Arizona republican., 1909-09-15
LADY EXPLORERS BATTLE.

If anything were lacking to sup bort the claim made by militant ladies that woman is mans equal in every field in which she chooses to compete with him, the proof is at hand. It is not to be doubted that many men have become more arrogant as they con- sidered the pole-finding feats of Peary and Cook, and reached the conclusion that in at least one line of endeavor man has proved his superiority. But along come two ladies with respective records of mountain climbing. which in their way were quite as difficult as the performances of the polar ex- plorers.
 And to make the record complete. the ladies are on hand with a row fully as pretty as the fuss between Peary and Cook. The parallel is so close that we may say the motif is the same-one lady explorer attacks the word of her sister in physical exploit, just as Peary assails the word of Cook
 The first echoes of the feminine battle are just reaching the public. Miss Annie s. Peck, after many fail ures in her efforts to climb Mount Huascuran, succeeded on September 2. 1908, in reaching the summit. She was not only the first human to scale the dizzy heights of Peru's fa- nous mountain, but if her assertion as to its altitude is correct she climbed higher than any woman ever climbed before. At all events her feat was so noticeable that the gov ernment of Peru struck a gold medal in her honor and it was presented to her by the president of that republic. The obverse side of the medal reads. 'sThe Government of Peru to Annie s. the summit of Huascuran, of Sept. 190s," and on the reverse side, Mount Huascuran-24,O 900 feet. Republic of Peru" The medal was struck after Miss Peck had lectured before the president of Peru and the scientists of that country, all of whom seem to have been convinced that she was cor rect in her assertion.
 But comes now Mrs. Fanny Bullock Workman, and ayers that Miss Peck's claim to the altitude of Huascuran is not correct. Albeit Mrs. Workman has not attempted the ascent of Huas- curan, she says Miss Peck is not to be believed, for the reason that Miss Peck took no observations of alti- tude which would support her claim. Mrs. Workman's motive in making the attacks appears when she asserts that she herself is entitled to the championship belt for high climbing. With her husband, Dr. W. H. Workman, she climbed Mount Nun Kun in the Himalayas, the altitude of which was found to be 23,3O0 feet, or TOO feet short of what Miss Peck claims for Huascuran. She gives from the shoulder this jolt to Miss Peck:
 Really, Miss Peck hasn't a leg to stand on. It is a sad state for one in her line of business, as Miss Peck had no means of measuring the altitude that she claims to have reached. If Miss Peck's claims are proved I shall be the first to acknowledge them.
 She spread it all over the world that she had climbed higher than any other woman, but I say Let her prove it I am ready to offer my proofs at any time, as I always carry instru- ments with me-
 Scientists generally have been slow to accept Miss Peck's estimate of Huascuran's height. As one of them puts it. Tt is to be regretted that she secured no hypsometric readings at the summit of Huascuran, which is not generally recognized as holding so prominent a place as Miss Peck ac- cords to it-estimated 23,S00-24. 900 feet and perhaps higher" They shrinkingly suggest that the burden of proof is upon Miss Peck, since no point higher than 1s,6OO feet was de- termined instrumentally.
 It is. however, a controversy into which wise men will not rush Pru- dent persons will keep out of the ring and give the ladies a chance for a fair fight
 It may be said in passing, however, that regardless of the question of