The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-14
Member of Party Who Scaled
Mt. Mckinley and Can Prove
It Declares Brooklyn Physi-
clans Story Is Pure Myth.
GREAT MOUNTAIN TWENTY
THOUSAND FEET HIGH
Find Summit of Peak Utterly
Unlike Description Given in
Dr. Cooks Book and No
Trace of His Alleged Camps.
DESCRIPTION OF JOURNEY

FAIRBANKS, Alaska, April f3-The
Fairbanks Mount Mckinley expe-
ditiOn that reached the summit nf
the peak started to FOLLOW the route al
legged 10 have been taken by DIR. Fred
er1ck \. Cook and was Obliged 10 aban-
don il impossible.
Thomas Lloyd, leader at the expe-
ditiOn, says no traces OF Cooks camps
were found, and ne declared the doc
tors story of the fOur-day ascent a
pure myth.
Lloyd placed hts crude notes of the
journey la the hands of a committee
of the Order of Pioneers of Alaska,
who will arrange for publication of
the story
The party took photographs of the
summit and of points along the trail.
They also established the trail so well
that it 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 four
teen feet tall was erected, firmly but
tressed by rocks. The work done by
the Fairbanks men can be easily Yeri-
fled. An anerOid measurement taken
by the men places the height of the
mountain at 20,500 feet.
Ten Men in Party.
Ten men were in the party that left
Fairbanks with dog teams in Deem
that the ascent would be less dangerous
in early spring than later, when the
snow began TO melt. This theory was
confirmed by the experience of the eX-
pedition.
The expedition, on reaching the base
of the mountain, went into camp. wait
ed for better Weatbec and planned the
ascent. All were FAMILIAR with the
great mountain and its habits. None
of the men had scientific education, and
they took no special apparatus except
cameras and a barometer They were
equipped as for prospecting and tray
eled as light as possible and with the
food supply of the Alaska miner.
When the ascent was begun the first
camp was made at the line of the will
lows the second at 2 800 feet, the third
and from this camp the dash to the top
was made. Four dogs went to the third
camp and one to the fourth. Snow shoes
We're used most of 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 creVasses We're
crossed on bridges Of poles brought
from the timbered slopes below.
Not After Or. Cook.
The party did not set out to disprove
DR.. Cooks story, but to climb the
terly unlike those pictured in the doc
tors book. on the rock peak they left
an American flag 6x12 feet attached to
14-fOOt staff with a 4-inch butt. The
pole was held firmly in 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 mountain. The
building of the monument about the
flag was difficult because of the rari-
fled atmosphere. The view from the
summit was obscured by clouds at the
lower levels.
The snow was generally firm and the
creYasses filled with snow and easy to
cross except in a few instances. Later
in the season avalanChes and treacher-
Gus crevasses must be guarded against.
The explorers discovered a magnifi-
cent unnamed peak 10000 feet tall and
also a new pass through the mountain
range which shOrtens the distance to
the coast Is miles. The pass is thanked
by majestic perpendicular walls.
Daniel Patterson, W. r. Taylor and
Continued on Page TWo.)