The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-13
QUEER CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN.
On Top of it is a Rock From Which
Electricity Seems to Spout.
From the San Francisco Examiner

Electricity Seems to Spout.
From the San Francisco Examiner.
w. B. Fairfield of the geodetic surveying
party under the direction of Prof. David
son, decided to go to the top of Alpine
Peak or Round top to make an observation
that would help him and his colleagues
to tell which is California and which is
Nevada. Roundtop has been climbed
many time, but never with comfort or
entire safety. 1t is a rocky peak 1O,5OO
feet high. The steep surface is covered
with disintegrated rock, commonly called
shingle, that uslides from under foot
| Near the top slide on the shingle would
be exceedingly perilous, for the descent
is abrupt for 500 feet and precipitous for
| ZOO more
Nearing the apex, Mr.. Fairfield and his
companion were compelled to walk slowly
and with great caution around and around
| the mountain, each time getting a little
closer to the summit. They had not
merely their own weight to carry, for
instruments and a little tent and flour
and bacon had to go with them so ne of
the articles of use to science, othe 5 of
use to scientists.
| AT the very top of the noun tain Mr.
| Fairfield found he had barely room to
| turn around. The peak comes to such
sharp point that TO stretch his tripod he
had to build base of rock for one of the
| legs.
| Mr. Fairfield knew before he assembled
where he would live while there, vet
though he knew where TO look and had
but four feet of space to look through, he
had difficulty in discovering the place.
Then he found it and laughed at his noun
| tain home. Art had joined with nature in
making this nest 10, 496 feet up Roundtop.
A heliotroper of the Coast Survey was
| there fourteen years ago to fash signals
| clear across the Sacramento Valley to an
| observer on peak in the Coast Range.
he had deepened a little cave or recess
in the mountain side. then with boards
that had been carried up the steep ascent
had built front wall, a roof, and floor
The broken rock had so covered the roof
that the little house could be detected
from the summit of the mountain, four
feet above, only by close scrutiny.
Before he had finished his work great
snow storm came up, and the thermom-
eter fell to s. below zero. There was moth
ing to do save to crawl into the queer
! house and wait for the storm to cease.
In the nipping cold and without light the
best way Of keeping warm and killing
time was 10 sleep; but to do this was not
so easy as might be supposed. The space
for sleeping in the heliotroper's comb ma
tlon hut and cave was not intended for
two
On the inside this entire house was lust
u inches long, 81 inches high and 30
inches wide. Mr. Fairfield and his
assistant had to lie down together very
carefully aud begin TO arrange
themselves in the same position
as two spoons in a box, the front
of one man close against the back of the
other. Turning over at night was an
event. After proper notice to each other
of the intention each would rise on his
elbows or hands, and then together
they moved slowly around, finally living
again in exactly the same place in which
they had sought rest while lying on the
other side They did not often turn
The cramped position they were COM
PEELED to take made them stiff as if from
rheumatism.
strange sounds under the 11oor OF the tiny
house.
"Porcupines, " said his companion who
was acquainted with the neighborhood
traditions about Roundtop. "Porcupines
have made a nest under the floor"
The porcupine story soon proved to be
a fiction Of the country. From under
the floor came rats-euormous rats seven
or eight inches long and light brown in
color; active rats that ran about the little
| house in high and noisy carnival; rats
| that climbed up the walls and dropped
to the floor with delighted squeaks at the
| noise they were making.
These monstrous rats, with a taste for
disturbing the peace, had no taste for the
food that pleases the rats of civilization.
The flour aud the bacon, the crackers,
and even the cheese remained in the
house untouched by them though no
attempt was made by Mr.. Fairfield to
J hide his provisions.
For three days Mr.. Fairfield and his
3 aNwg aNNsaNaa .AvN "A
except for few minutes. The snow was
falling constantly. The top of the noun
tain was wrapped in black clouds
| Vision could not reach more than three
or four feet through cloud and snow
During the storm the obse. r had the
most extraordinary Of all his strange
| experiences on that mountain.
| He was lying in the hut listening TO the
storm and wishing for bright weather,
when bis assistant, who had gone to the
! portfolio to watch the snow and the
I clouds, called him.
MIR. Fairfield was in no haste to leave
| his blankets TO look al the falling snow. but
! his companion urged him TO come quick
/ " lie reluctantly unrolled himself and
went to the opening. He was repaid.
From the ground short distance away
! came Kissing sound, as if the cook Of
nature were frying half the mountain.
] The kissing was continuous, but varied
IN intensity. Mr. Fairfield cautiously
/ approached the place whence the sound
came. He found that the noise seemed
centered in little jut of rock not bigger
! than chair
He sJepped upon the rock and instantly
received an electric shock not so severe
as TO hurt him, but sufficient to make
every part of his body Jingle He stepped
from the rock and instantly the cleo
tricity left hin. One foot from the rock
IL could not be felt.
His assistant then stepped upon the
rock The shock was too much for him.
Evidently be is much more sensitive to
electricity than MIR. Fairchild because
IL hurt him. He felt pains all over his
body and every hair stood straight from
his head.
lie stepped quickly from the rock and
would not try the experiment again. q
one experience with an electrical storm
mad insulated him against the desire to
repeat it. \
The formal record of Mr. Fairfeld's
trip to Alpine Peak is a simple line:
Latitude, so much; longitude, so much.
Phillips Digestible Cocoa
Is delicious in taste and aroma, is more nour.
ishing and more easily digested than any
other preparation of cocoa or chocolate. Sold
eYeryWhere.-ad