150 I. C. Russell — Expedition to Mount St. Elias. 



The noise made by each fragment in its passage through the air 

 increased rapidly in pitch, thus indicating that they were ap- 

 proaching us ; but they always fell short of our camp. The bom- 

 bardment from above was most active just after the shadows fell 

 on the cliffs, showing that the stones were loosened by the freez- 

 ing of the water in the interstices of the rock. 



The next day, August 20, Stamy and Lindsley Went back to 

 Camp 16 for more rations, while Kerr and I remained at Camp 

 18 nursing our eyes and resting. The day passed without any- 

 thing worthy of note, except the almost constant thunder of 

 avalanches on the mountains. About sunset a dense fog spread 

 over the wintry landscape and threatened to delay the return of 

 the men. When the sun went down, however, the temperature 

 fell several degrees, the mist vanished, and a few stars came out 

 clear and bright. Just as we were about to despair of seeing the 

 men that night we heard a distant shout announcing their re- 

 turn. We had a cup of hot coffee for them when they reached 

 the tent, which they drank with eagerness ; but they were too 

 tired to partake of food. Rolling themselves in their l^lankets, 

 they were asleep in a few minutes. 



Camp on the Newton Glacier. 



On August 21 we climbed the cliff above Camp 18 by means 

 of the rope already placed there, and found the snow above 

 greatly crevassed. We traveled upward along the steep slope 

 bordering the glacier, but soon came to a deep crevasse which 

 forbade further progress in that direction. Returning to a lower 

 level, we undertook to smooth off an extremely narrow snow- 

 bridge so as to make it wide enough to cross, but found the 

 undertaking so hazardous that we abandoned it. By this time 

 it was midday, and we prepared a cup of hot coffee before renew- 

 ing our attack on the cliffs. After luncheon and a short rest, 

 feeling very much refreshed, we began to cut a series of steps in 

 a bluff of snow about fifty feet high, and made rapid progress 

 in the undertaking. After an hour's hard work one of us reached 

 the top and, planting an alpenstock deep in the snow, lowered 

 a rope to those below. The packs were drawn up one at a time 

 and we were soon ready to advance again. 



We found ourselves in a vast amphitheatre bounded on all 

 sides excepting that from which we had come with rugged, snow- 



