Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-04

head Of Cooks inlet. it proceeded b,
steam launch up the Sushitna river
until its progress was blocked by rap
Ids, whence the way was continued
by pack train. After the creates,
hardships. In which members of the
expedition were often in danger OF
their lives In crossing ard recrossins
the Icy mountain torrents, the great
Alaskan range was finally crossed a,
what is called Brooks pass. Mount
Mckinley was then almost circled fov
possible approach and finally was
scaled to the height of 1000 feet.
when farther progress was ended hy
m impossible precipice. 1t was the,
hat the attempt was abandoned nud
he party separated after returning t.
ne ship. Parker went home, Brown
vent hunting. Porter went surveyin.
and Cook went to glory and the to
t the continent. although Barrill
wears he only Went near glory ana
vas more than 10000 feet below til
up of the continent. At present there
tept to recover the little brasss tube
Harker says that if lie huds this ves
sci of homer he Will bring 1t back wit
aim. but Cook will not give him the
nance. He is going to find il himself
Well strength to tief arms. or. rath-
r. to their legs. Aav they both reach
lie top and live to write books about
he purple SHOWS that I'LL well reg
alatad peaks and poles are now sup
posed to wear.
Hardest Climb on Earth.
But if they do ii they will have SORE
linhing. Mount Mckinley is now re-
arded as the hardest peak to nego
late on earth. OF course 1t is not s.
ugh as the nimaavas or the Andes
nut presents features of more Difficult,
ham either. The tah!cland about nh
AlaSkan range is less than Il mile I
!aisbt. while that surrounding Ii
iimalayas is two or three miles III
,eaving a greater sheer ascent for TIL
american mountain than for those i
Asia. AS for the Andes they, too. hay
Il high tableland and but little snoy'
apd ice. while Mckinley is practicai
all ice and snow above 1000 feet An
other element that makes the Alaskan
mountain hard proposition is thu
of the sheer precipices thousands OF
feet in height that apparently surround
1t on every side. On the top it is com
paratively fiat. but 1t Is long way to
the top. 1t has been likened in shape
to brick standing Oh end Two more
features that make ii difficult are the
climate aud the fact that it is so far
inland in an almost inaccessible couu-
try. AS a rule. mountain climbers plan
to reach the base of their ascents In q
fresh and strong condition. In ap-
preaching Mount Mckinley they are
exhausted and Worn out before they
reach the foot.
The one side of the great peak which
has not been explored and from which
no attempt has been made to scale II
is on the north. 1t is probable that
the Parker expedition will try it along
this route. AS for the Cook expedi
ton, 1t will be along the. lines of thai
of 1906 and will follow the course laiG
down in DR.. Cooks book as that by
which he reached the summit of the
mountain. This i'm itself will be test
of the truth Of his claims. whether OF
not he finds the little brass tube. If he
climbs Mount Mckinley along the
route OF 1906 a feat that Professor
Parker says cannot be performed. that
in itself will go far toward establish.
Ing Cooks former story. 1t has also
been suggested that Barrill should
lead an expedition to the point he
swears that Cook and himself reached
and reproduce the photographs that be
asserts We're taken by Cook and rep.
resented as Mount Mckinley pictures
For example. he could rephotograph
the peak on which he stood and which
Cook photographed as the top of Nc
kinley, but which Barrill claims was
twenty miles distant and fully two
miles lower in altitude At present no
definite steps have been taken toward
equipping Il Barrill expedition, how
ever. 1t is only in the talk stage, as
is most Of this controversy.
Former Explorations.
There have already been at least
seven Mount Mckinley expeditions. al.
though the first WAS scarcely worthy
the name. 1t was that of W. A.
Dickey. a mining prospector who was
not looking for mountains. but for
gold. He only saw the peak at a dis
lance, but its size so impressed him
that he believed it the highest noun
tain on the continent and so reported.
Lacking instruments of measurement,
he guessed roughly that it was 10000
feet high, remarkably accurate esti-
mate. Mr.. Dickey gave the mountain
the name Mount Mckinley. 10 all in
tents and purposes he was it's discoy-
erer. although the Russians around
Cook inlet had long known of it's ex-
istence and called it Bulshaia Dig.
The second expedition was that oil
Robert Muldrow of the United State,
geological survey. who went neas
enough in 1903 to measure the noun
tain from several different angles.
Averaging the results, he announced
the height as 20.464 feet. In 1899 Lieu
tenant Heron. also of the governmcut
service. surveyed .,hout the mountasil
md spent season of fearful hnfJ
hip in its vicinity. In 1902 Alfred /
crooks of the geological survey mai.
I more thorough exploration of tn
mountain and scaled it to the 1O,O0o
fort ''ea 't7e' No. 80 NOV;