The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-04-14
Fairbanks Expedition Brings Back
Records of Being 2o,5oo Feet
up in the Air During
Trip
PLANTED FLAG THERE
Summit Was Found Entirely Differ.
ent From Cooks Description
and no Records Were
Found There.

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA. April IA
The Fairbanks Mount Mckinley ex-
pedition that reached the summit of
the peak started to follow the route
DR.. Cook said he took and was oblig-
ed to abandon it as impossible Tho
mas Lloyd, the leader, declared no
traces of Cooks maps were found.
Lloyd placed his crude notes of the
Journey In the hands of committee
of the Order of Pioneers of Alaska,
who will arrange for publication of
the story. The party took photo
graphs of the summit and of points
along the trail. They also establish
ed the trail so we'll that it can be
followed by other parties next sum-
mer.
On one stretch of trail eight miles
long the explorers worked two weeks.
On one Of the peaks flagstaff Ia
| feet tall was erected, firmly butress-
/ ed by rocks. The work done by the
| Fairbanks men can be easily verified.
An aeroid measurrlent taken by the
! men places the height of the noun
! tain 2o,500 feet.
Ten men were in the party that
left Fairbanks with dog teams in
December 1t was the theory of the
leaders that the ascent would be less
dangerous in early spring than later,
when the snow began to melt. This
theory was confirmed by the expert
ence of the expidition.
The expidition, on reaching the
base of the mountain, went into camp,
waited for better weather, and plan
ned the ascent All were familiar
with the great mountain and its habits
/ None of the men have scientific edu-
cation and they took no special ap-
| paratus except cameras and baro-
meter. They were equipped for pros
1 sible and with the food supply of the
/ Alaska miner.
When the ascent was begun the
4 first camp was made at the line of the
willows; the second at 2900 feet; the
i third at 10000 feet the fourth at 16,
600 feet and from this camp the dash
4 to the top was made. Four dogs
went to the third camp and one to the
4 fourth. Snow shoes were used most
of the way and much time was con
sumed in carrying supplies to the
fourth camp. In several places ere
vases were crossed on bridges of
poles brought from the timber slopes
below
The party did not set out to dis
prove DR.. Cooks story, but to climb
the mountain. 1t found the SUBMITS
! utterly unlike those pictured in the
Cook book. On the rock peak it left
an American flag 6x12 feet attached to
the IA foot staff. The flag was visible
for a long distance on the north side
of the mountain. The view from the
summit was obscurcd by the clouds
| at the lower levels. The building OF
the monument or butress about the
, Flagstaff was difficult because of the
rarified atmosphere,
The snow was generally firm and
the crevasses filled with snow and
easy to cross except in a few instan
ces. Later in .he season avalanches
and treacherous crevasses must be
guarded against.
NEW YORK, April 14-"Dr. Cook
will not be much surprised to hear that
the Fairbanks expedition did not
find his records" says Capt. Osbun
They were left there four years ago
and have undoubtedly been buried by
snow or swept away by the winds
The report OF the Fairbanks party
that they found an easy summit corro
borrates DR.. Cooks story of his as
cent. feel more positive than evel
that DR.. Cook not only climbed noun
Mckinley, but also discovered the
North Pole