o 
304 National Geographic Magazine. 
and before the season closed, sufficient material was gathered to: 
make a fairly good map of an area of about 1000 square miles. 
The topographic work having been well started and a base 
camp established, the party took up the line of march toward Mt. 
St. Elias. On the first of August they found themselves midway 
between Yakutat Bay and St. Elias, but still at the base of the 
mountains. Most of the way to this point the journey had been 
made over crevassed ice. The party continued to push on, and 
after twenty days of very severe labor above the snow line 
reached and camped at the base of St. Elias. Krom this camp, 
at an elevation of about 9,000 feet, the party started at 3 o’clock 
in the morning for the final climb to the summit of the moun- 
tain, but were beaten back by a prolonged and severe storm with 
heavy fall of snow. ‘Two days later a second attempt was made, 
but another snow storm broke over the mountains as suddenly as. 
the first. The deep snow accumulated by these two storms. 
prevented all further progress, and the party reluctantly turned 
back. They continued to travel about in the region, while 
wending their way slowly back to Yakutat, gathering inter-- 
esting and valuable geographic and geologic data. On the 20th 
of September they arrived at Yakutat Bay, having had almost 
continuous stormy weather since the attempted climb of the 
mountain. ‘T'wo days after their arrival at Yakutat the U. S. 
Revenue Cutter Corwin, Capt. C. L. Hooper commanding, was- 
seen steaming up the bay. Acting on his own judgment, and 
knowing that the explorers would fare badly if left at Yakutat 
until winter set in, Capt. Hooper had come from Sitka especially 
for the party, which was taken on board Sept. 24, and conveyed 
directly to Port Townsend, Washington, where it arrived Octo- 
ber 2 and disbanded, Messrs. Russell and Kerr returning to 
Washington. 
Various newspaper accounts of this expedition have been pub- 
lished, as well as articles in several magazines, notably in Serib- 
ner’s, and the Century. The full official report with map and 
illustrations will be published hereafter in the National Geo- 
graphic Magazine. 
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