Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-10-05

q notable event, Ill ludt tiio
mountain in way epitomzes the progress OF the
west.
Although Lieut. ZebulCn N. Pike, U. S. A, the
intrepid explorer, first discovered Pixies Peak IN
1906 he never scaled the mountain. saying the
task impossible for human being But Dr.
Edwin James, member of the expedition Oh
Major Long, in 1920 accomplished the feat
Major Long, in honor of James accomplishment
named the peak James Peak" but as early as
1910 trapperS and plairsmen named it Pixies
Peak, and Fremont put it so on the map
In 1878 Bride path built; a wagon
road to the summit built in 1889 and in 1891
the cog wheel railroad, nine miles long, was
built. The weather bureau established station
on the summit. In 1916 the present automobile
road was built at il cost of 100000, after two
wears of construction work. This road is eighteen
miles long. rises G,69J in that distance, has
an average grade Of seven per cent and MAXI
grade of 1O14 per cent. with 40 per cent
of the line in curves. 1t is twenty feet wide with
curves wide fifty feet:
In April, 1919, government war tank at
tempted to climb the peak over the automobile
highway, but broke down in the deep drifts
and did not make second attempt A month
later caterpillar, used for artillery hauling.
made the summit without difficulty. August 3.
1919 an airpane piloted by Alexander Lendrum
of Colorado Springs made successful trip over
the summit of the peak.
This brings date. Now is reforeSt-
ing the lower slopes of the famous peak.
But first word about The first ascent. DIR.
james was only % years old at the time. Starting
from Council Bluffs, the explorers reached what
is Colorado City July u, 1920. July Is he
started with four for the top. The late
Frederick S. DeIlenbaugh member of several
government expeditions in the west. wrote this
of the climb of Dr. james
About they came to the Boiling Spring;
the present well-known spring of Manitou, which
gives name to the stream of which it forms q
source. This beautiful spring Of great inter-
est to james and they had their lunch beside it.
Through its crystal waters could be seen on the
bottom the offerings of beads and trnkets by
the Indians.
''rhe night of the 18TH James and his COM
panons spent in a most uncomfortable place, and
on the next morning started early with the hope
of making the round journey before dark About
noon. the timber line. 1.720 feet. reached
and by 4 O'Clock they stood the mighty sum-
nit, IA 10S feet above the and 5000 feet above
the plains and could see ON the east the prairie
melting into the limtess distance, while
on the other hand spread away broad chaos of
peaks canyons. valleys fading into the depths of
the unknown wilderness. Vast clouds of grass
hoppers were flying over the peak, sometimes so
dense MS almost to obscure the light.
after half an hour on the majestic summit now
reached by proSlic railway, the descent began.
Losing their course they failed to reach the camp
OF the previous niSnt ana were forced 10 sleep
out with no food or shelter comfort of any
kind not after all so awful rs II sounds. As
light came In the morning they continued
and reached their camp. only TO find 1t ablaze
the fire had spread and consumed everything
except few scraps of food, on which they
greetlily breakfasted"
The American Forestry Association of Wash
ington estimates that out of the 160 million odd
acres of national forests there are seven and a
half million acres in need of planting or seeding
10 re,estabsh tree growth, The yearly loss to
the nation in forest products from lands suited
only for the production of timber and now idle is
said to be S65.000000. No large sums have been
specifically appropriated by congress to reforest
the denuded lands within the national forests. SO
that the acreage planted each year has been nom
nal and the work of experimental character. In
picking the areas in the national forests where