Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-03
FAILED TO REACH TOP
DIR. COOKS PARTY PARTLY SEAL
ED MT. MCKINLEY.
Stopped at Altitude Of IL 600 Feet by
an Impossible Granite
Slope.

NE4W YORK, October 3.-An attempt
made by DR. Frederick y. Cook of Brook
lyn the well-known explorer, to scale
Mount Mckinley in Alaska has failed. DR..
Cook, accompanied by two or three other
men. among them a Columbia University
student, left the city several months ago.
The following dispatch signed by the head
of the party. was received by the Asso-
ciated Press today:
VALDEZ, Alaska, October 2.
The assault upon Mount Mckinley re-
suited in our making an altitude of 1l,OO
feet on the southwestern side. At this point
we stopped by an impossible granite
slope, which extended 5000 feet above
We searched the entire western side of the
mountain for a route TO the summit which
might offe q prospect of success. but no
opportunity was found and the ascent from
the western slope seems practically i'm
possible. On September signs of winter
already We're far advanced and, although
We should have liked to search the north
western ridge as well Mudrow glacier.
the rapidly advancing season forced us on
TO a point where We could get over the
country without our horses. Therefore it
was decided TO cross the Mckinley range
at the first nOrtherly trs ak in the mountain.
Our previous travels had been over the
trail made by the geological survey party
under BrOOkS last year, Out we traNeleO
over unknown territory marching n OIt
forty-five miles northward and swinging
ea astward in the mountains at every avail
able opportunity. We crossed the d vide
September over a new pass at an eleYa-
ton of 60D feet and camped in the valley
of Chulitina. Our aim was to reach the
eastern slope of Mount Mckinley and on
our way out II the season permitted to
IT AXE another attack from that side
A forced march was made down the Chul-
itina. it being necessary to ford and swim
the river many times. but We We're COM
PEELED to abandon our horses and build RATS
twenty miles north of q great glacier The
latter afforded the first easterly route to
the great mountain peak. We explored I
and made a rapid examination of the east
ern slope. but the rapidly approaching win
ter would not permit of another attempt to
climb the mountain, and with much reg .et
we were forced TO take to our RATS Septem-
Der y and to seek the head waters of Cook
Inlet. which lay 10 miles to the south
Before us was q journey of sixty miles
down the Chulitina river, of which nothing
tsOn on raft. Considerable apprehension
va felt on this score. but the river proved
navigable and the expedition reached Tyon-
ekiu in six days. The net result of the ey-
petition was Il march of 600 miles with
horses, nearly $50 miles voyage in boats and
RATS, the exploration ef 81 good deal of new
territory. the discovery of several noun
Mount Mckinley was not possible for US
but the members OF the expedition feel that
we did all possible in the short working sea
son of an Alaskan summer. Every member
of the party has enjoyed good health and
will return shortly TO the United States
DR.. Cook was accompanied on his trip by
Ralph Shnwald of Columbia University and
Robert