70 /. C. Hussell — Expedition to Mount St. Ellas. 



It will be seen from the account of the exploration carried on 

 last summer that Mount St. Elias is composed of stratified rocks, 

 A^dth no indication of volcanic origin ; and these reports of erup- 

 tion must consequently be considered erroneous. 



The low country between Mount St. Elias and the sea is de- 

 scribed by Tebenkof as a tundra covered with forests and grass ; 

 "through cracks in the gravelly soil, ice could be seen beneath." 

 More recent knowledge shows that this statement also is errone- 

 ous. The adjacent ocean is stated to be shallow, with shelving 

 bottom ; at a distance of half a verst, five to twelve fathoms were 

 obtained, and at two miles from land, thirty to forty fathoms (of 

 seven feet). 



The Pimpluna rocks are said to have been discovered in 1779 

 by the Spanish captain Arteiga. They were also seen in 1794 by 

 the helmsman Talin, in the ship Orel^ and named after his vessel. 

 These observations are interesting, and indicate that possibly 

 there may be submerged moraines in the region where these 

 rocks are reported to exist. 



Many other observations are recorded concerning the moun- 

 tains and the bays in the vicinity of Yakutat. While of interest 

 to navigation and to geographers, these have no immediate con- 

 nection with the region explored during the recent expedition. 



United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1874,* 1889.t 



The surveys carried on in 1874 by the United States Coast 

 Survey on the shores of Alaska embraced the region about 

 Yakutat bay. They were conducted by W. H. Dall and Marcus 

 Baker. Besides the survey of the coast-line, determinations were 

 made of the heights and positions of several mountain peaks 

 between Glacier bay and Cook inlet. Dall's account of this 

 survey contains a brief sketch of previous explorations and a 

 summary of the measurements of the higher peaks of the region. 

 This material has been used on aiiother page in discussing the 

 height of Mount St. Elias. 



Besides the geographic data gathered by the United States 

 Coast Survey, many observations were made on geology and on 

 the glaciers of the region about Yakutat bay and Mount St. 

 Elias. Exception must be taken, in the light of more recent 



* Appendix No. 10, Eeport of the Superintendent of the U."S. Coast Sui-- 

 vey for the year 1875 : Washington, 1878, pp. 157-188. 

 t Pacific Coast Pilot, Alaska, part 1 : A^'ashington, 1883, p. 212. 



