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ALASKA GLACIERS 



and the Muir, at least, has not yet, after the lapse of three 

 years, resumed its normal habit. Just what changes were 

 made we do not know, because ordinary sources of infor- 

 mation have been cut off and no student of glaciers has 

 yet made an investigation. 



On July 29, 1900, O. H. Tittmann, Commissioner for 

 the United States on the International Boundary, visited 

 Glacier Bay on the tourist steamer ' Queen.' In the lower 

 part of the bay the main channel was so obstructed by 

 floating ice that the commander of the vessel sought for 

 an easier passage west of Willoughby Island, and finally 

 desisted from the attempt to approach the glacier when 

 opposite the mouth of Muir Inlet. Looking ahead it ap- 

 peared to Tittmann that the whole of Muir Inlet was occu- 

 pied by an ice pack, the ice being probably grounded and 

 stationary. Instead of being able to steam as usual to the 

 very front of the glacier, the vessel was turned back at a 

 point about ten miles distant. In the summer of 1901 

 tourist steamers were stopped by the pack at distances from 

 the glacier ranging from five or six to eight or ten miles. 

 In December of the same year a special trip was made by 

 the ' City of Topeka,' for the purpose of forecasting the 

 accessibility of the glacier for the excursion season of 

 1902. The way was then found comparatively open, and 

 the steamer approached within about a mile of the gla- 

 cier; but in the following summer the nearest approach 

 was to a point five or six miles distant. 



These facts seem to show that the earthquake shock, or 

 shocks, not only set free a great quantity of ice, including 

 bergs of unusual size, but left the glacier in such condi- 

 tion that bergs were more easily detached in subsequent 

 years. The determination of the nature of that condition 

 will be of much interest to students of the physics of 

 glaciers. Joint systems in rock have been plausibly as- 

 cribed to the passage of earthquake waves, and it is easy 



