THE GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY'S ALASKAN EXPEDITION 



THE LOWER PORTION OF THE HUBBARD GLACIER, WITH THREE GLACIERS OF THE 

 SWISS ALPS SUPERIMPOSED UPON IT 



All four glaciers are drawn upon the same scale, those from Switzerland being shown 

 from the snowtields to the end of the ice tongue. The contrast of width and length of these 

 glaciers in Switzerland and in Alaska is notable. 



'Zoological Park, can appreciate this dis- 

 tance across Columbia glacier (see p. lo). 



The Malaspina glacier, however, fed by 

 Agassiz, Seward, Alarvine, and other val- 

 ley glaciers which rival or exceed the 

 Hubbard and Columbia in size, is so large 

 that the whole State of Rhode Island 

 could be laid out upon its 1,500 square 

 miles of surface, or all of eastern iVIassa- 

 chusetts. On the accompanying map it 

 may be seen that if Boston were located 

 in the eastern part of the Malas]:)ina gla- 

 cier the cities of Worcester and Gardner, 

 in central Massachusetts, would be near 

 the west edge (see page 9). 



It was with ice masses varying in mag- 

 nitude from that of Malaspina, Hubbard, 

 and Columbia glaciers to the almost in- 

 numerable minor ice tongues that the 



investigations of the National Geographic 

 Society's Alaskan expedition of 1909 

 dealt. ' 



INCIDENTS OF A DAY 



The day's work in Alaskan glacier 

 study naturally introduces a variety of 

 incidents, with the whole party some- 

 times united and sometimes divided ; one 

 group engaged in observation of the ice 

 tongues, another in making topographic 

 maps, a third in sounding in the fiord, 

 etc. The day may start as early as half 

 past four, and, in one case, began an hour 

 earlier, because the Japanese cook made 

 a mistake. Breakfast is eaten, apparatus 

 and lunches are packed, and the start is 

 made. It is light for twenty to twenty- 

 four hours, so the start and return can 

 be made at convenience. 



