River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-07-16
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 a 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, rs all geolo-
gists agree, occupies an immense vol
canic crater. This accounts for the inn
mense depth of the lake in the central
parts. Though these cratcrS are spok-
en- of as extinct, no one can say when
volcano is dead. A volcano that has
slumbered for untold ages is liable to
suddenly start INFO life and destroy
everything in its neighborhood. The
great volcano of Nesuvius, now con-
stantly active, was described by the
ancients as a flat topped mountain. CON
tanning deep circular valley filled with
vines and grass. They did not even sus-
pect it of being a volcano. 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. u
70, Sparticus encamped there with
thousands of lighting men. Only seven
wears later-in A. ID. 79-occurred a
sudden eruption that blew out the whole
top of the mountain. BY this outburst
Pompeii and Herculancum We're 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 ire
mendous volcano that lies slumbering
under Lake Tahoe is liable to assert IL
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
90 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 iIercuIaneum; be-
sides what are few human habitalons
or few human beings in great conyul-
sions of nature. Vines and grass grew
over the crater of Vcsuyius and soldiers
camped in the beautiful basin. but of q
sudden vines, grass, and all. were shot
thousands of feet into the air. Over the
Tahoe crater is 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 mere
bucket of water compared with the
great power that lies belQw-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 4 matter of
/ time. In ease the election of the waters
/ of the lake shall instantly be followed
/ bv mighty column of fire and flames,
the water may be turned to steam Gn
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.
TtrQjnja CitY (NcU) Enterprise.