The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-12-26
THE EXPLORERS HAVE SEEN IT.
"post-Intelligencer" Party Half Way
Up the Mountain.
/ Pigeon Brings the News In Three
Hours From tho Altitude OF 5000
Feet - The Party La travelling
Through ST. Eimo's rass and Push.
Ing ON co tho susnmit in CieArs
Frosty Weather.

The Post-Tnae,iigencer exploration
party has fully confirmed the previous
statements that smoke has sscsnssed
fT0Sn the uIninst Of Mount Rainier in
the last two months. for the explorers
aEe now cumped on the side OF tha
mountain over half way To the Summit
and have actually sees great volumes
OF smoke and geysers OF steam pouring
from the crater. This news WAS brought
by a honsing pigeon TO Fred :. Meckey's
loft at Pusallup. another pigeon re-
leased in the meantime not having ar
rived. The men are all well. in spite of
the cold, and seem TO nc boldly pushing
ON TO HE summit.
The pigeon which brought this isn-
portant piece OF news arrived at Pss-
alIap at d. IN. yesterday. 1t Is "a Iargc
rad eheckered cock, No. 4. 53s. The bird
liberated Oh Monday and mentioned In
yesterdays message. No. 1,o2T. has not
yet arrived. and some accident has esi-
IDENTIFY betailen It
The following il the message,
st Elmo's pass. altitude 5000 feet.
l. noon Christmas day.-Ts,e expedition
has demonstrated beyond all doubt that
Mount Rainier has been smoking. Yes-
tertay afternoon about two hours after
the pigeon was lbsrafed-.hird i.os7~--
while crossing the vast saewfie'd dlyid-
Ing the Elysian field and Winthrop gla,-
cier, Maj. fngraham Suddenly shouted:
" Sec ahc smoke. See the steaInr
ssThc top of the mountain WAS fully
five miles away and. as he spoke, Jets
cf steam like geysers shot upward zoo
feet or more and further to she right q
column of iensely black smoke rose
frem the crater in fitful eurls to u
height OF several hundred feet. Nal.
Ingiahasn declares that me SMOKE Ii q
revelation TO him
Last night we caanped In a cave wo
made in the stEcw under u monster rock.
below Liberty cap. All are well. but
the weather Is mtgaity cold This morn
Ing we crossed Winthrop glacier and
the runlors that there are ntlmerous
fiir openings FOR young men Is literally
true"
That changes have taken place In tho
form of tho summit since he saw the
snow glide on its side has been observed
by G.. NJ. Anderson. He says that ON
Monday he s.tw that the new cone
which had formed between the two main
peaks, which Was at first 200 feet higher
than either or them, has settled anttl
now II Is considerably lower. 1t seenaa
10 have been built up OF snow by tho
whirlwinds and It's settlement has prob
ably been causesl, or at least increased,
by the removal of the support afford
ed by ails SNOW which slid with
the avalanche. This change. while
noticeable at this distance, would not
be visible to the explorers who aav right
on the mountains slope.
The following letter tells interesting
facts In this connection:
Seattle. Wash. Dec. IS. 1894.
ITO the Editor: The efforts OF tho
rnountzSIi-scalcrs OF the present tima
calls to mind the efforts OF Cclman Il
have forgotten his initials) In his sever
nj aHtennptss 10 reach the summit OF
Mount Baker, some twenty-eight years
ago. t'ofnrtn. was ii literary man OF
considerable distinction. His articles
used to appear In uarper's Weekly and
the Illustrated London News. He was
something of the Oscar wilde stamp.
lie u$ed 10 go on his explorations
through the summer months and then
lecture on them during tho winter. The
rude lnmbcrmen OF Puget Sound used
TO look upon him aS "a dude curiosity.
b,ft he was performing an ariuous work
which tho average lunhergran would
besItatc "a attempt. Many years ago
Colman made his last attempt to reach
sfle summit t,f Mount Baker. He took
Indians with him. and cnticcd tlsssn to
go as far as possible. lie then proceed
ed alone in Ills determination To reacts
the summit, The Indians waited for.
several days for lIia return. Isn't ha
never returned: Ii was colrnan'a last
effoxv. for he lost If.s7Tre.
''E CfsAYSDN.,' 8
Port TOWNSEND. dec .5-sperial. :.
Mount Rainier was plainly visible today
for the first time in elk weeks Many
people who for years have become famll-
lar with ITS outlines declare that one OF
the peaks which formal the south sisio
OF the cone has disappeared. or. fnors
properly speaking has rattened. There
IL certainly difference between the pr~s.
eDt outline as compared with former pho-
tographs. Nearly every one who exam
ined the snountain through glasses today
avers thfst there has been a big change
in It's shape.