An Expedition to Mount St. Elias, AlaskaRussell, Israel C. (Cook)
History
An Expedition to Mount St. Elias, Alaska
Russell, Israel C. (Cook)
Alaska -- Description and travel; Saint Elias, Mount (Alaska and Yukon)
We left Rope cliff about six in the morning, and found the snow hard
and traveling easy for several hours. After descending the lower
ice-fall, however, the snow became soft, and a change in the
atmosphere indicated the approach of another storm. Kerr and Doney
pressed on and were soon lost to sight, while the rest of the party
were delayed, owing to Partridge having become snow-blind and almost
helpless. As the crevasses were exceedingly numerous and the
snow-bridges soft and uncertain, the task of conducting a blind man to
a place of safety was by no means light. Partridge bore up bravely
under his affliction, however, and did not hesitate in crawling across
the treacherous snow-bridges with a rope fastened about his body and a
man before and behind to assist his movements. Late in the day we
reached our camping place at the eastern border of the Agassiz
glacier, while Kerr and Doney crossed Dome pass and spent the night in
a tent that had been left standing at the first camping east of the
pass. We pitched a tent on our old camping place at Camp 16, and had
the luxury of a rocky bed to sleep on that night. As Partridge's
blindness still continued, White was sent ahead to tell Kerr and Doney
to wait for us in the morning, so that Partridge could accompany them
to Blossom island. Rain continued all that night and all the next day.
As Partridge's eyes were still unserviceable in the morning, I
concluded to wait a day before allowing him to start for Blossom
island.
Toward evening on September 2 we moved our camp across {160} Dome
pass, and pitched our tent on the high ridge beside the one occupied
by Kerr and Doney. In the morning, although the storm still continued,
our party divided, Kerr, Doney, and Partridge starting early for
Blossom island, while Stamy, White, and myself, after following their
tracks for a few miles, turned to the left and worked our way
northeastward among the crevasses of the Seward glacier. Toward
evening we reached the northwestern spur of Mount Owen, but found the
cliffs rising abruptly from the glacier and too favorable for
avalanches to admit of our camping near them. Again we were forced to
go into camp on the open glacier, and were less comfortable than
previously on similar occasions, owing to the fact that we had been
exposed to the rains for three successive days and our blankets and
clothes were wet. Rain continued all night and all the next day, and
on the following night changed to snow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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