Mountains Grow Up. (Mar, 1947)

Mountains Grow Up

Thanks to a supersensitive altimeter, many of Colorado’s mountains are getting their heights lifted. Mt. Grizzly, for example, formerly rated at 13,000 plus, is now figured at 14,004 feet. And, Mt. Harvard’s gain of 18 feet—to 14,417—is just enough to slip it into fourth place among U. S. peaks.

The altimeter is shown above with a mountaineering party from the University of Colorado. Made by Wallace & Tiernan,
the 2/2-lb. instrument is sensitive to one part in 8,000, accurate to one in 1,000. An evacuated capsule of beryllium copper gauges air pressure, and an almost friction-less mechanism records it on a dial.