The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1882-11-10
A SLIDING MOUNTAIN IN OREGON.

4 A"e bVFSIhmShs ShkshoVio sbbakSN
upon the ship canal around tho rapids
where tho Columbia River cuts through
the Cascade Mountains, and tho on
gineers Of the Oregon Railway and
Navigation Company, whose railroad
runs beside the government canal, have
discovered that n point Of the noun
tainS, RI tremendous height and tbree
miles in extent, 10 moving down nm in
cline into tho river. The Gact Of
moving mountain IN strange, but not in
comprehonsible. II seems, says an in-
telligent correspondent Of the. New
York Times, that the great river and
tho ravines that point to II have cut
their way down through suporincum-
bent mass Of basalt into a substratum
Of sandstone. This sandstone. we will
suppose, presents smooth surface, with
an incline toward tho river the river
cuts under the basalt into tho sand
stone, and the natural effect 10 for the
superincombent basalt, acting like
similar formation Of ice in glacier, 10
slide down hill.
The same gentleman says. on the
authority Of hr. Tbielson, engineer in
chief Of the Western Division Of the
Northern Pacific Railroad, that when
an examination was made year ngo Of
disused portage tramway past that
point, the track was found 10 bo twisted
az much as seven or eight feet out Of
the true line in some places, caused be-
yond doubt by movement OF the
mountain. II sesmed certain TO Mr..
Thielson that thero was q movement Of
tremendous mountain spur opposite
this piece oi road. The correspondent
goes on to say :,
ait is a fact well known u all river
men that above the Cascades, where the
river il tranquil, the waters cover q
submerged forest, whose trunks still
stand with their projecting limbs 70 at
test some wonderful phenomenon. IL
has been 4 query in the minds Of all 80
10 what conVulsion Of nature or process
Of time caused this ov"' dow of waters.
Over thirty years asp ] sa~ tho dead
trunks standing bsBeatb tho waves, end
the interest ia this Connection was In
creased by i-arnl"g from the Indians
that am.,ng their traditions ~as one
that ages since the mountains rose pre-
cipitously nt tbs rivers side, and q
great arch OF st0ne npair.s.i ,Irv river
from shore TO shore, aud tlat their Gu.
noes passed under it. Tradition fur
ihsr says that in coures Of iims a great
earthquake threw down the arch and
blocked tho river, causing tho cascades
as we see them nov. Il il no. often
that Indian tradition is NO specific in
detail. As the records Of the aborigines
Of this region are very transient, IL 10
possible that this story rests on some
fact Of natural history Of no. very re-
mote occurrence. Joining tradition
and speculation with the discoveries
and deductions Of science. We must con.
clude that some convulsion Of nature
has thrown great masses Of rock into
the stream sufficient to deaden its 1ow
for eight miles above and to submsrg'
the forests just above the rapids. Mr.
Brazse, VINO has been engineer Of th'
navigation company that owned th'
Portage road around the falls, inform
mo that he has watched the movement
Of the mountain for twenty years, an;
that it is no myth."-Scientifc Amsri
can.