, 1883-06-21
Ascent of Mount Olympus.

PORT ANGELES, May 4, 1853.
| Ed. ARGUs:-As there has been many
conlectureS as to the formation
of the Olympic range, your cor
respondent in company with Mr.. F.
Chambers, brother of Col. Chambers, of
Fort Townsend, made the ascent last
week, and succeeded in mounting the
highest peak south of Port Angeles.
| Unfortunately We had no anoeroid or
other instrument to test the hight, and
can only approximate it by the snow
line which ON this coast is about COCO
feet, from which we judged the highest
peak to be $500 feet, and have named it
Chambers peak, as Mr. F. Chambers was
the first man ON top. From the beach
at Port Angeles cur course was due
spnth about lh-pliles - the base Of the
mountains, partially ovsfi uss old Indian,
trail, in places a dense forest of fine
timber, but mostly through maple and
alder bottoms and benches, with good
agricultural land nearly all the way.
| Where the best land is the clearing is
not very heavy and the soil is of the
richest kind, with plenty of water every
where. l have lived in this vicinity,
with Others over twenty years, and never
thought there was such good land
in the bench country. From Port
Angeles to Sequim Bay, after ascending
the mountains to the snow line, We had
splendid view OF the surrounding
country, the straits of Fuca, Protection
Island, Sequim and Dungeness appeared
to be at our feet SO plain could We look
down on them. 1t was from this point
we got our views as unfortunately
when we got ON top it became foggy, and
we could only see few feet from where
we stood. This range of mountains
trend to the south leavinga great extent
of fiat land country from Port Angeles
to Hood s Canal. In fact there are miles of
good land uuexplored from the foot hills
to the beach. In many places we could see
hundreds of acres which seemed to be
alder and maple interspersed among the
fir, cedar and hemlock, which abound ON
every side. The firis of splendid proper
tons but we saw no continuous body.
One place where we camped counted
% fir trees that would square five feet
one hundred feet from the ground; also
many large cedar and hemlock. All the
country passed over IS entirely sediment
ary with water-washed stones half way
up the mountains In many of the
streams which had cut deep. We found
no qualifications except in one place
near the base of the mountains which
called Trap" no evidence of sand stone,
only in bouIders. The rock from the
snow line to the summit, which projects
in peaks and ridges, is composed of vol
canic conglomeration. 1 should Judge
by the weight of pieces that it contains
considerable iron, on quartz, nr any of
the primitive rocks, were found except on
occasional boulders of granite, one of
which was very large, and the finest
specimen of hard granite 1 ever saw.
The idea of gold i'll the Olympic range is
entirely exploded with me, aud every one
who contemplates prospecting them for
it will lose their time. I have no doubt
eventually large veins of coal will be
| found in the benches or fiat country
| between the base of the mountains and
the coast, yet I saw no evidence of it,
and think if found it will be very deep.
Unfortunately the fog shut out our
view on the south side of the mountains,
which had it been clear would have been
very extensive. We saw elk signs
every where, but no elk. One band was
just ahead of US not many hours, and
they crossed over the mountains near
the summit, and had it been clear we
would undoubtedly have seen them. The
marmot or wood chu;k, are also at the
snow line the same as they are on
Mount Baker but not so plentiful. We
saw no white grouse or ptarmigan, the
same as saw at the snow line OF Mount
Baker. Vegetation except few scrub
pines, entirely ceases at the snow line
with few hchens on the clefts of the
rocks or sheltered places. felt dis
appointed in not getting a clear view
from the summit and viii try again this
summer. You can tell those immigrants
who are looking for good land and not