Inspection of Pike's Peak in its Winter Season. 191 



and .10 inch in January, 1884. The months of greatest excessive 

 precipitation are April, May and August, with April at the head. 

 It must be noted that on some parts of the Peak the snow does not 

 disappear throughout the year, and thus it is possible to see the accu- 

 mulations of several years in enormous masses, which, from various 

 causes, give rise to destructive " snowslides." 



The lowest temperatures occur in the months from November to 

 March, inclusive, yet April has reported them over 20° below zero. 

 It is interesting to note, in this connection, that the next greatest 

 minimum recorded on the Peak is 37° below zero, and that it occurred 

 in January, 1883, February, 1875, November, 1880, and December, 

 1878. The lowest, 39° below zero, occurred December 21, 1887, and 

 the highest, 64° above zero, on July 19, 1879. "The lowest mean 

 monthly temperature, 1.9° below zero, occurred in January, 1883, 

 and it has fallen to 8.5° below zero in April. It thus appears that 

 April has all of the characteristics necessary to make it a part of the 

 winter period of the Peak, and is especially noted for its great snowfall 

 and accumulated snow, making the ascent of this towering monarch 

 of the Eockies one of great difficulty and danger, in that month of 

 the year. 



On arriving at Colorado Springs I sought comfortable quarters at 

 the famous hostelry, " The Antlers," where from one of the verandas I 

 could observe the great Peak, the extreme upper portion of which was 

 lost to view in the clouds. The grandeur of the scene was most im- 

 pressive, yet it was but a mere suggestion of what was in store for me. 

 The hotel is situated about five miles from the base of the mountains, 

 out from their gigantic size, towering height, and the clearness of the 

 air they appear much nearer, and seem to be hovering over the city, 

 which gives an added impression of immensity. 



At the Signal Office, I found Sergt. Hall, a faithful, competent 

 man, whose five years' service in charge of the base and summit sta- 

 tions far exceeded that of all other observers, in point of time, and 

 made him the most experienced and reliable of the fourteen different 

 men who, at various times, held the position of Observer in Charge. 



was very fortunate in finding such a man to act as mv assistant in 

 conducting the inspection of the stations, and to him I owe, with grati- 

 JJde, the preservation of my life and a safe deliverance from the perils 

 piat surrounded us in our lo mg struggle to reach the summit of the 

 • When 1 made known to the Sergeant that I not only proposed 

 r ° lns P e ct the base station, but the summit also, he was amazed, and 

 eapectfully suggested that the trip would be a very dangerous one, 



