MEMOIR OF ANGELO HEILPEIN 529 



1886, was to the Everglades of Florida, as the result of which he showed 

 that the larger part of the peninsula was of Tertiar}^ age and had not 

 been built b}' recent coral activity; the existence of marine Pliocene de- 

 posits in the United States was also made Imown for the first time. As 

 stated by Doctor Leidy, "The well observed facts of the report must 

 greatly modify the opinions which have generally been held in regard to 

 the geological construction of the peninsula of Florida." 



In 1889-1890 he made his first expedition to Mexico, where a study 

 was made of Yucatan and of the Mexican plateau, particularly with 

 reference to the volcanoes and enormous deposits of lavas. In that year 

 he climbed Orizaba, Popocatepetl, Nevada de Toluca, and Ixtaccihuatl, 

 determining their heights and showing Orizaba to be the loftiest moun- 

 tain at that time Icnown in ISTorth America. 



The Peary Eelief Expedition of 1892 was one of the most important 

 imdertakings of Heilprin. The success of this expedition could only 

 have been brought about by skill and bravery of the highest type, both of 

 which qualities the leader of the expedition possessed. His book descrip- 

 tive of this expedition, namely, "The Arctic Problem," is one of the most 

 fascinating narratives in geographic literature. It is so modestly written 

 that the reader hardly grasps the importance of the work and fails to 

 realize that the meeting of Heilprin and Peary on the ice-cap was one of 

 the most dramatic scenes in the history of exploration. Peary has ex- 

 pressed his appreciation in the following words : "My own obligations to 

 and regard for him are particularl}' great. To him more than to any one 

 else is due the activity of this coimtry in arctic and antarctic work during 

 the past fifteen years." 



In 1896 Heilprin made an expedition into Morocco, Algeria, and 

 Tunis. With great skill he made his way among the semi-civilized tribes 

 in pursuit of data which led to the conclusion that the mountains of 

 Morocco and Algeria had not been glaciated during Pleistocene times. 



The year 1898 was spent on an excursion to Alaska, an account of 

 which is given in his volume, "Alaska and the Klondike," which is full of 

 interesting material, much of it of economic value. 



In 1902, when the news of the destruction of Saint Pierre was re- 

 ceived, Heilprin, with characteristic activity and decision, took the first 

 steamer for Martinique, and on March 20 of that year ascended Pelee 

 while it was still in a violent state of eruption. On this day and the 

 days following he was in constant danger, and really took his life in his 

 hands for the sake of studying at first hand the process of volcanic erup- 

 tion. One is reminded of those earlier scientists, Empedocles at Etna, 

 430 B. C, and Pliny at Vesuvius, 79 A. D., both of whom paid for their 



XI.IX— Bull. Geol. Soc. Am,. Vol. 19, 10O7 



