The Minnesotian. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1851-1852, 1852-02-07
VOLCANOES IN CALIFORNIA.


By the following, which we find in
late number of the San Francisco Courier,
it will be seen that our old friend and
neighbor, VIM. H. Mobiles, has been add
ing somethingto to the typographical know
ledge of the world in regard to California.
We are also glad to inform Mr.. Ms. nu-
merous friends in Minnesota, that he is
doing we'll in the land of gold:
alt has been repeatedly said that Cali
fornia abounded in every thing that was
rich or curious. Every days experience
tends to make good the assertion, by
bringing to light some new and important
discovery. In the animal creation we
have nearly every species, many persons
averring that they have seen "the ele-
phant" since their residence in the State.
The geology of the State is, however, the
most important of any other, and at the
present time is attracting much attention
from scientific men.
"We have had narrative, from Mr..
VIM. H. Mobiles, of his ramblings during
the past season in the mountains of Cali
fornia, which is highly interesting, and
we doubt not will result in much good to
our State and people a: large. Among
other discoveries is that of a new, short,
and easy route over the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, perfectly practicable for wag-
ons. Mr.. Mobiles is an old woodsman,
and his judgment and opinions are enti-
tied to great weight; and we have no
doubt that when he and his party shall
open the route next spring, the whole
overland immigration Of next year will
come over it.
"Mr. Mobiles has communicated to us
the particulars relative to the discovery
OF several volcanoes on spur of the
range Of the Sierra Naveda, which it
seems strange Gus have never heretofore
been discovered. For sevety-five miles
in length the soil is nothing but barren
waste Of cinders; yet timber is inter-
spersed amongst it, and even grows into
the very verge of some Of the craters.-
Instead of being in large craters, similar
to those of South America or Europe,
these volcanoes are small openings, of va
rious sizes, some two feet wide, some
more and some less, which keep contin-
ual boiling up of lava. There are two
places where this occurs, each place hav-
ing hundred or more of these small
openings. The ground around is loose,
and is dangerous to tread upon, as it gives
away to the weight Of man, one Of MIR.
Mobiles party getting his foot into the
earth by mis-step, and being severely
burned. At night these places emit bur
ming lava, producing every variety Of
color, and presenting grand sight. The
noise at times is scarcely peceptible, when
suddenly it will begin to puff, and increase e
until it resembles the noise of several
steamboats, blowing off steam at once
So far as Mr.. N. was able to discover,
there was no evidence of gold or any VAL
liable mineral in the vicinity. A num-
Der of places, where the fires had gone
out, were seen in the vicinity, some of
them, where the lava had been thrown
up, forming a crater 500 feet high. One
of the volcanoes, which has gone out, but
presents the appearance Of having been
in operation lately, covers about nifty acres
and is represented as presenting the most
beautiful scenery imaginable, showing all
the various colors of the rainbow, and,
when the sun shines on it, dazzles the
eye by its brilliancy. This volcano has
thrown up a mountain of black sand,
somewhat resembling sand from gold dust,
to the height of 700 or 800 feet. The
party attempted to ascend this mountain
but found it impossible, as it was like a
wheat pile, and they sank down into it at
every step. The whole scenery is rep
resented as most grand in the vicinity Ct
these eruptions.
1--WE shall look with much interest fol
the further exploration of these regions
and have made arrangements to procure
a detailed account of them, when made.
We are much indebted to Mr.. Mobiles for
the information he has furnished us re-
gardiug these phenomena"