54 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



In view of the promise which this field 

 of research holds forth, and of. the con- 

 siderations just stated, the authors have 

 ■set themselves the task of outlining what 

 ■seems to them a desirable program for 

 the study of Alaskan glacial phenomena, 

 so as to bring forth the results which 

 :seem to them most important, as follows : 

 (i) Annually for several years a brief 

 visit to Yakutat Bay, perhaps combined 

 with a further study of IMalaspina glacier 

 if the advance of its tributaries permit 

 travel over it. a study of the large gla- 

 ciers of the Alsek valley, the Fairweather 

 coast, etc.; (2) a more detailed study of 

 the glaciers of Prince William Sound 

 and the lower Copper River Valley; (3) 



the glaciers of the Inside Passage from 

 the Canadian boundary to Cross Sound 

 and the Muir Inlet; (4) the Controller 

 Bay region, and the great piedmont Ber- 

 ing glacier; (5) the glaciers on the north 

 side of the Saint Elias Range and in the 

 Mount Wrangell region; (6) glaciers and 

 glaciation in the great Alaska Range, the 

 Endicott (Rocky) Mountains, the Alaska 

 Peninsula, etc. If such work could be 

 carried on consecutively, as part of a 

 matured plan, the highest results for 

 comparative purposes would be secured ; 

 it would be a notable contribution to sci- 

 ence if the National Geographic Society 

 should undertake an investigation of this 

 scope. 



PHOTOGRAPHY IN GLACIAL ALASKA 



By O. D. von Engeln 



Photographer of thk Nationai. Gkographic Society's Ai^askan Ex- 

 pedition OP 1909 



A LMOST every subject of geographic 

 f\ interest has one or more phases of 

 / \ which photographic records can be 

 tmade. It may therefore be inferred that 

 a large number of the readers of the 

 National, Geographic Magazine; are 

 photographers, and that many of them 

 are engaged in the fascinating task of 

 •carrying the camera into the remote 

 places of the earth, as the pages of the 

 Magazine itself testify. 



The opportunity to focus a lens on 

 scenes hitherto unpictured is compensa- 

 tion in itself, but an equal interest in such 

 work lies in the difficulties which must 

 inevitably be encountered and overcome 

 when working with the camera away 

 from the conventional dark-room, with 

 its electric ruby-light and other conveni- 

 ences. To "bring out" a collection of 

 ■good negatives under such conditions be- 

 comes a worth-while task, and one which 

 is in few places more difficult, probably, 

 than in glacial Alaska, especially from 

 that part of this region which is its focal 

 point — the coast along the center of the 

 great Gulf of Alaska. 



It has been the privilege of the writer 

 to do the photographic work of two ex- 

 peditions to this region — that of the 

 National Geographic Society's party of 

 the past summer, and, in 1906, with a 

 United States Geological Survey party. 

 The following paragraphs have been 

 written in the belief that the experiences 

 recorded may be of interest and value to 

 others who are engaged in similar work. 



The photographer on a trip to Alaska 

 will find subjects for his camera on the 

 first morning after the sailing from 

 Seattle in the personnel of the passen- 

 gers. It must be understood that this 

 does not apply so particularly to the ex- 

 cursion steamers, which carry tourists to 

 the interesting points along the Inside 

 Passage, but refers more especially to the 

 boats which carry both passengers and 

 freight to the mining towns and fishing 

 stations scattered along the southeastern 

 and southwestern Alaskan coast, with 

 longer stops at the coast terminals of im- 

 portant routes to the interior mining 

 fields. The second-class passengers on 

 such a steamer are in the main typical 



