380 



GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY. 



industries, but there is still an immense field 

 for enterprise in mining and metal manufac- 

 turing industries. 



Count L. dal Verme gives an account of an 

 excursion to the new crater of Mount Etna, 

 which made its appearance during the recent 

 eruption. It has been named Monte Gemmel- 

 laro, in honor of the distinguished geologist of 

 Catania. It lies 300 metres below Monte Nero, 

 1,500 metres above the sea-level, and may be 

 approached without much risk from the side of 

 Mcolosi. The cone appears to rise 140 metres 

 above the old level, and has a diameter of 

 about 200 and a depth of about 40 metres, 

 showing at the bottom two openings three or 

 four metres wide, ejecting a little vapor at 

 short intervals, accompanied by a slight rum- 

 bling noise. There was a third of about ten 

 metres in diameter. Its depth could not 

 be determined, on account of the continuous 

 stream of vapor rising from it. During the 

 eruption Monte Gernmellaro ejected about 

 66,000,000 cubic metres of volcanic matter, 

 covering a space of about five and a half 

 square kilometres on the side of the mountain, 

 and approaching close to the village of Nico- 

 losi, the inhabitants of which suffered losses in 

 their vineyards, but no lives were lost. 



North America. The opinion is rapidly spread- 

 ing that the United States has in Alaska a 

 valuable possession hitherto unappreciated, and 

 one whose resources will repay development. 

 It has been regarded as of value chiefly for its 

 yield of furs; but it is now believed that the 

 mineral wealth of the country will prove to be 

 great. An expedition was sent out in 1885, in 

 charge of Lieut. George M. Stoney, to explore 

 that part of Alaska lying north of the Yukon. 

 A fort, called Fort Cosmos, was built on the 

 Putnam river, and many trips were made 

 during the winter of 1885-'86 over regions 

 hitherto unvisited by white men. The lowest 

 temperature at the fort was 70 below zero. 

 In July a party from the expedition reached 

 the Arctic Ocean ten miles east of Point Bar- 

 row, by way of a large river supposed to be 

 the Meade river of Lieut. Ray. They were 

 for several days on the Colville river, and 

 reached its head-waters. Large lakes were 

 found scattered all through Arctic Alaska. 

 Following is an extract from an account by 

 Assistant-Engineer Lane : 



On June 1 the breaking up of the ice in the river 

 enabled all of the party to pass down to its mouth. 

 The explorers gained many new facts of particular 

 value to geographers. Prof.'Baird, of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, had been particularly anxious that the 

 party should explore Jade mountain, or Greenstone 

 mountain, as the natives call it, out of which they ob- 

 tain the greenstone used in making hatchets and 

 other instruments. Engineer Lane and a party visited 

 the mountain. It is 200 miles above the Putnam river 

 and is about 3,000 feet high. Thr greenstone, as it is 

 called, is more correctly a serpentine, and is found 

 in layers of considerable thickness. The Eskimo 

 Indians of that region are polygamists. No valuable 

 minerals were discovered. Coal was found in abun- 

 dance on the Putnam river and of good quality. Gran- 



ite exists in large quantities, and some asbestus was 

 found. No gold or silver was found, and as the 

 Indians had none in their possession and never men- 

 tioned those metals, the explorers came to the conclu- 

 sion that it is doubtful whether they exist in large 

 quantities in that part of Alaska. 



Putnam river is about 400 miles long and half a mile 

 wide, and is navigable for a distance of 350 miles, at 

 which point rapids are encountered. It drains the 

 large area of the Putnam valley, which is thirty miles 

 wide. The volume of water that flows down is im- 

 mense. The river is bordered by a range of mount- 

 ains about 3,000 feet high, the highest peak of which 

 is 4,000 feet high. There is a dense growth of spruce 

 and birch along the banks. This stream is several 

 hundred miles above the Yukon river, and flows west 

 into Kotzebue Sound. 



Noatoak river is 120 miles north of the Putnam, 

 and separated from it by a range of mountains. It is 

 shallow and rocky, and flows west. There is very 

 little vegetation along its banks. It is about 400 miles 

 long and flows into Kotzebue Sound. 



South of the Putnam about three miles is Selewik 

 Lake. It is twenty miles in diameter, and very deep. 

 The Selewik river is 200 miles long, and flows west. 

 It is divided into two branches and flows into the 

 lake. North of the Noatoak river is a wide desert 

 plain extending for 150 miles and interpolated with 

 many large and small streams. It extends clear to 

 the Arctic Ocean. The soil is very poor, and never 

 thaws but to a depth of a few inches, and aside from 

 possible deposits of gold and silver and the fur-trade, 

 the country is not of any practical value to white men. 



Another expedition to Alaska was sent out 

 by the u New York Times," with Lieut. 

 Frederick Schwatka as leader. Prof. William 

 Libbey, of Princeton College, accompanied 

 Lieut. Schwatka for the purpose of making 

 scientific observations. There were twelve 

 attendants, including some Indians, The ob- 

 jective point of the journey was Mount St. 

 Elias, which it was proposed to ascend. The 

 expedition was left at Icy Bay, directly south 

 of the mountain, on July 17, and the explora- 

 tion of the mountain-region began two days 

 later. On July 24, the 'scaling-party, Lieut. 

 Schwatka and Messrs. Wood and Carr, began 

 the ascent. They reached an altitude of 7,200 

 feet above the level of the sea, but found that 

 further progress was impossible, at least from 

 the southern side. Three great peaks, from 

 8,000 to 12,000 feet high, were named Cleve- 

 land, Whitney, and Nichols, the last in honor 

 of the commander of the vessel on which the 

 party reached Alaska. A large river flowing 

 into Icy Bay received the name of Jones river, 

 in honor of the proprietor of the "Times," 

 while the range of hills below was named for 

 Prof. Paul Chaix, of the Geneva Geographical 

 Society. Three immense glaciers received the 

 names of Agassiz, Tyndall, and Guyot, and a 

 large lake, lying eastward from Icy Bay, and 

 filled with icebergs, was called Castina Lake, 

 in honor of the President of the Italian Geo- 

 graphical Society. Much doubt has been 

 thrown on the claim of Lieut. Schwatka to 

 be the original explorer of this part of 

 Alaska. A map issued by W. H. Dall in 1870 

 shows a river flowing into Icy Bay, but with- 

 out any name. It also appears on one of the 

 charts of the United States Hydrographic Sur- 



