The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-12-15

the back of lofty mountain wall, 1t springs to its full height straight from sea-leveL Its outline is exceedingly im- posing, being that of a huge dome. the upper part of which. even in midsum- mer, Is white with snow. while in win ter the whole mountain is clothed in white down to its foothills.
 Sixteen or seventeen glaciers flow down the slopes of the mountain. some of them of large size, and presenting all the characteristic features of mo- raines, Assures moulins and'icy preci- pices which are to be found among the glaciers of the Alps. There Is. per haps, no other mountain within the temperate zone that exhibits so exten- slve glacier system.
 The ascent of the mountain has not been hitherto very difficult when the attempt was made late in the summer. There is no such climbing on dizzy precipices as must be encountered on the Matterhorn, for instance. all the difficulty arising from soft snow. Av- alanches are frequent on. its Hanks, and the snow remains until July in some of the lower ravines. Crater Lake, which lies on the northwestern slope of the mountain, occupying a profound depression, with precipitous walls on three sides. Is believed by some to mark the site of former era ter of the volcano. but during a visit which I made to 1t in 1892 I became convinced that the depression, whose bottom Is filled by the lake, has been produced by a tremendous landslip, in- duced perhaps by the shaking of an eruption, but not the direct creation of volcanic action.
 The true crater, and that from which all the eruptions have taken place, Is on the summit of the mountain. It's To- cation has always been indicated by sort of notch or scallop in the noun tain top, visible from Tacoma and oth- CT surrounding points. There is le gend among some of the tribes of Indi- ans living near Mount Tacoma that the mountain was once very much larger than 1t is now, and that vast mass sunk out of sight during great erup- tion. It is also said that stones have been shot from the crater to a distance of many miles within historic time. Those who have carefully watched Mount Tacoma have, from time to time reported the appearance of puffs of steam and smoke at its summit, but ordinarily little attention has been paid to these indications that its volcanic fires were only slumbering, but not ex- tinct.
 The appearance of the crater on the top, deep cavity about half a mile across, has always been suggestive of a considerable degree of heat existing be- meath its floor, for at times the rocks within have been found comparatively free from snow, while the outer slopes of the peak were deeply buried.
 Several considerable streams take their birth from the glaciers of Mount Tacoma. In fact. acting as a cloud condenser for the 'warm air blown in from the Pacific, the mountain plays highly important part in the economy of the Puget Sound region. The inn mensely rich forests that clothe the plains at it's feet are mainly nourished by the water derived from the noun tain, and the same is true of the thou sands of acres of beautiful meadow lands that surround it.. / &.-.
 The history of Mount Tacoma as volcano still awaits investigation. Very little is yet known as to flows of lava that may have taken place from it in past time. Its great height, 'to gether with the general steep slopes of it's sides, however, would indicate that its eruptions have, not been character ized by vast flows of liquid lava. It is not likely that such flows will occur either at present or in the future, at least not on g. large scale. The great period of activity in the mountain, no doubt, occurred when the ocean flowed nearer it's foot than it does at present, and perhaps when the dusty plain of eastern Washington was covered with lake. All that we know of volcanoes leads to the conclusion that the leak ing of sea water down to their roots in the crust of the earth is 8 principal cause of their explosions.
 The city of Tacoma is situated more than forty miles in an air line from the crater of the mountain, and Seattle is still further, so that under no circum- stances could any danger be appre- hended at those points from the activi- ty of the mountain. But as spectacle great eruption of Tacoma would be grand beyond description. It's huge form is seen reflected in the waters of Puget Sound like Vesuvius and mas sive in proportion, to say nothing of the splendid appearance presented by it's vast mantle of eternal snow. '