR
zaba, in Mexico, 1926 feet high.
Then comes Mt. st. Elias. The two
peaks next, in rank below it are the
So1, H. oIo - ~
and Mt. Foraker, almost a twin peak
to Mt. Mckinley, which stands 1900
feet above the sea level. Mt. Logan
has never been assembled, and prob
ably will not be for many years to
come, SO inaccessible is it's base, fifty
miles from the coast and over a coun-
try full of natural obstacles. Mt. st.
Elias has been once climbed and that
by the Duke of Abruzzi. a cousin Of
the King OF, Italy. The Russell party
of the geological survey. however, de-
veloped the route which made its
final climb successful in the expedi-
ztion In which they went within 1000
feet Of the top Many have climbed
Orizaba. To reach its top is merely
matter Of endurance.
|. Value to Science.
Mr.. Brooks thinks the value to sci
ence Of the conquest of these high
the popular mind. IF parties, on
reaching such a summit" said Mr..
Brooks, could take plenty of good
photographs, something might be &C
complished. But the chances are
that they will leave their cameras be-
hind, in their efforts to reduce the
climbing load. They might not be
able to use them after they reach
the top, since bowling snow storms
prevail most Of the time on the high
mountain peaks. ] think the scien-
tif1c value of these ascents comes
more in the effects on the climbers
themselves, due to the rarefed atrno-
sphere. The party now forming to
climb At. Everest iii the Himalayas,
the highest peak on the globe, plan to
spend some years in preparation. It's
header would not attempt to rush di-
rectly to the top If he could, but will
live. at different attitudes on the way
until his physical system gets accus-
toned to them.
I'M ountain climbing always brings
something to light for geology as we'll
| as geography, at least until the snow
line is reached. After that there Is
little 3of geological value, except in
the sheer cliffs. observations might
be made on the refraction of the air
| which would be important. The
| chief 70 ELECTION to this Is the weight
Of the Instruments When the Rus
sell party made it's expedition to Mt
| ST. Elias they obtained view back
| into the range which has given the
] world q good idea of its geography,