Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-05-08
The Mountains Of the Moon


about t5,lO0 teet; but IL had been de-
tinitely ascertained that the line OF
perpetual snow was about 1880 feet
and geographers agreed that the pho
tographs of the mountains, poor as
they were. plainly showed that the
snow extended more than a mile
above the snowline on the highest
peaks Moore said in 1901 that ii
was impossible to say as yet which
one of the numerous snow peaks is
the highest. much less to give its ex-
act height.
Sir Harry Johnston said in his ad-
dress before the Royal geographical
society in 1902 that he was personally
convinced that the highest point OF
Ruwenzori is not under 10000 feet
in altitude and that it will be found
to be the eliminating point of Africa
When, after the most arduous climb
have ever experienced, l reached my
highest point on the snow range
1880 feet the mountain above me
seemed thing / had only begun to
climb, and lowered as far as l could
estimate another 5000 feet into the
dark blue heavens He said there
were at least 90 miles of almost con
tinuous glaciers along the highest
part of the ridge This fact alone
under the equator, OF course, proves
great altitude.
DR.. Stuhlmann, who also made a
sturdy but vain attempt to get to the
top. thought the mountains were
about 1900 feet high. Fisher, who
reached the same point attained by
Johnston and wrote of his ascent just
year ago, says that he believes that
the highest peak reaches an altitdde
of between 10000 and $4,000 feet
His thermometer between the attitudes
of 5000 and 1880 feet fell from
ills degrees Fahrenheit to rs degrees
Fahrenheit. Unless great elevations
are ascertained by trigonometrica
measurements 1t is the most difficult
thing in the world to find their height
even approximately until some one
gets to the top with a good aneroid OF
boiling point barometer For cen
turtles the height of Mt Demavend
as supposed to be from 10000 to 1s.00t
feet. and it as only recently ascertain
ed to be $4,000 feet. Explorers
guessed that Kilmanjaro was abou
/ Is, 900 feet high, but we know nov
that it is 1900 feet, Spoke and
Stanley estimated that Mfumbiro was
between 1000 and 10000 feet. bu
Coun Won Gotten found that it was
II 200 feet
From all the testimony thus far NJ
one will be surprised if the duke o
the Abruzzi comes home with the in
formation that the Kikauja and tbs
Duwoni peaks OF Ruwenzori al leas
| if not more of these SUBMITS. arr
higher than any other mountains il
Africa The latest to attenip; the
ascent was Davids. the Swiss natural
list. last year He made fine collec
! tions Oh the slopes of the range. bu
the ice above baffled him, as 1t die
all his predecessors.
Some of the men here mentioned
are expert mountaineers, but their
are a number of good reasons VIII.
every attempt to reach the higher al
titudes has thus far failed The SLOPE.
are so difficult of ascent that for day
before explorers reach the ice the!
are travelling in a temperature nea
the freezing point, and they are thu
less able to endure this cold from
the fact that they have been living
for months or years in the super
heated tropical regions at lower al
titudes. AS they ascend they arr
first delayed by long, precipitou
walls of rock that can be circum
vented only by long detours; then the!
run up against walls of ice, and wher
they reach the glacial surface the,
find. the conditions of travel impos
sibie without complete alpine out
fit, and none of them has been pro
vided with this equipment. There arr
no guides to help them, for above th'
snow line they are the pioneers anC
pathinders.
All of them also have lacked ade
quate means of transportation or o
providing shelter and food supplies
Above 10000 feet none OF them has
found a place where a hut could b.
built or a tent raised to protest the
men at night, for the slopes OF thu
rocks and the ice are extremely steep
ITO add to their difficulties there seems
to extend clear around the range. be
tween 5000 feet and the snow line. {
broad belt of wet moss and solder
vegetation into which the climbel
sinks to his knees. The belt II
simply sponge, and IT is impossible
to cross it dry sbod.
Only rarely do they have the iuspir
alton of magnificent scenery TO spuI
them on. Johnston was within
sight of Ruwenzori for 31A months
and he saw It's SHOWS only six times
except, of course. during the weel
that he was clambering among them
The range was wrapped in fog mos
of the time All the explorers agree
that the complete and successful as
cent of the highest peaks Of Ruwen
zori win require as elaborate prepare
ton as exploration in the Andes or the
Himalayas. The facts here given
show that the duke Of the Abruzzi is
undertaking a work Of no mean mag
nitude: but his splenlid fitness for il
and the complete equipment he viii