An interesting account of this expedition appeared in Seton-Karr's book, "The Shores and Alps of Alaska." Many observations on the glaciers and moraines of the region explored are recorded in this work. The map published with it has been used in compiling the western portion of the map forming plate 8, where the route of the expedition is indicated. Another account, especially valuable for its records of scientific observations, by Professor Libbey, was published by the American Geographic Society. The Guyot, Agassiz and Tyndall glaciers, the Chaix hills, and Lake Castani received their names during this expedition.
Lieutenant Schwatka's graphic and entertaining account of this expedition, published in The Century Magazine for April, 1891, gives many details of the exploration and illustrates many of the characteristic features of southern Alaska.
TOPHAM EXPEDITION, 1888.
An expedition conducted by Messrs. W. H. and Edwin Topham, of London, George Broka, of Brussels, and William Williams, of New York, was made in 1888. Like the Times expedition, it had for its main object the ascent of Mount St. Elias.
Icy bay was reached, by means of canoes from Yakutat bay, on July 13, and an inland journey was made northward which covered a large part of the area traversed by the previous expedition. The highest elevation reached, according to aneroid barometer and boiling-point measurements, was 11,460 feet. This was on the southern side of St. Elias.
The only accounts of this expedition which have come to my notice are an interesting article by William Williams in Scribner's Magazine,21 and a more detailed report by H. W. Topham, accompanied by a map22 and by a fine illustration of Mount St. Elias, in the Alpine Journal.23
21 New York, April, 1889, pp. 387–403.
22 Topham's map was used in compiling the western portion of the map forming plate 8, and his route is there indicated.
23 London, August, 1889, pp. 245–371.
This brief review of explorations carried on in the St. Elias region previous to the expedition sent out in 1890 by the National Geographic Society is incomplete in many particulars,24 but will indicate the most promising sources of information concerning the country described in the following pages.