The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-05-02
OUR HIGHEST MOUNTAINS

L HIGHEST MOUNTAINS
The geological survey has been at
work again whiting of the tops OF
ON of our proudest eminences. Es'
Inmates of mountain heights are US.
ually exaggerated. It is not till care
full surveys are made that we discover
that their attitudes are less than those
with which popular belief has credited
them, says the New York Sun. So it
happens that the fourth addition of
Mr.. Gannett's Dictionary of Alti.
tudes in the United States" reduces
the height OF Mounts Whitney, Rain.
Ter and other SUBMITS.
Up to last year Mount Whitney en-
joyed the reputation of rising to a
height of l4,89S feet, but in an evil
moment it was attacked by a survey
which Topped off 1896 feet, reducing the
elev alton to 14,502 feet. These sur.
veyors have threatened the distinction
of that summit as the topm0st point
of the United States south of Canada,
for they credit Mount Williamson in
California. with 1850 feet: and with
only two feet between them the noun.
tains seem to be running a neck and
neck race for the final supremacy. At
any rate. Mount Whitney has had q
narrow escape from such humiliation
as that which covered Mount St.
Elias with chagrin several years ago.
Mount Rainier also has suffered
diminution to the extent of l63 feet,
the new figures showing only l4,363
feet. This is a positive casualty, for
o Shasta, its rival in beauty and
grandeur. with II, $50 feet TO its credit,
takes its place for the first time a lit.
tie higher ia the list than Seattle's
iavOrite snow mountain. Seattle as.
tonished the country by the fight it
made for Rainier instead of Tacoma
as the appellation Of its beloved sum
NIT. 1t will not be surprising if Seat
tie should regard the exploit of the
geological survey as a personal snub
and demand a recount of the returns.
The latest figures Of u mountain
heights show plainly that it is not
elevation alone that makes them
famous. The name of Mount Whit
ney, to be sure, is fixed ia everyone's
mind simply because it has the repu-
tation of being higher than others of
our home mountains. If its elevation
we're q little less its name would
scarcely be known, for though In
height it ranks fairly with such noun.
tains as Moute Rosa and the Matter
horn, it is some 600 miles nearer the
equator than its Swiss rivals, has q
far less extensive display OF now and
ice, is destitute Of the charming con.
trast of forest and grass below the
snow line, aud the bare rocks OF this
giant OF the Sierra Nevadas offer little
attraction for tourists. It is famous
simply because it Is overlapping.
There are twenty.seven mountains
in Colorado rising above $4,000 feet,
and with the exception of Pixies Peak,
Holy Cross mountain and q few
others, ~ their anne are not
known to most people who have never
been in Colorado. They lack access
sibility, outlook, history or some
other quality that might give them
distinction. How many of u gen.
eral public have ever heard of Ebert
Peak, the eliminating point OF Colo.
RADIO? California has eleven noun.
tains more than $4,000 feet in height,
but only Whitney and Shasta are
particularly famous. Some OF the
Montana mountains, none OF which
rise above 10000 or 1000 feet, are
better known.
OF course, the Alaskan mountains,
with eight submits rising above l5,-
600 feet, have no physical difficulty in
looking down on their brethren fur.
Their south. Mount Mckinley, with its
20, 464 feet. seems likely to hold it's
head higher than any other mountain
IN the continent, ever though it
should undergo a severe process OF
trimming at the hands of the geolog.
zeal survey.