The Daily Alaska empire., 1946-08-17
First American (onquerors Of Mighty St. Elias Recount
 Ayd0urs of Historic Ascent
(Continued from Page Oae)

water" to their chests, returned to the bank opposite the party and helped rig up a rope ferry On this rope the packs and mountain eers were ferried acros-all except the last man who had to untie the rope, use a sled as a sort Of emergency aquaplane and be tow ed across by those on the opposite bank. Although stretching 21 miles the glacial approach to the noun tain only slopes up 5000 feet.
 So heavy was the packing load that a system of relaying had to be devised After reaching camp with one load the packer would re- turn for a new load. As a result, there was little time to rest after a camp had been established. There was always the next site to con- solidate. On the tenth day, exactly as planned, the group arrived at the mountain base. Over them roared a Tenth Rescue Squadron plane (sent out from Anchorage both as a helpful gesture from the Army, and as a drill and test for Army rescue facilities and equipmenD and the initial load of provisions and test material was dropped.
 GUARDIAN ANGEL
 We felt as though the Rescue Squadron was lowering over us like a guardian angel all the way" said one member of the party. They did a magnificent job and their drops were as punctual as clock work"
 One of the biggest surprises of the trip was the discovery of q wide meadow of heather and mil lions of vivid wildflowers near the mountain base. Throughout the heather were marmots and ptarmi- gan. On the day of that discovery the party had it's first fresh meat ptarmigan in stew-since it's de- parture from Yakutat,
 The first camp on the mountain side was made at 7,500 feet; the second at 0,400, the third at 13200 and the fourth and last at 15,300.
 The Rescue Squadron dropped provisions at the second and third camps. Only once did the group fail to signal for the drop on the expected day A heavy storm kept a reconnaissance party" from giv- ing the green light" to the otker members for approximately a week while they waited in a secondary camp. No damage, or real incon- venience, was suffered due to this delay, the climbers said.
 The Army flyers were signaled by a square stamped out in the snow and centered with a yellow tarp. A second and well-received surprise experienced by the party was an unexpected box dropped from the plane during one schedul- ed visit. The box contained four apple pies carefully packed in saw dust. An enclosed note said Pies with the compliments of the Yaku- tat Bakery; sawdust, compliments of local carpenter"
 ON ST. ELIAS DAY
 By coincidence, the expedition reached the summit of Mt. St. Elias on St. Elias Day. On July Is, TAI, Vitus Boring recorded his first sight of the Alaska mainland-or the peak later to be named Mt. St. Elias in honor of the days saint
 It had been 19 days since they left the base of the mountain and exactly a month since they had set out of Yakutat.
 The upward scale from the last camp to the pinnacle of the noun tain had been the most hazardous and exciting of the whole climb. A steep ice and rock ridge just be- low the peak had necessitated careful arrangement of fixed ropes Shoes fitted with crampons were also used on this steep pitch.
 The group spent two hours on the summit, taking pictures and en- toying the clear view of the peaks, which rose above the 9,O00-foot cloud blanket below.
 Tt was nice up there said one young climber.
 JUST MISSED STORM
 The day after beginning the des- cent, the group could no longer see the peak. They assumed that luckily they had just missed heavy storm that was enshrouding the upper reaches of the mountin. Although they came down the mountain amid rain and snowfall, the upward climb had been endow ed with almost perfect weather
 During their historic adventure the party had gathered much data concerning the warmth of Army clothes, the effect of varying alti- tudes on. the pulse rate (they took periodic tests) and other scientific and geographic data.
 It. Ben Ferris, an experienced nountaineer of the Climatic Re- search Bureau of Lawrence, Mass, made the rugged ascent to collect fo+ fo,.