500 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 52 



that his name should not appear in the pubHshed acknowledgments. 

 The expedition was carried on and its results published under the 

 auspices of the Signal Service of the United States Army, and a 

 detail of Signal Service officers assisted in the observations. The 

 Pennsylvania Railroad provided a private car, w'hich was furnished 

 free transportation to San Francisco by the Pennsylvania, Union 

 Pacific, and Central Pacific railroads. A military escort was pro- 

 vided from San Francisco to Mount Whitney. The expedition 

 traversed the Mojave desert in August on the way to Lone Pine, 

 certainly a novel experience for Easterners. It is unquestionable 

 that the success achieved was due in no small measure to the pres- 

 ence of the late Mr. Keeler, afterwards the discoverer of the nature 

 of the rings of Saturn, and always distinguished for his wonderful 

 skill and resourcefulness in observation, as well as for his charming 

 personality. The traditions of the expedition, including the story of 

 the Dutch oven, the swim in the icy lake, the attendance at the dance, 

 were ever interesting when heard from Keeler's lips. 



Langley found it impracticable to carry his spectro-bolometer to 

 the summit of Mount Whitney, and contented himself with observing 

 at "Mountain Camp," now known as "Langley 's Camp," on the west 

 side of Mount Whitney, at an elevation of 11,700 feet. The results 

 obtained on the expedition were of great value, but, unfortunately, 

 for 25 years they retarded rather than aided the progress of science, 

 because Langley erred in his theoretical construction of them, and 

 set the value of the solar constant at 3.0 calories per square centi- 

 meter per minute rather than 2.1, which his observations give when 

 rightly reduced. On his return to the East he recommended that 

 Mount Whitney be reserved by the Government as a favorable site 

 ■ for a high-altitude observatory, and his recommendations were 

 favorably acted upon. Mount Whitney is now included in the 

 Sequoia National Forest. 



We now pass to the steps wdiich led to the actual occupation of 

 the summit of Mount Whitney for observing purposes. The expe- 

 dition of Langley ascended by a circuitous route from Lone Pine, 

 which occupied several days' time and led by a discouraging series 

 of ups and downs to Mountain Camp. Farther advance by that 

 route with animals was then impossible and is so still. In 1904 the 

 citizens of Lone Pine and vicinit3% under the leadership of Mr. G. F. 

 Marsh, built a trail to the summit of Mount Whitney, directly up 

 Lone Pine Cafion, over a pass at 13400 feet, and thence as high as 

 possible on the west side of the range, over a waste of granite rocks 

 of all sizes, to the very summit of the moimtain. Funds were scanty. 



