Peck's Letter to Bryant Requesting Information

Peck's Letter to Bryant Requesting Information

Handwritten letter from Annie Peck to Henry G. Bryant on letterhead of the Clarendon Hotel in New York. The letter is dated January 4, 1909. In the letter, Peck requests information about the number of AAC members present at the meeting of the club when a resolution was passed regarding the height of Mt. Huascaran and the names of those present. She also asks for the names of the people on the committee appointed to investigate and whether Mr. Bryant knows whether the investigation will involve triangulation or ascents of the mountain in question or research in books and papers on the matter already published. She mentions that she is very grateful for the information and requests a response the same evening of receipt of her letter or as soon as possible on the next day.

English

The American Alpine Club Library

January 7, 1909

The American Alpine Club Library Archives

“My dear Mr. Bryant: Thank you for your prompt reply. I had thought of sending a statement to the Press and wished complete information. I supposed the article in the Baltimore Sun would be copied by the New York papers and possibly the Associated Press but apparently the doings of the Alpine Club did not attract attention elsewhere. The clipping bureau has not sent me a line so unless it should pop out unexpectedly I shall not trouble to reply. If the resolution had received wide circulation or if it should still, I think I could make a pungent and appropriate reply. I certainly should not have accepted an invitation to speak if I had expected to receive what everyone calls a very hard slap before my case had been fully presented; and everyone has said that not only should I have been justified in declining to speak afterwards if I had known what had taken place in the afternoon, but that my dignity demanded that I should have done so. You did not reply to one of my questions as to who were present at the afternoon meeting. It is not of great importance, but I had a little curiosity to know. I suppose there were Putman, Fay, Rotch, Vaux, Reid and yourself. Perhaps you will kindly mention the others if any. As it was a public meeting or a general meeting of the Club the results of which were given to the Press, of course there is no reason for not giving me the names if you are willing to trouble yourself so far. Sincerely yours (Signed) Annie S. Peck.”

Correspondence, handwritten on paper.