Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-06-21
MOUNT M'KlNLEY
SUMMIT REACHED
Archdeacon Stuck Reports He
and Two Comrades Climbed
to the Top.
FL0YD'S FLAGSTAFF SEEN
Cable Tells of Water Boiling at ia
Degrees and Describes the
Feat.

Fairbanks, Alaska. June 21-The
ascent of the highest peak of Mount
Mckinley was accomplished for the
first time June Z.
Archdeacon Hudson Stuck, Episco-
pal missionary for Alaska, accompan.
led by Robert G. Tatum, Harry P.
Karstens and Walter Harper, reached
the top of the south peak of the noun
tain, the highest on the continent.
News of the success of the expedi-
ton was received today by a messen-
ger sent by DR.. Stuck, who is resting
at the base camp. Archdeacon Stuck
expects to return to Fairbanks in
August and will go to New York in
October as delegate for Alaska to the
general convention of the Episcopal
church.
PLANT CROSS ON SUMMIT.
DR.. Stuck and his assistants erected
a six-foot cross on the summit of the
great mountain Observations made
with the mercurial barometer indi-
cate the height of the mountain is
! 20,500 feet
! The expedition expected to reach
/ the summit of Mount Mckinley in
May, but was delayed three weeks in
cutting a passage three miles long
through ice thrown across the ridge
by an earthquake last summer
The upper basin shows evidence of
violent upheaval and the ridges are
| shattered, but the SUBMITS are not
marred.
Archdeacon Stuck confirmed the as.
cent of the north peak by Thomas
Lloyd and three companions in 1910,
being able with field glasses to see
the flagstaff erected by the Lloyd
party.
DIR. STUCK GIVES DETAILS.
Seattle, June PA private cable
gram describing Archdeacon Stuck's
ascent to the summit of Mount Nc
Kinley, sent by the missionary him
self by way of Fairbanks, was receiv
ed today in Seattle. 1t reads.
Expedition successful. Accomplish
ed first complete ascent of Mount Nc
Kinley June 7.
H. !. Karstens, R. G. Tatum, Wal
ter Harper and reached top of south
(the highest) peak on a clear day
when it was possible to read all the
angles of the mountains, other promi
nent points, and make certain thai
the peak we had conquered was the
highest of all.
SAW FLOYD'S FLAGSTAFF.
i We successfully carried a mercur
ial barometer to the top and made
complete readings and observations
which, with simultaneous readings a.
/ Gibben, should permit a close approx
imation Of the true altitude wher
proper corrections are applied. Water
boiled 174.9 degrees.
The present estimate of the sum
mit's height is upward of 20,500 feet
We were able to read angles on al
prominent points. With field glasse!
We clearly saw the iagpole erected
in 1910 by the Thomas Floyd expedi
ton on the north peak (the lower O.
the two main peaks.
After completing observations OF
the summit we hoisted the American
flag on the upper basin, erected a six
foot cross and said 'Te Deum" on the
highest point of North America.
HEWED WAY THREE MILES.
The northeast ridge is the only pos
sible approach to the summit. Dut
to the violent earthquakes of last Jul.
the higher ridges were terribly shat
: tered and this added largely to tn,
danger, difficulty and labor of the as
cent.
: We spent three weeks in continuou
bad weather, hewing a passage thre'
miles long through this side. Thi
was the chief cause of delay, as W,
made rapid progress at all other stage
of the journey.
r The chief credit of our success i
due to Karstens' good judgment, re