Coif)iparison of Saint Elias and Orizaba. 67 



Aug. 1, 1892 S.° 20^ 53.(3^^ 



" 11, " 87° 20^ 52.0^' 



" 17, " 87° 20' 50.8^^ 



" 18, " 87° 20'' 41. 2'^ 



Mean of 14 days 87° 20' 50. 2'' 



It will be seen that in the total fourteen daj'S of observation 

 the range of variability in vertical angles amounted to but 28", 

 indicating remarkable steadiness in atmospheric conditions. 



The observations for height at other stations, although less 

 numerous, are extremely satisfactory. The great uniformit}^ 

 of the final results for the height of the mountain as computed 

 from observations at the five different stations is exhibited in 

 the folloAving table. The remarkably close agreement of these 

 figures is satisfactory evidence that this determination of the 

 height of the mountain is such as to leave little to be desired. 



SUJIMARY OF HEIGHT AND POSITION. 



Mount Saint Elias from — 



North base 18,014 feet. 



South base ' 18,012 " 



Mount Hoorts 18,017 '' 



Ocean cape 18,012 " 



Astronomical station , 18,000 " 



Height, adopted mean 18;010 " 



Latitude .- 60° 17' 35" 



Longitude 140° 55' 21.5" 



It is interesting to note that in the light of the information of 

 the last year or two, it can no longer be claimed that mount 

 Saint Elias is the highest peak upon the continent. This dis- 

 tinction seems to belong to mount Orizaba, in Mexico, which 

 has recently been measured by means of railroad levels and 

 trigonometrically by Dr J. T. Scoville, of Terre Haute, Indiana. 

 The height of this mountain, as obtained by Dr Scoville, is 

 18,314 feet. The character of the observations is such that it 

 does not seem likely that this result will be found to be very 

 many feet in error. It therefore appears to be entirely safe to 

 say that Orizaba is the highest peak in North America, and that 

 its altitude exceeds by two or three hundred feet that of mount 

 Saint Elias. A detailed report on the latter mountain, to- 

 gether with the results of revised and complete calculations, 

 will be published in due time. 



10— Nat. Geog. M.4.G , vol. V, 1893. 



