Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-04-14
AMERICAN FLAG ON
MOUNT M'KINLEY
Fairbanks Expedition Erected a
Flagstaff on the Summit and
Placed National CoIors.
HEIGHT OF MOUNTAIN 2o,5oo
Barrill. Cooks Guide. Who said Cook
Didn't Make Ascent. Doesn't
Believe Expedition Did.

Fairbanks. Alaska, April l8.-ThC
Fairbanks Mount Mckinley expedition
that reached the summit Of the peak
started 10 follow the route alleged "a
have been taken by Or Frederick A.
Cook and was obligeS 10 abandon il
as impossible.
Thomas Lloyd. leader Of the expc-
dition. says no traces Of Cooks camps
were found and he declared the doc
tors story OF the four-day ascent "A
pure myth
Lloyd placed his crude notes of the
journey in the hands of a committee
Of the order Of Pioneers Of Alaska.
who win arrange for publication OF
the story.
The party took photographs OF the
summit and Of points along the trail.
They also established the trail 81 well
that IL can be followed by other par
ties next summer.
on the stretch Of trail eight miles
long the explorers worked two weeks
on one Of the peaks a Flagstaff "a feet
TAN was erected. firmly buttressed by
rocks. The work done by the Fair
banks men can be easily verified. An
aneroid measurement taken by the men
places the height OF the mountain at
20. 500 feet
Ten men were in the party that left
Fairbanks with dog teams in Decem-
Der II was the theory of the leaders
that the ascent would be less danger
Gus in early spring than later when
the snow began to melt This theory
was confirmed by the experience Of the
expedition.
The expedition. on reaching the base
~ the mountain. went into camp. wait
ed for better weather and planned the
ascent. All we're familiar with the
great mountain and its habits None
OF the men had scientific education. and
they took no special apparatus except
cameras and n barometer. They were
equipped as for prospecting and trav-
eled as light as possible and with the
food supply Of the Alaska miner.
ASCENT BEGUN.
When the ascent was begun the first
camp was made al the line OF the will
lows. the second at 1900 feet, the third
al 10000 feet. the fourth AT $4,000 feet
and from this camp the dash 10 the top
was made. -Four dogs went 10 the third
camp and one Of the fourth Snow
shoes we're used most 81 the way and
much time was consumed in carrying
supplies to the fourth camp. travel
over the steep ice compelling light
loads and several trips. In some places
crevnsses were crossed on bridges Of
poles brought from the timbered slopes
below
The party did not set out 20 disprove
Or Cooks story but 10 climb the
mountain They found the SUBMITS
utterly unlike those pictured In the
doctors book. on the rock peak they
left an American flag 6xi2 feet attached
to 4-foot STAFF with a 4 inch butt.
The pole was held firmly I'm place by
rocks piled about the base and by guy
ropes. The flag was visible for a long
distance on the north side of the noun
tain The building OF the monument
about the flag was difficult because Of
the rarihed atmosphere. The view from
the summit was obscured by clouds at
the lower levels.
The snow was generally firm and the
crevasses filled with snow and easy TO
cross except i'm a few instances Later
i'm the season avalanches and treach-
erous orevasses must be guarded
against.
The explorers discovered "a magnih-
cent unnamed peak 1900 feet tall and
also a new pass through the mountain
range which shOrtens the distance 10
the coast. 20 miles. The pass is nanked
by majestic perpendicular walls,
Daniel Patterson W, Il. Taylor and
Charles McGonnigle remained at kat
ishna and only Lloyd came iu The
pioneers committee took steps TO veri-
fv Loyd's story before stamping it
as genuine. and even now is disincuned
10 surrender his notes though satisfied
that they amply prove the story. The
return Of Lloyd down the mountain Ia
nine DAYS was due TO the excellence
90 N.sa