64 T. C. Mcndcnliall — Mcmnt Saint Elias. 



The jjarty was carried to the working ground by the Coast 

 Survey Steamer Hassler, in command of Captain Harber, who 

 personally took great interest in the work and facilitated its 

 successful performance very much, taking a very important 

 part, in fact, in the determination of the difference of longitude 

 between Sitka and the astronomical station at Yakutat bay. In 

 the absence of telegraphic connection with any of these points, 

 a series of chronometric journeys was made between Tacoma, 

 Avhich is near one of the telegraph longitude stations of the great 

 system of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and 

 Sitka, which has been fixed as the base of the longitude work 

 throughout the territory of Alaska. 



Contemporaneously a series of journeys w^as made between 

 Sitka and the astronomical station at Yakutat bay by the Coast 

 Survey Steamer Hassler, and by these two loops the longitude of 

 the stations was connected with that of the telegraphic system 

 of the United States. Time observations at Tacoma and the 

 comparison of chronometers at that point were under the direc- 

 tion of assistant J. F. Pratt. Six complete chronometer tours 

 from Tacoma to Sitka and return were made on board of the 

 Steamer Queen, the chronometers being in charge of Mr. T. D. 

 Davidson, of San Francisco ; this link having also been taken 

 in b}^ the Hassler chronometers on her way to and from the field, 

 seven complete journeys are available between Tacoma and 

 Sitka. Six complete journeys between Sitka and the astronom- 

 ical station at Yakutat bay were made. An astronomical station 

 was established at Sitka under the direction of sub-assistant 

 Fremont Morse, wdio had charge of time-observations and the 

 comparison of both sets of chronometers on reaching that point. 

 Seven chronometers made the journej^s between Tacoma and 

 Sitka, and the same number between Sitka and Yakutat bay. 

 The astronomical station at the latter place was in charge of 

 assistant J. Henry Turner. The connection of this station trig- 

 onometrically with the summit of mount Saint Elias was under 

 the direction of assistant J. E. McGrath. The astronomical sta- 

 tion was on the southern side of Yakutat bay, and the measured 

 base line from which the triangulation was developed w^as on 

 the northern side. The length of this line was a little less than 

 7,000 metres, or about four and a half miles. The scheme of 

 triangulation is shown on the accompanjdng sketch (figure 2). 

 The latitude of the astronomical station was determined by 



