﻿142 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  cording 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  reliable 
  calculations, 
  14,740 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea-level." 
  And 
  

   " 
  at 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  this 
  observation 
  was 
  taken, 
  he 
  was, 
  as 
  near 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  able 
  

   to 
  estimate, 
  between 
  300 
  and 
  400 
  feet 
  lower 
  than 
  the 
  culiniiiatinj^ 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountain, 
  which, 
  must, 
  therefore, 
  somewhat 
  exceed 
  15,000 
  feet 
  in 
  height." 
  

  

  Now, 
  although 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  recollect 
  the 
  exact 
  figures 
  which 
  Mr. 
  King's 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  1871 
  gave 
  for 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  peak 
  which 
  he 
  then 
  measured 
  as 
  Mount 
  

   Whitney, 
  and 
  to 
  whose 
  summit 
  Mr. 
  Belshaw 
  and 
  I 
  rode 
  the 
  other 
  day 
  in 
  the 
  

   saddle, 
  I 
  do 
  recollect, 
  with 
  certainty, 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  these 
  figures 
  were 
  a 
  little 
  

   less 
  than 
  the 
  altitude 
  of 
  the 
  point 
  which 
  he 
  actually 
  reached 
  in 
  1864, 
  when 
  he 
  

   was 
  still, 
  according 
  to 
  his 
  own 
  estimate, 
  " 
  between 
  300 
  and 
  400 
  feet 
  lower 
  than 
  

   the 
  culminating 
  point 
  " 
  of 
  Mount 
  Whitney. 
  

  

  Here, 
  then, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  dii^crepancy 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  300 
  or 
  400 
  feet, 
  and 
  probably 
  

   somewhat 
  more, 
  between 
  Mr. 
  King's 
  barometric 
  results 
  in 
  18G4. 
  and 
  his 
  results 
  

   in 
  1871 
  : 
  a 
  discrepancy 
  hitherto 
  utterly 
  unaccounted 
  for, 
  and, 
  if 
  the 
  two 
  

   peaks 
  were 
  identical, 
  unaccountable, 
  except 
  by 
  supposing 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  errors 
  

   of 
  a 
  magnitude 
  which 
  is, 
  to 
  say 
  the 
  least, 
  extremely 
  improbable, 
  in 
  the 
  whole 
  

   method 
  of 
  computing 
  high 
  altitudes 
  from 
  barometric 
  observations. 
  This 
  

   strange 
  discrepancy 
  vanishes 
  at 
  once, 
  when 
  the 
  fact 
  is 
  recognized 
  that 
  in 
  1864, 
  

   Mr. 
  King 
  was 
  attempting 
  a 
  different 
  and 
  a 
  higher 
  peak 
  than 
  the 
  one 
  he 
  climbed 
  

   in 
  1871. 
  

  

  Moreover, 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  peak 
  and 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country 
  fully 
  justifies 
  

   me 
  in 
  making 
  the 
  statement 
  that 
  neither 
  Mr. 
  King, 
  nor 
  any 
  other 
  good 
  mount- 
  

   ain 
  climber, 
  would 
  ever 
  have 
  reached 
  a 
  point 
  within 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  hundred 
  feet 
  

   of 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  peak 
  which 
  he 
  measured 
  in 
  1871, 
  and 
  then 
  have 
  given 
  it 
  

   up 
  in 
  despair. 
  If 
  he 
  had 
  approached 
  this 
  mountain 
  from 
  anywhere 
  on 
  the 
  

   north 
  or 
  northwest 
  sides, 
  he 
  could 
  never 
  have 
  reached 
  a 
  point 
  so 
  near 
  the 
  

   summit 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  precipices 
  in 
  these 
  directions 
  are 
  tremendous, 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  

   thousand 
  to 
  fitteen 
  hundred 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  crest 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  if 
  he 
  

   had 
  approached 
  it 
  anywhere 
  from 
  W. 
  S. 
  W., 
  around 
  by 
  south 
  to 
  southeast, 
  he 
  

   would 
  have 
  gone 
  directly 
  to 
  the 
  summit 
  with 
  no 
  difficulty 
  whatever 
  ; 
  for 
  in 
  all 
  

   these 
  directions 
  the 
  slopes 
  are 
  comparatively 
  smooth 
  and 
  easy. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  remarks 
  from 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  Report 
  (Geology, 
  vol. 
  I, 
  

   pp. 
  390 
  and 
  391), 
  and 
  for 
  which 
  Mr. 
  King's 
  notes 
  of 
  1864 
  also 
  furnished 
  the 
  

   material, 
  will 
  be 
  sufficient 
  additional 
  proof, 
  I 
  think, 
  of 
  the 
  fact, 
  that 
  the 
  peak 
  

   which 
  for 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years 
  has 
  borne 
  that 
  name, 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  one 
  originally 
  

   named 
  Mount 
  Whitney. 
  

  

  " 
  Mount 
  Whitney 
  is 
  a 
  ridge 
  having 
  somewhat 
  the 
  outline 
  of 
  a 
  helmet, 
  the 
  

   perpeidicular 
  face 
  being 
  turned 
  toward 
  the 
  east. 
  There 
  is 
  snow 
  on 
  its 
  summit, 
  

   which 
  indicates 
  that 
  there 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  flat 
  surface 
  there. 
  The 
  mountain 
  is 
  the 
  

   culminating 
  point 
  of 
  an 
  immense 
  pile 
  of 
  granite, 
  which 
  is 
  cut 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  

   centre 
  by 
  numerous 
  steep 
  and 
  almost 
  vertical 
  canons, 
  ending 
  in 
  high-walled 
  

   amphitheatres. 
  Southward 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  peak, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  sharp 
  needles, 
  

   four 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  over 
  14,000 
  feet 
  high. 
  The 
  general 
  aspect 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  is 
  

   much 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  Mount 
  Tyndall. 
  This 
  mountain 
  has 
  been 
  approached 
  on 
  all 
  

   sides 
  except 
  from 
  the 
  east, 
  and 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  utterly 
  iuaccessible. 
  Mr. 
  King 
  

  

  