Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-10-30
MISS FULLER's GREAT FEAT.
The First Woman to Climb Mount Tacoma's
Difficult Peak
New York WOrld

The First Woman to Climb Mount Tacoma's
Difficult Peak.
New York World.
Mount Tacoma. Washington, rises to a
height of IA, 4444 feet, and to the present
| time only twenty nine persons have climbed
to its summit, OF whom Miss Fay Fuller,
of Tacoma, is the only woman. The party
with whom Miss Fuller made the ascent
on the 10th of August consisted of the
Rev. E. c. Smith, R. R. Parish, W. 0.
Amsden, of Seattle, and Leonard Long
mire, the guide, of Yelm. Experienced
mountaineers say that Mount Tacoma is
the most difficult American peak to climb.
| The ascent of the first Z 900 feet was made
on horseback through dense forest, across
| dangerous streams, and beautiful natural
parks, known as the Lower Gardens of
| Eden. and consumed nearly four days.
| Then began the ascent on foot. which was
perilous in the extreme. At $4,000 feet
the wind blew hurricane over the snow
and blue-gree glacier. Several crevasses
| had to be crossed, some Of which were
large enough to drop house into. The
summit was reached at 4:30 p. m. of
Aug. 10. It is about two miles across.
| Standing on top the climbers could see be-
low them two large craters looking like
immense bowls with a central common
rim. The large crater is about three
quarters of a mile across. They are filed
with snow and solid ice, with the rim
around the circumference of the bare rocks
rising about sixty feet in some places.
The steam keeps these rocks bare all the
time. Coming down from the summit,
where they could hardly stand on account
of the wind, they were sheltered in the
| crater and examined the steam jets, look
ing as if row of boiling teakettIes were
placed along the ridge. They sat on the
rocks End were soon damp with the
moisture and parboiled by the heat, and it
was necessary to move. At o'clock Miss
Fuller's account of the expedition says:
''On the east ridge of the big crater we
entered an ice cave between the snow and
rim Of the crater, and there, with steam
beside US, we spread our blankets, which
seemed light enough now, took off our
shoes, bathed our feet in whisky, and be-
gan the night. After having reached the
summit | began to feel sick from cold,
exhaustion and the sulphur odor, and for
some time suffered from a chill and
nausea. After vomiting | felt all right
and ready to enjoy the night Some of
the gentlemen were tired and very cold.
IdUlIIS lldIl llO lOI H10, UuU SOlllc
ate a little. Mr.. Smith melted some ice
In cup over the steam, heated the
water, dissolved some extract of beef, and
Two blankets over us seemed little protec-
ton for the night. Through the small
opening III the cave above we could watch
the stars and meteors and all night long
hear the awful avalanches roaring down
the mountain sides. was the only one
fortunate enough to be able to sleep. When
we awoke our shoes were frozen stiff and
had to be melted in the steam before we
could put them on. The blankets where
TIE steam had been were icy
The descent was even more perilous than
the ascent had been, but it was finally ac-
complished without serious mishap. Miss
Fuller's exposure had caused her lips, nose
and face to swell badly and the skin peeled
off, but she feels we'll repaid for what she
endured by the novel experience.
Cultivated rice was first produced from
plant called nivara The wild plants
grow on the borders of the lakes in India,
and also In Australia. Some wild varie-
ties are quite numerous, some kinds being
adapted to marsh lands and some to high
lands, the latter being cultivated like corn.
Rice was known in China $500 years be-
fore Christ.
1t is not mentioned in the Bible, but is
referred to in the Talmud.
1t was known in Syria 400 years before
Christ was first introduced in Italy in 1863.
and in the Carolinas in 100
The best lands for rice culture are level
marshes, where they can be drained and
flooded at will.
Louisiana, and especially the parishes of
Cameron, Vernlillion, and Calcasieu, con-
tain large areas of the finest rice land in
the world.
The time is not far distant when these
lands will produce a large portion of the
rice consumed in the United States. At
the present time the farmers in the parish
of Calcasieu are raising annually over 25,-
Geo barrels of the finest quality.