The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-06-05
OREGON'S WONDERS.
The Discovery of the Crater of
an Extinct Volcano.
New York Sun .

New York Sun.
JORDAN VALLEY, April 27.-Near
here, in Baker county, there exists
an extinct crater, which has been a
noble and terrible agent of nature.
This crater is situated twenty miles
north of the stage road running from
Boise City. Idaho, to Winnemucca,
New.
Securing the services of Mr.. Sam
uel Martin, a fine gentleman and
competent guide (he is a subscriber
to the SAM on the 18th of this month,
we went out to visit and take scien.
tific notes. At p o'clock we reach
ed the rim of the crater, and looked
down into its dizzy abyss. The
length Of the crater is 5000 feet, and
it will safely reach $500 feet in width.
The depth of the present cavity is
estimated at 1900 feet. The entire
crater is burned out, but the ashes
and the cinders have accumulated on
the west side for 200 feet above the
rim, and still remain. On the bot
tom. huge powders are lying over
the lava crust.
A little vegetation grows on the
west side. The formation of the
sides shows a wall of granite. and
a stratum of wash gravel under it.
The circumference of the crater at
the present is one mile. The eleva-
ton at the base is about 5000 feet
above the sea level. Close estima-
tion gives the fact of the former
hight Of the crater at 10000 feet.
Seventy yards north is a deep hole,
$50 feet wide, and 80 feet deep.
The hole has been blown clean out.
If you get into it by accident you
cannot get cut, unless by ropes, as
the walls are perpendicular. Thirty
yards east of this is another hole,
about the same incorporation and APP
pearance. On the northwest side
a chimney has been built out of the
lava slabs, which is fifteen feet high
and eight feet at the base. My
theory is that it was built for the
purpose of landmark, and perhaps
by some tribe of Indians now ex-
tinct, as place of burial. The last
eruption must have taken place at
least 500 years ago.
From good authority L find that
only four men have entered the era
ter before US. Mr.. Martin has lived
where he does now for seven years.
and is a trustworthy man. An arm
of -Ava rock extends back into the
hill, west. but had no time to ex-
anime it. The vast amount Of lava
proves that the volcano was one of
gigantic proportions. The field GOV.
ers an area of twenty five miles in
length, and ranges from half mile
to ten miles in width. lis thickness
ranges from eight to one hundred
feet. It is fretteG and curled, sun.
ken and elevated. In the lava,
about mile and a half from the era
ter, is another small crater, and
around it on all sides are slides which
appear as though old ClOven Foot
had been using it for the purpose of
dumping the lava. Other places re-
semble a race-track. Some of the
seams are from six inches to FIVE
feet in width. caused by the lava
cooling, no doubt. There is no vege-
tation on the lava, excepting here
and there little bush struggling for
existance. A volcanic scent per-
meates the entire region, and it is a
scene of desolation.
There is no running water nearer
than four miles from the crater, but
there are several fine lakes in the
vicinity. One of them is called Cow
Greek Lake, and is two miles wide
by three and half in length. It's
average depth is about ten feet. In
some places it is thirty feet. Fine
fish abound in it, and the hills around
the lake are even in outline. Cow
Creek canon is about six miles long,
but very deep and rocky. In some
places it is one-quarter of q mile
wide, and the walls tower upward
for several hundred feet.
In narrow gorge I examined
some human bones that have turned
to fossil and are now somewhat de-
cayed. The skull has disappeared
SO I cannot tell whether they belong
ed to a white man or an Indian.
This whole country is wild, full of
new curiosities, but an excellent
stock range. The settlements are
very scattering, and in fact but little
is at the present known of it. am
pOsitivethat this crater and this vast
field of desolation have never been
presented to the world before.
PROF. GEO. F. HOLLIS.
A GOOD STORY ABOUT AN