Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-03-25
WOMAN CONoUERs HIGH PEAK
Suffrage Pennant Unfurled on Crest
of Corunpuna, Four Miles
Abage Sea.

Miss Annie E. Peck, conqueror Of alti-
tudes, Is back from South America after
having unfurled and planted the yellow
pennsnt Of the Joan OF Arc Suffrage
league Of New York on one Of the five
Icy SUBMITS of corunpuna In southern
Peru, estimated to tower 22,5oo feet above
sea level.
Miss Peck said she left New York on
June for Colon and went thence across
the Isthmus OF Panama to Peru. Her
chief object was to scale Corunpuna, sup
posed at one time to be the highest noun
tain in South America, but really lacking
that distinction by several hundred feet.
Miss Peck was accompanied by Ger
man mountain guide, Carl volkman. and.
as she said gentleman OF Peru and
four half-breed Peruvisns." She left the
little village Of viraco for the mountain
peaks on Monday. She said she could not
remember the exact date, as she had all
her notes locked up In her trunk. but
that Il was some time before Prof Hiram
Bingham OF Yale made the ascent OF the
mountain in October last.
II am q cautious climber" Miss Peck
said, land I did not hurry toward my
goal. knowing the folly OF haste. had
trouble with the hsif-breed guides, who
are very superstitious.
After we had got well above the snow
line. which We reached on the second day,
they began to talk about turning back.
exhorted them not 10 leave me, appeal
ing to their vanity and telling them that
the glory would be theirs II they took
me TO the summit. They talked about
the tradition that men going above a GER
tain altitude on the mountain would be
turned to stone. ami even II this did not
happen, which ! assured them was i'm
possible. as had been above that height
on South American mountains with ma
tives who never had been petrified. they
might be gobbled up by a monster at the
top Of the mountain. told them It was
impossible for me to make the summit
without their help and that / was de-
pending on them. Then they gathered
themselves together brsvely and we went
on
THE perils Of the ascent were less than
those i encountered on Mount Huas-
caran. The half-breeds said / was the
first person they had ever heard Of who
, had make an effort to reach the top. I
should say the tops. for there are five
peaks Of about equal height, Of Corun-
puma. / wore no woollen mask, as / aid
on Huascaran. as the winds were less
bitter. ] merely had a silk cloth over nv
face. The frozen snow, glaeier-like, was
about 100 feet deep.
We went up the west side of the range
and came down by the east side. I took
hysometer to determine the altitude.
Nobody In the village from which we
went knew Corunpunas altitude above
the sea. so il was difficult for me TO
determine exactly the height OF the peak
we reached, but Il was more than 2.oo
feet above sea level. The barometers Of
Prof. Bingham showed a height Of 2 800
We were one week reaching the summit
and spent two nights above an altitude
Of 5000 feet.
II am sdfe the mountains are Of voI,
csnle formation, as / smelled sulphur
strongly on the summit. which We reached
on Sunday, having spent one week on IN.
trip up. placed the suffrage flag on the
highest point II is, or was. only thr.a
feet long. would have taken a much
larger flag. but in mountain cliuhtpr
the less impediments you have the be,,s-
you get along. New York Sun.