The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-08-02
PACIFIC COAST PERIL.
Suppose the Sleeping Volcanoes Should
Wake Up!

: In hundreds of places on the Pacific
coast are the so-called "craters of ex-
tinct volcanoes" So far as can be seen,
these craters are really extinct at the
surface, but deep in the bowels of the
earth their fires are probably only slum
'bering. In the Bishop creek county are
many such volcanoes, and some of them
seem to have been pretty lively less
than hundred years ago, Judging from
the fresh appearance of the lava streams
on their sides. But, to come nearer
home there is an old crater on the big
mountain above American Flat, sur
rounding which are immense fields OF
lava. Lake Tahoe itself, as all geolo-
gists agree, occupies an immense vol.
canic crater. This accounts for the i'm.
mense depth of the lake in the central
parts. Though these craters are spok-
en- OF as extinct, no one can say when a
vOlcano is dead. A volcano that has
slumbered for untold ages is liable tc
suddenly start into life and destroy
everything in its neighborhood. The
great volcano of Vesuvius, now con-
stantly active, was described by the
ancients as fiat topped mountain, con-
tanning deep circular valley filed with
vines and grass. They did not even sus.
pect it of being 8 volcano. A large
population lived on the sides of the
mountain. which were covered with
beautiful groves. So little was the ter.
rible nature of the valley ON the top OF
the mountain suspected that, in A. D.
73, Sparticus encamped there with
thousands of fighting men. Only seven
years later-in A. D. 79-occurred 8
sudden eruption that blew out the whole
top of the mountain. By this outburst
Pompeii and Herculaneum were over
whelmed.
The present is time of great electri-
cal and subterranean disturbances. We
hear of great earthquakes and of vol
canoes starting into life in all parts of
the world. Even here at home, in Cal
ifornia, there have recently been many
severe earthquakes, the first in nearly
twenty years that have shown the old
time force. Almost any day the tre-
mendous volcano that lies slumberinc
under Lake Tahoe is liable to assert it.
self. At the first burst all the water in
the lake would be blown thousands of
feet into the air, and with the water all
the steamboats,, sail-boats, and row.
boats. Up into the clouds would not only
60 all the boats ON the lake, but also all
the fish in its waters, with millions of
tons of powders, gravel, and sediment
from the bottom of the old crater. OF
course the sudden emptying of the basin
of the lake would be bad for Reno, but
its fate could not be worse than the
cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum; be-
sides what are few human habitations
or few human beings in great convul-
sions of nature. Vines and grass grew
over the crater of Vesuvius, and soldiers
camped in the beautiful basin, but of
sudden vines, grass, and all were shot
thousands of feet into the air. Over the
Tahoe crater is a beautiful pool of water,
in which are beautiful fishes, and on
which are gallant steamers and vessels
of all kinds, but the whole is as q mere
bucket of water compared with the
great power that lies below-pop, bang!
and all is in the air, and the throat of
the crater is again red-hot, as in ages
past. All this may not come to pass
this summer, but it is bound to be seen
sooner or later-it is only matter of
time. In case the election of the waters
of the lake shall instantly be followed
by mighty column of fire and flames,
the water may be turned to steam Tin
falling back) before reaching the
ground, and so Reno would escape
drowning, and the place only be cover
ed by forty or fifty feet of molten lava.
CITY (Nev.) Enterprise.