ASCENTS IN THE HIMALAYAS 



245 



mosque; at mahun, persia 



to seriously affect ship's compasses a 

 mile away. Did the mariner not know 

 of them or not allow for their effect while 

 passing them during the night or in fog, 

 his vessel would surely go ashore. 



It is a port of the zvork of a "magnetic 

 survey of the earth" to locate the areas 

 of local magnetic attraction and to make 

 kiioicn their effect for the guidance of 

 the mariner. 



THE DUKE OF THE ABRUZZI IN 

 THE HIMALAYAS 



IN recent addresses to the Alpine Club 

 at Turin, and to the Royal Geograph- 

 ical Society of Rome, the Duke of the 

 Abruzzi spoke on his Himalayan explo- 

 rations of 1909. May and June were 

 passed in unsuccessful efforts to ascend 

 the huge pyramidical mountain known as 

 K-. From the base camp at Rdokass, 

 near the center of the Baltero glacier, 

 an advance bivouac was made at the foot 

 of the southern wall of K-. Unavailing 

 •efforts were made to locate practicable 



trails on the east and west sides, but 

 everywhere were either very steep ridges 

 of loose, broken rock or sheer precipices 

 and impassable glaciers. 



However, the Duke attem])ted an as- 

 cent up the east-southeast ridge, where 

 the conditions were so difficult and dan- 

 gerous as to cause him to turn back at 

 an altitude of about 16,000 feet. A 

 second unsuccessful attempt was made 

 on the west flank. The upper basin of 

 the Austen-Goodwin glacier was sur- 

 veyed, and the Duke was enabled to get 

 views of the north side of K- and of the 

 hitherto unknown district to the east. 



In July efforts were made to ascend 

 Brides Peak, on whose flank a base camp 

 was established on the Chogolisa saddle. 



The Duke passed three weeks at an 

 altitude exceeding 21,000 feet, and made 

 two attempts under conditions of great 

 discomfort and considerable danger, ow- 

 ing to the monsoon weather, which 

 brought heavy snow and dense clouds. 

 Reaching 24,000 feet in one attempt, he 



