The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-04-11
Active Volcanoes.


captain of sailing craft on the Sound
and on the ocean, although my first
business venture here was in building
the sawmill at Whatcom in 1882. | fur
nished the first lumber to Victoria that
was sawed other than by whipsaw.
The little mill at Whatcom did it. The
battle in Russia America, now Alaska,
called Peter Pelaski, during the Cri-
mean war, sent its English wounded
to Esquimault, and Mr.. Peabody and
myself furnished she lumber for the
hospital on the order of Governor
Douglass. About Mt. Baker: have
watched it for thirty-five years from
sea and land. 1t appears us an ex-
tinct volcano many times and then
again it is in an eruptive state. Mr..
Rinehart and other settlers OF Ten
Miles have seen the mountain in an
active state of ruption-belching fire
and smoke. Ten mile affords better
view of the mountain. In 1861 [ was
repairing the bark Glimpse at Ludlow,
and at that time Olympus was in a
state of eruption. John Bennett, Cap
tain Stratton, and Coleman, u Scotch
mOuntaineer, assembled Mount Baker
fifteen years ago. They reported the
smell of burning sulphur and heat.
The boys planted the American flag at
the crater. Mr.. John Tenant did
not reach the top of the mountain.
The party reported the top of the
mountain to contain twelve acres. |
have at night, on the water, several
times seen the fire of the mountain. 1t
could not have been forest fire. The
smoke when the volcano is active
draws down The ,Skagit valley. There
is no doubt in my mind that Mount
Baker is an active volcano.
Captain Elridge: There can be lit
tie doubt but that the volcanic fire still
shoulders in Mount Baker. The era
ter is southwest of the peak. Very
few old settlers but that the volcano is
not extinct.
On the morning Of January u the
people OF Vancouver were treated to
the sight of II genuine volcano in ac-
tive eruption. A loud report was
! AiN'iN III wv rOtitl, DO al lICtl vi OIo
tant thunder, Later, flames were seen
issuing from the peak of Mt. Jefferson,
which is in the Cascade range about
eighty miles southeast Of Salem Orc
gon The flames were followed by
clouds of black SNAKE which rose
high above the mountain and dritted
away. 1t Was grand sight.
John Bennett, the only man on the
coast who ever reached the top of Mount
Baker, except Coleman, has been in
terviewed by the Reveille as to his trip
to Mount Baker, the monarch Of
mountains. He informs the reporter
that he came to Bellingham bay in
1899. He came from Illinois. The
party who attempted the ascent of
Mount Baker consisted Of himself,
Coleman and Tenant This was
June 1865. Tenant got to the snow
line and was taken sick and waited
until Bennett and Coleman returned
AT an elevation OF 10000 feet the
mercury WAS is degrees above zero.
At $500 feet it had been IA degrees
above zero. The trip was a terrible
one. Canoes, padded at the rate of
fifteen miles per hour, carried the par
ty to the hard work Then the Jun
gle. The southwest side of the noun
tain where the ascent had necessarily
to be made was very dangerous on ac-
count of avalanches and sliding ice.
He says: eve therefore started at
daylight. There is 10 animal life on
the mountain above the timber life
but white grouse. On the southwest
side there are indications of gold
The creek beds all show color Among
the interesting things discovered by
me on the mountain was peculiar
species or Erica or heather. The
specimen | secured had never before
been found in America. 1t is covered
with snow eight months in the year.
There are three varieties of it, and
the blossoms are variouslv white, pur-
pie and yellow. l have letters from
the Smithsonian Institute assuring
me that the plant had never before
been found on the continent. There
is undoubtedly marble on the south
fork. The chaSmS on the northwest
side of the mountain are of frightful
depth, and it requires the strongest
nerve to pass along them on the glar-
ing ice. The top of the mountain is
solid ice and snow. The timber is fine
the higher you get the finer the
timber till you reach the timber line
White pine is scarce on the mountain
but occasionally magnificent speci-
mems are found. The crater lies TO
the south from the summit and we
were not as anxious about that as to
reach the top of the mountain. From
the top the smoke could plainly be
seen rising and the sulphurous smell
was plainly preceptible after we reach
ed the snow line, | have seen the
mountain belch fire several times.
There is no question in the world
about the mountain being an active
Volcano. 1t is not like Vesuvius and
Etna and the terrible volcanoes of
Java, but the mountain is un doubt
eddy still active. The glaciers are at
southwest side of the mountain. 7
am now rs years of age and / regard
tilC "Trip w TIE mountain as marked
event in my life"
Captain Thomas Stratton, who died
at Port Angeles two years ago, claimed
that he planted the American flag on
the mountain, that he saw the huge
crater emitting smoke with u sulphur
GUS smell. The climbing of the noun
tain along the stupenduous cliffs and
the scaling of walls rising at angle of
~ degrees, the avoidance of the yawn-
ing chasms made the trip fully equal
to that of an ascent of Mont Blanc.
The description of the ascent of the
mountain by Strattnll innnnIintnl,. e