76 _ /. C. Russell — Expedition to Mount St. Ellas. 



Mr. E. S. Hosnier, of Washington, D. C, volunteered his services 

 as general assistant* 



Mr. Kerr left Washington on May 24 for San Francisco, where 

 he made arrangements for his special work, and reported to me 

 at Seattle on June 15. I left Washington on May 25 and went 

 directly to Seattle, where the necessary preparations for explor- 

 ing an unknown and isolated region were made. 



From the large number of frontiersmen and sailors who applied 

 for positions on the expedition, seven men were selected as 

 camp hands. The foreman of this force was J. H. Christie, of 

 Seattle, who had spent the previous winter in charge of an ex- 

 pedition in the Olympian mountains, and was well versed in all 

 that pertains to frontier life. The other camp hands were J. H. 

 Crumback, L. S. Doney, AV. Jj. Linclsley, William Partridge, 

 Thomas Stamy, and Thomas White. 



The individual members of the party will be mentioned fre- 

 quently during this narrative ; but I wish to state at the begin- 

 ning that very much of the success of the enterprise was due to 

 the hard and faithful work of the camp hands, to each one of 

 Avhom I feel personally indebted. 



Tavo dogs, " Bud " and " Tweed," belonging to Mr. Christie, 

 also became members of the expedition. 



All camp supplies, including tents, blankets, rations, etc., were 

 purchased at Seattle. Rations for ten men for one hundred days, 

 on the basis of the subsistence furnished by the United States 

 Geological Survey, were purchased and suitably packed for 

 transportation in a humid climate. Twenty-five tin cans were 

 obtained, each measuring 6 x 12 x 14 inches, and in each a mixed 

 ration sufficient for one man for fifteen days was packed and 

 hermetically sealed. These rations, thus secured against moisture 

 and in convenient shape for carrying on the back (or " packing "), 

 were for use above the timber line, where cooking was possible 

 only by means of oil stoves. The remainder of the supplies, 

 intended for use where fuel for camp-fires could be obtained, 

 were secured either in tin cans or'in canvas sacks. 



For cooking above timber line, two double-wick oil stoves were 

 provided, the usual cast-iron bases being replaced b}^ smaller 

 reservoirs of tin, in order to avoid unnecessary weight. Coal oil 

 was carried in five-gallon cans, but a few rectangular cans hold- 



* Copies of all instructions governing the work of the expedition are 

 given in Appendix A. 



