THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS 21 



as follows: Alt Alarcy, 5344; Mt Mclntyre, 51 12; Mt Skylight, 

 4920; Mt Haystack, 4918; Mt Whiteface, 4872; Dix mountain, 

 4842; The Gothics, 4738; Mt Golden, 4713; Giant mountain, 4622; 

 Santanoni mountain, 4621; Nipple top, 4620; Mt Redfield, 4606; 

 Saddleback mountain, 4530 ; Armstrong mountain, 4455 ; Panther 

 peak, 4443 ; Table Top mountain, 4440 ; McComb mountain, 4425 ; 

 and Seward mountain, 4440. All these high peaks, except Seward 

 mountain, are in the northwestern half of Essex county and con- 

 lined to an area of five or six hundred square miles. These are 

 the loftiest mountains in eastern North America except the Blue 

 ridge of North Carolina and the White mountains of New Hamp- 

 shire. " The individual mountains are diversified in shape. Mt 

 Marcy is a very low cone, and the last stages of its ascent are very 

 much like climbing a dome. Alt Mclntyre has a gradual slope from 

 the northwest, but a precipitous escarpment on the southeast. The 

 Gothics are like a steep wedge standing on its base, and tapering 

 from all four sides of the base to the ridge. Whiteface is a long 

 sharp ridge, steep if not actually precipitous on each side, and 

 leading up to a peak at the southwestern end. Some buttresses 

 run out from the ridge and make beautiful cirques on its flanks. 

 Hurricane, when viewed from the east, resembles a sharp volcanic 

 cone : from the west it is flat. There are several, of which Dix is 

 the highest example, which, like Vesuvius, have a small conical 

 summit set upon a large mountainous base. Nipple top is a rather 

 favorite name in the local nomenclature of the inhabitants. There 

 are several smaller mountains which have the outlines of a steep 

 haystack when viewed from certain directions, and their precipi- 

 tous sides and doming tops fix the eye at once. Yet they may each 

 be a ridge when seen from the opposite."^ 



Next to the highest mountain district is the northern half of 

 Hamilton countv where many points reach altitudes above 3500 

 feet, though none quite reach 4000 feet. Some of the highest of 

 these from north to south are: Fishing Brook mountain, 3550; 

 Dun Brook mountain, 3565 : Blue mountain, 3759 ; Wakeley moun- 

 tain, 3617; Panther mountain, 3865: Snowy mountain, 3903; Little 

 Aloose mountain, 3630; Lewey mountain. 3740; and Blue Ridge 

 mountain, 3865. 



What has been termed the main axis of elevation, including the 

 highest points, through the Adirondacks runs south along the 

 Franklin-Clinton countv boundary and to the vicinity of Mt Alarcy ; 



1 T. F. Kemp. Popular Science INIonthly. Alarch 1906, p. 197-99- 



