The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-06-22
BRAVE EXPLORERS
SEEK to- ASCEND
mt. MKlNLEY PEAK
Undertaking Is One of Stupen-
dous Danger and Difficulty,
but One Which a Party of
Americans Has just Started
Out to Accomplish.


Special to The Globe. 4
SEATTLE, Wash, June 21.- To
scale the lofty peak of Mount McKin-
ley, to stand on that icy eminence
where the foot of mortal man has
never trod and to enjoy a sight Of the
most extensive landscape visible from
any point on the continent of North
America. are among the objects of
small party of intrepid explorers. who
sailed from Seattle on the Alaska
steamer Santa Ana last week. frae7
The undertaking is one of stupen-
dous danger and difficulty, one calling
for stout hearts and strong limbs, and
cool heads and steady nerves. 1t is
possible that many attempts will be,
necessary before it is accomplished;
ana many years may pass before it is
finally achieved. But it is the present
determination of those engaged in it,
/ TO continue in the attempt until the
peak has been scaled and another i'm
portant contest of danger added to the
annals of American adventure.
sBut the men who are undertaking
the task are not strangers to the dan
gers of exploring new regions, Oh, of
ascending lofty mountain peaks. The
party is headed by DR.. Frederick Cook.
can Alpine club3 and a scientist Of
Worldwide reputation. He accompa-
MED, as surgeon both of the Perry ex-
petitions into the Arctic, and in the
same capacity was a member of the
Belgian Antarctic expedition of 1897
SO. With DR.. Cock are Robert Dunn
newspaper man of experience, who was
member of the Dixon party to Mar
Unique last year, and who has spent
several summers in Alaskan eXplOra-
ton and adventures; Ralph ShainWald,
OF Columbia college. who, though still
quite young, has achieved no little
prominence for his botanical re-
searches; Fred Printz, Of Darby,
Mont, who for three years has served
as mule packer with the expeditions
OF Alfred. H. Brooks, the government
surveyor in Alaska. and several less
known though no less dauntless and
intrepid Adventures, picked from the
crowds Of Alaskan adventures since
the party arrived in this city
Mckinley Is Loftiest Peak.
= Mount Mckinley is the Hottest, and
the least known mountain peak on the
continent of North America. So little
IS. 1t known that even its altitude has
been only appropriated by the occa-
sIonal surveyors who from time to
time have penetrated the vast un-
known region of Alaska, (which it is
the heart. 1t is higher by more than
a mile than the Hottest peaks Of the
Rocky mountain system, and its mag
nlficent altitude exceedsrthee added al
t1tude of the highest points in Com
nectlcut, Delaware, the District of Co
lumbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri: New
Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island Wisconsin,
Minnesota and Michigan. The altitude
or Mount Mckinley vhas- been variously
estimated by Alaskan explorers and
surveyors at from 10000 to 20,400 feet.
Pixies Peak, the first great landmark
OF the Rockies sighted by the pioneer
plalnsmen who crossed the continent
with OK teams. is less than two thirds
as high. Mount Hood, in Oregon the
picture of which adorns one-third of
the stationery used by the people Of
Portland, in that state. is but little
more than one-haf as high. Mount
Whitney, in California, the second
highest peak on American soil, is but
1883 feet. But four mountains in, the
western half of the United States exZ
Geedr $4,000 feet in height. Fremont
Peak, in Wyoming; Mount EmmoTfs3 9ff1
Utah; Hyndman Peak, in Idaho, each
the highest point in it's respective
state, are all less than $4,000 feet. That
mountain which is the pride of the
state of Washington, and the name Of
WHICH has been the3 cause of memora-
bic contention bstween the people 9of
its different communities, half Of the
people of the states calling it Rainier
and the other half calling it Tacoma,
If placed by the side of Mount McKin-
ley would stand but a stepping block
14,5O0 feet in height, upon which the
Cook party might take a brief rest and
get their second iwind before starting
on the last third Of their stupendous
climb.
Dangers Are Many.
Nor is it the altitude alone Of Mount
Mckinley which, renders the task
which the Cook ~anty has undertaken
so, difficult and dangerous. A high
mountain in aTtrepical cline might |
readily present much less trying diff
f1culties than one of equal height in
colder latitude. Mount Mckinley
stands in latitude "a degrees north, or
nearly 1000 miles north of the boun-
dairy line between the United. States !
and Canada, and in longitude $500 |
miles west of Washington. d. c., more
than double the distance between that |
city and Seattle. While the sides Of |
the mountain have never been closely |
approached, explorers of that region Of |
Alaska report the appearance of vast
glaciers coursing down the mountains !
precipitous sides: glaciers probably
exceeding in volume and extent any |
others on the continent. -7"~t |
The mountain stands 200 miles from |
the ocean and from it's sides the waters |
flow into the Yukon and the Tanana |
rivers on the north, the KuSIx okwim |
on the west and the Shushitna on the |
south and east, on all Of which streams |
there have been discovered vast rich |
deposits of placer gold, deposits which |
are believed to have their sources in |
rich and disintegrating, lodges far up |
the mountains sides. So little known
is the mountain that only one photo |
graph Of it is known to exist; one
taken with a kodak last year by ALI |
fred H Brooks, the government ex-r
plorer. An oil painting of the peak |
as it appears from Cook Inlet was
painted last year by a Seattle artist, |
and patriotic citizens of Seattle have !
recently undertaken to purchase this |
painting to be presented in the name |
of this city to the government library |
in Washington.
No Man HAS Assembled.
No man has ever assembled the
mountain, and so far as is known no
attempt to do SO 'Gwas ever made |
Prospectors have penetrated the for
ests around it as far as it's base, and |
a few of them have assembled a few |
thousand feet, and. these generally re-
port that the difficulties attending,
even that undertaking are enough to
cause the hardest adventurer to
pause before attempting them. Alaska
Adventures and prospectors, and
many mountain climbers of the Pacific
coast, predict that the Cook party will
never succeed in their undertaking
to reach the summit.
The party goes well equipped for
the hazardous undertaking. Fifteen
of the hardest Indian ponies were Sc