The Alaska citizen., 1910-08-29
s;s, American Explorations in Alaska 3
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Mount St Elias has long been a subject of great popular interest, both because of is altitude. it be ing at one time considered the high est peak on the continent. and be cause il was the first point sighted by a white man on the mainland of Alaska Boring. who discovered and named t knew if only as a distant peak which lommed above the clouds. Tor he made no attempt to gel near it. The mountain was also noted by Cook, Dixon and Nancou- yer during their explorations of the coast line. In 17H6 La Perouse. while cruising along the coast, saw Mount st. Elias and DagcleD, his astrono- mer calculated its altitude at 12.G72 feel Five years later Malaspina ell tered Nakutu Bay and surveyed Dis entertainment Ray. it's inland eXten- sion, which he hoped would prove to be northeast passage. His de termination of the altitude of the mountain as 11.S5t feet came re markedly near the truth. considering the adverse conditions under which it Was made. In 1737 Sir Edward Bclchcr visited Yakutat Bay ill II. M s Sulphur Tebenkof's Atlas, published in 1S52. gives the altitude of the mountain as 17.000 feet In MI Dall and Baker, while cruising along the coast made d rough tri- rnguia,ion and reported the altitude of the mountain at over 19.000 feet
 It was nearly a century and a half after Bering's discoverey be- fore any attempt Was made to as cond the mountain or even to ap- proach it's base. In 1886 Frederick Schwatka, with Prof. William Lib bey and Lieut. H. W. Seton-Karr. led an expedition. which was supported by the New York Times. to make the ascent of the mountain. So lit tie was known of the conditions of travel that the party was foredoom- ed to disaster. SchWatka and Seton Karr, with small party. reached a point about 2o miles inland and ob- tainod considerable geographical in formation which was of great use 10 the subsequent explorers. Two years later an altitude of II 400 feet was attained by party consisting of W. II. Topham, Edwin Topham and George Broca Englishmen. and William Williams. an American A third attempt was made in 1890 by !, C Russell and Mark E. Kerr, with six camp hands, under the joint aus piccs of the National Geographic So cicty and the United States Geo logical Survey, which, though unsuc- cossluI. resulted in some important contributions to rhe geographic Knowledge of the region. Russell and karr would undoubtedly have reach ed lhc top had mol a severe storm forced them to retreat after wait ing four days in rude shelters in snow banks on the upper slopes of the mountain without fuel and al most without food Russell. nothing dauntcd by this experience, ill 1891 again cssaycd the ascent under the same auspices. During this attempt he succeeded ill reaching q height of 1i,50o feet, but was again forced 10 return by severe storms. The re suits of Russelrs two expeditions were a large amount of data in re gard to the glacial history of the region and a fairly accurate map of the slope of the mountain. His determination of lS.1O0 feet as its height proved to be remarkably ac- curate, if one takes into account the conditions with which he had to contend. The coast survey triangula- tion of the following year shows the elevation to be 1S,024.
 The summit of St Elias was reached by an Italian, Prince Luigi, who followed the route which Rus sell had explored and very largely adopted the methods which Russell had recommended. Luigi, in 1897, landed at Yakutat Bay, and with a large, thoroughly equipped eXped- ition made his way across the 40 miles of snow and ice between the coast and the base of the mountain. In his ascent he practically followed Russell's route, reaching the sum init July 31, five weeks after leav- ing tidewater. Prince Luigi's eXpe- dition was carefully planned, and he showed himself a capable leader as well as an experienced mountaineer. The report of the expedition con tains much that is of geographic in terest, but is chiefly valuable as a contribution to the literature of mountaineering.
 The location of the international 1 boundary on the Yukon became a question of importance after the dis covery of rich gold placers near it, The Canadians were first in the | field. In 1888 William Ogilvie and