The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-26
INDIANS CALLED 1T RAINIER.
PHILADELPHIA. Feb. Is. lse,

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. Is. 1893
To THE EDITOR: With respect to q paper re-
Gently published at Tacoma by Mr.. James
Wickersham on tho name Of the mountain
known during the last century - Mount Rain.
Ter. the following observations seem pertinent:
The various alleged statements OF ignorant
Indians which constitute the bulk Of the paper
establish but little. since the disposition OF
these poor people. - 10 well-known. generally 10
to state whatever 10 most agreeable to their
white interlocutors. Nevertheless even the tee.
dmony OF the Indians, 20 much valued and re-
lied on by the author of the paper ia question,
establishes without dissentidg voice that the
word Tacoma IL not . distinguishing or proper
name at all. but simply . generic designation
Tor any and all large white-topped SUBMITS OF
mammillated contour, OF which hundreds OF
others are contained in the same range. Mr..
Wickersham himself cites cases whore substan-
tall ythe same word 10 used In this generic or
descriptive sense in other parts OF the country
When the present writer was on Puget SOUND
in lS50.5l. exploring the Duwamish, Puyallup
and other rivers with the help of the chief, Sc
attic. then residing at the mouth OF the former
river, no other name for this summit was known
or heard Of except Rainier, which name 1t had
then borne uniuterruptsdly for sixty years. The
only whites then on the Sound above WILDLY
island were two at Port Townsend. few at
Olympia. who had arrived overland from the
Columbia. and one or two officers Of the Hudson
Bay Company, at the fort above the Puyailup-
Finally the prejudice sought to be excited
against Vancouver and his nomenclature seems
extremely Inappropriate. His great voyage oil
1928 is one of the most wonderful in the rec
ords of the English race, from which We are in
part snruug In two small sailing vessels Of $50
and leo tons, respectively. during six years OF
exploration on the opposite side OF the world
from whence he came. he had no access to
single retitting port. The Pacific ports OF South
America, including even Valparaiso. were then
tnsigni6cant and semi-bsrbarous villages and
the Sandwich islands were yet the seat OF pris-
tine savagery. Tho vessels during this long
service far from any aid. lost and replaced from
the woods every mast and spar they possessed.
Even the standing and running rigging with
which they finally reached home was made By
their crew " from the material Of Older and worn.
out ropes.
Yet with these Insignificant vessels and obso.
lete fittings they surveyed 1000 miles Of the
most intricate coast line and most dangerous
navigation in the world, from Cape Flatterv to
Chilcat including all the intricacies OF Puget
sound and Hood canal, aud many others still
more difficult, with such substantial accuracy
that Vancouver's charts are today used, and
always will be used, - the basis Of all later
ones. Vancouver himself died soon after reach
ing home from the hardships and excessive
anxieties OF his unparalleled voyage. but not be-
fore completing for publication the narrative Of
his extraordinary and almost unique service.
To begfudgo to such q discover the usual
privilege of naming . few mountains, bays.
CULTS and headlands. which for purposes OF
daily reference must have been known in his
records by some designation, 10 to ignore the
universal custom and privilege of all discover
ers in every quarter of the world. from the
earliest period, including those OF our own pso-
sple.
Whatever may be the ultimate fate OF vancou.
ver's designation OF this celebrated landmark, IL
IL to be hoped that the American sense of fair
ness will at least tolerate no sneers against the
most famous and deserving of all our early Pa
cite nayigatorA Very truly yours.
l. J. WIsrAR