Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-03-16
TOP or The WORLD
Natures ~skyscraper That Tow
ers High Above All Others.
THE GIANT MOUNT EVEREST.

Wild Country That is Extremely
Difficult to Traverse and Has So Far
Defied tho Surveyors of India.
For many years the East Indian gov
eminent has prohibited any attempt at
the ascent of Mount Everest. As long
ago as 1902 six European Aipinists set
out for India to view the world from
the top of its highest mountain. But
the virgin SHOWS of Everest could not
have cooled their ardor half so rapidly
as did the cold MATER with which the
Indian government soused them. The
mountaineers simply met with a blank
refusal, and the reason of it was per
fcctly obvious and logical.
The nearest approach of a railroad
toward Mount Everest is about 100
miles away. To the north of this rail
road terminal is a succession of par
allel ranges of the Himalayas separat.
ed by deep valleys. 1t is one of the
most difficult countries in the world to
traverse, and no white man has ever
crossed it.
The surveyors of India have never
been nearer than eighty miles from
Mount Everest. Some of the valleys
are peopled by a few wild tribes who
fiercely resent the intrusion of any
strangers. The whole country lies i'll
Nepal, which while still an %independ-
ent state strictly forbade any person to
.n ,,nrtI n,,n,, fhn,o -,o,u4.;,. ,,l
since Nepal came under the suzerainty
of India the prohibition has beer con
tinued, for obvious reasons, by the In.
dian government.
When the ascent of Mount Everest is
finally made it will probably be on the
side of Tibet. whose southern boundary
is not far from the mountain. but by
her agreement with China the Indian
government is bound to keep explorers
from crossing into Tibet from India.
Permission was refused to Sven Hedin
to cross the border ON his last great
expedition, when he finally crossed
from Ladakh.
Some interesting facts about Mount
Everest may not generally be known.
Many persons have wondered how the
determination of the height of Mount
Everest could be so exact that its ele-
walton is fixed at precisely 29,0O2 feet.
In happened in this way: In 1919 and
1850 six trigonomeiGical determinations
of the height of the mountain were OBJ
tanned by the Indian survey at six diff
ferent stations. all south of the noun
tain. The height of 10000 feet AS
signed to Mount Everest was the
mean of the six different values for the
height just obtained.
But the geographical survey of India
informed the world in 1908 that Mount
Everest is higher than it was computed
to be by those six trigonometrical de-
examinations. 1t reported that between
1881 and 1902 six other determinations
made ut five stations, all excepting one
being nearer to the mountain than the
previous surveys. These six new deter.
limitations gave Il mean value of %, 14l
feet after correction for refraction. Ac-
cording. therefore, to our present in
formation. Mount Everest is 139 feet
higher than it was earlier computed
to be.
Why is it. then, that this latest re
suit of the scientific computation of
the height of Mount Everest has not
yet appeared in books and maps? It
is because the Indian survey is not
convinced that the final determination
has been reached. 1t says that the
height, 229,141 feet. is a more reliable
result than 29.0O2 feet. but the more
recent determination is still probably
too small. 1t desires to acquire more
thorough knowledge of the problems
of refraction and of the effects Of devi-
ations of gravity upon trigonometrical
work before announcing the final de
termination of the elevation of the
worlds highest mountain. Meanwhile
it will retain on it's maps the first de
termination of 29.o02 feet.
This decision certainly commended
itself. 1t would be more vexatious than
useful to change the figures now and
then in order to add or subtract a few
feet as the latest determination OF the
mountains height. 1t is better to wait
until refinement Of scientific method
yields the closest approximation pos
sible. This is the suggestion of the In
dian survey, and all map makers have
apparently adopted it..-New York
Times.