Show b iceland the highest mountain fai iceland waa ascended last summer for the first tima the successful mountaineer was mr F W W howell who was encouraged when he started for iceland by information from the royal geographical society that the difficulties in the way of climbing the jokull were supposed to be insuperable the mountain is near the southeast coast and ia an imposing eight from the sea mr howell made an attempt in 1890 to climb the mountain but was defeated by the weather on aug 17 last he left sandfer Sand feU a little settlement on the coast near the base of the mountain at 4 a m when of course it was broad daylight in that latitude he was accompanied by two Ic elanders as porters he struck the snow slopes at 10 a m and it took him nine hours and a half to reach the top of the mountain whose sides are quite steep and covered with ice and snow though this mountain is the highest tn iceland its elevation was found by mr howell to be only feet bet owing to the latitude the phenomena of the snow slopes compare most favorably with those of mountains feet high in switzerland mr howell baya the icicle galleries in the upper crevasses cre are particularly fine this is undoubtedly one of the most successful feats of mountain climbing of the year for the mountain presents as many difficulties as any of the alps with two or three it is comparatively basy to ascend mount hecla and the climb ia made every in a while by one or more tourists new york sun |