The Gainesville star. [volume] (Gainesville, Fla.) 1903-19??, 1904-01-26
OUR GREAT ACTIVE VOLCANO.
Latest Discoveries About Mt Wran,
CELL, In Alaska.

cAly few years ago the necessarily
active volcano, Mt. Wrangell, in Alas.
ka, was represented on all our maps as
an isolated mountain situated In the
midst of a great snow covered plateau.
Almost nothing was known of that in.
land region, but Mt. Wrangel had at
tracted attention because smoke was
always pouring from its summit.
Exploring parties of the United
States geological survey have been par.
ticularly active in this region for tho
past three years and are at last able
to give much definite information
about Il. IL has been found that Mt
Wrangell is not a solitary mountain,
but is in the midst OF vast array OF
SUBMITS covered with snow and Ella,
ciers and spread over an area Of no
less than $500 square mile.
Within this area are at least 10
snowclad peaks $1,000 feet or more in
height. Several of these are still IN.
named and two, Mt. Sanford, 1920
feet, and Mt. Blackburn, 1910 feet.
are higher than Mt. Blanc or any of
the peaks within tho United States
south of Canada Mt Wrangell which
has attracted more attention than tho
Others because It is an active voca-
no, is third in altitude $4,000 feet.
This entire mountain region, in the
basin of the Copper river, is row
known as the Wransell group of noun.
tains. w. C. Mendenhall of the sur.
vey has an article on the group in the
latest number of the National Geo.
graphic Magazine. Among his Illus
tratlons he gives q fine panoramic
view, about three feet long Of the part
of the group which contains some Of
the highest SUBMITS
II Is a wonderful scene of the grim.
NEST desolation, peak after peak ri3.
ing from high valleys, their black steep
sides streaked with snow and the
higher elevations completely white
with it, and in the centre of the pie
ture is Mt. Wrangell with its column
of smoke.
tain, though dwarfed by the higher
cones of Sanford and Blackburn. 1t Is
wide-spreading cone nearly three
miles high and eight times as broad
It's gently arched surface is a glisten-
ing snowfield, smudged here and there
by volcanic ash from the crater, which
sends up rolling columns of smoke and
vapor to q height Of three miles.
From its eastern slope descends the
Nabesna glacier, a frozen river so miles
in length. On its western face a dozen
Jets Of steam may be seen on a still
morning issuing from as many vents.
The glaciers proceeding from the shall
low valley where these vents occur are
black with the breath of the mountain.
The summit has never been reached,
though prospector named John Brem-
ner declares that he got within a mile
Of the top.
But Mt. Wrangell may be assembled,
Mr.. Mendenhall thinks that some time
may elapse before the summit of Mt.
Mckinley Is reached, but he says 1t
will not be a difficult feat to get to the
top Of Wrangell The line of perpetual
snow is about $500 feet and the summit
rises 1900 feet above this. He describes
four feasible routes Of approach and
thinks that the ascent of the only
known active volcano in the interior Of
the continent north of Mexico may
fd1I -, Ill. II. 81 Il.
well appeal to any mountaineer, All
the other active Alaskan volcanoes are
on or near the seacoast.
The Wrangell mountains are, for the
most part, masses of lava and volcanic
mud which had been piled up on an
earlier surface, burying the old land
forms and substituting for them the
present splendid group Of mountains,
Sun.