G. FL Wright—The Mur Glacier. 17 
where the surface was clear. The sediment. forming over the 
bottom of the bay must resemble the loess of the Missouri and 
Mississippi valleys. 
11. Other Glaciers reaching the Bay. 
Besides the Muir glacier there are four others of large size 
entering the longer inlet to the west, (see fig. 1.) These have 
their origin on the flanks of Mounts Crillon and Fairweather. . 
They have never been studied, but are apparently as accessible 
as the Muir. Professor Muir and Rev. Mr. Young are the only 
well-informed persons who have visited them, and their stay 
was brief. I went about half way up the inlet, on its east side, 
and took some photographs from points where the whole out- 
lines could be seen. I also saw them from the mountains on 
the east side. The general appearance does not differ materi- 
ally from that of the Muir glacier. To complete the study 
one needs a small steam launch, and more ample time and 
preparation than we could command. | 
~ The moisture of the’climate is a serious drawback to investi- 
gations in all that region, though this is very favorable to the 
growth of glaciers. The annual precipitation over southeastern 
Alaska averages from eighty to one hundred inches. The 
average number of days per annum on which rain or snow has 
fallen at Sitka during the last fifty years is 198,-while some 
years it has been as high as 264. Fifteen of the twenty-nine | 
days we were in Glacier Bay (from Aug. 4 to Sept. 2) were so 
rainy as to render observation impossible. The other days 
were however, clear and beautiful beyond description. The 
absence of forests also renders it easy to climb the mountains 
and observe from them. It is to be hoped that other expedi- 
tions better fitted than ours, and prepared to spend a longer time, 
will soon make a more complete study of this now easily 
accessible and most fruitful field for glacial investigation. 
12. Zemperature. 
I append the record of the thermometer from Aug. 20 to 
Aug. 31, giving the mean of three readings each day taken at 8 
A.M.,2 P.M. and 8 P.M. The temperature of the water in 
the upper part of the inlet was uniformly 40° F. 
PSL oa Bie Were AOA PAULO AD Gupte ee aay ga pile O nn be 
TENTS sO AIS 489° F. MACY Oesy Di (ace eee pe me 46°1° F. 
PaO ee i ae ea CNB ys Aue: OS tL) ve aie oN 50°5° F. 
LS SONGS OSE Oa ee arene te 44°6° F. SANDY.) AG) et Ec Net Re 45° F. 
Th SU Os Se lee 49°8° FB, PAIS Oeeneta ate oe le 54°8° FB. 
Lh Sai) Sef aly we a a a he PAN Slee ene pM ha eS 50°5° FB, 
Am. Jour. Sct.—THIRD SERIES, VOL. X XXIII, No. 193.—JANUARY, 1887. 
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