Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-01-29
OvERTop OTHERS.

MOUNTAINS ELSEWHERE ON THE
GLOBE MADE TO LOOK LIKE ANT
HILLS-MANY OF THE HIGHEST
PEAKS IN INDIA HAVE NO NATIVE
NAMES, so ARE GROUPED.
The geological survey of India has
just published four large pamphlets
giving summarysof the geographical
information concerning the Himalayas
that has been accumulating for cent
ury since the first survey party was sent
out among the mountains in 1907.
These volumes are written for the gen
eral public and the results are present
ed in a popular manner.
The first impression one gets from
them is that the Himalayas so far ex-
ceed every other mountain system in
the world in everything that makes
the greatness Of mountains that they
stand in class by themselves.
Though these mighty ranges have
been included in the survey scheme of
British India for century, great
many of their lofty peaks are not yet
mapped and there are many hundreds
of SUBMITS whose height is not yet
known. But of the peaks that have
been measured there are seventy-five
whose height exceeds "a, 900 feet.
1t is certain that there is no noun
tain of this height in North America,
and if there is so lofty summit in
South America the fact is yet to be
shown. Each of these seventy-fve
mountains is nearly or more than two
miles higher than the loftiest eminence
of Europe and stands four-fifth of a
mile or more above the high est point
in Africa.
The geological survey catalogues
these seventy-five principal peaks in
five classes in order of magnitude. The
peaks of the first magnitude, exceeding
2S,OOO feet in height, include only
Mount Everest and Kinchinjunga I;
peaks of the second magnitude, be-
tween $1,000 and $4,000 feet, are Kinch-
injunga II and Makala; third magni-
tude, between $4,000 and $1,000. II
fourth magnitude, between
25,0O0 and $4,000, 80 mountains, and
fifth magnitude, between $4,000 and
5000, 2S mountains.
Thus far S97 mountains have been
whose height is 20, 900 feet, or
more. 1t is estimated, according to the
law of probability, based upon the
work already done, that there are prob
ably 1903 mountains in the Himalayas
that are 10000 feet or more in height.
There are besides many hundreds of
prominent, but, lower, submits. Very
few of these mountains have native
names and the question rises how, as
the emapping of the Himalayas progress,
shall this vast array Of SUBMITS be de-
slgnated.
Of the seventy-fve greatest peaks
only nineteen have native names. The
survey says it would be mistake to
attempt to attach an actual name to
every peak. Astronomers do not name
the stars; in early days they grouped
them into consultations, and they now
number them according to right as
cension. The survey proposes to fol-
low the method introduced by Colonel
Muntgomerie in the Karakoram region,
where he has named the whole region
K and its peaks K1, K2, &c.
The survey says that the most isolat-
ed and probably the most imposing
peak in all Asia is one whose name
few persons have ever heard. 1t is
Manga, Parbat, standing on the west
ern side of the Indus valley and rising
to height of 1920 feet.
Within sixty miles of it no other
summit attains an altitude of more
than 1900, so it surpasses all It's sur
roundings by more than 5000 feet. The
mountain does not rise from high
elevation, as IS the case WIN many
Himalayan SUBMITS, but it is thrust
skyward from base that is only $500
feet above the sea, so that 23,120 feet
of it is completely exposed to the gaze
of the observer, and at distance of
less than forty miles he has an unpar-
alleled view of this overwhelming spec
tacle, with its vast snowfields, glaciers
and crags.
President Helps Orphans.