The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-06
AauEER CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN.
On Top of 1t Is Rock From which
Electricity Seems to Spout.
from the San Francisco Examine, !

[From the San Francisco Examinerl
W.B. Fairfield of the geodetic survey
ing party, under the direction of Prof.
Davidson, decided to go to the top of
Alpine Peak or Roundto to make an OBJ
servation that would help him and his
colleagues to tell which is California
and which is Ner ida. Roundtop has
been climbed many a time, but never
with comfort or entire safety. 1t is a
rocky peak, 10, 500 feet high. The steep
surface is covered with disintegrated
rock, commonly called single, that
slides from under foot. Near the top
slide on the single would be exceeding
" perilous, for the descent is abrupt for
800 feet and precipitous for the descent
is abrupt for 800 feet and precipitous
for roo 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 little closer TO the summit.
They had not merely their own weight
to carry, for instruments and a little
pSAtp
them-some ofsthe articles of use to
science, others of use to scientists.
At the very top of 1.-The mountain Mr..
Fairfield found he had barely room to
turn around. The peak comes to such a
sharp point that to stretch his tripod
he ha0 to build a base of rocks for one
of the legs.
Mr.. Fairfield knew before he assembled
where he would live while there, yet.
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
mountain home. Art had Joined with
nature in making this nest, 1914 feet
up Roundtop. A heliotropher of the
coast survey was there fourteen years
ago to flash signals clear across the Sac
ramento Valley to an observer on peak
insthe coast range. He had ssdeepened a
little cave or recess in the mountain side
then with boards that had been carried
up the steep ascent had built a front
wall, roof and a..foor The broken rock
had so covered the roof that the little
OF the mountain, four feet above, only
by close scrutiny.
Before he had finished his work
great.sno storm came up, and the ther-
nometer fell to s degrees below zero.
There was nothing to dossave TO crawl
inJosthe queer house and wait for the
storm to cease. In the nipping scold and
without light the best way of keeping
warm and killing time was to sleep; but
to do this was not. SO easy as might be
supposed. The space for sleeping in the
heliotroper's com ination hut and cave
was not intended for two
In the inside this entire house was lust
" inches long, "a inches high and 80
inches wide. Mr.. Fairfield and his as
sistant mad to lie down together very
carefully and begin to arrange them
selves in the samesposition 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 lying again in exactly the same
place in which they had sought rest
did not often turn The cramped posi-
ton they were compelled to take made
them stiff as if from rheumatism.
During the night Mr.. Fairfield heard
strange sounds under the door of the
tiny house.
"Porcupines. said his companion, who
was acquainted with the neighborhood
have made a nest under the f1oorD
The porcupine story soon proved to be
a fiction of the country. From under
the floor came rats-enormous rats seven
or eight inches long and light brown
IN color; active rats that ran about this
little house in high and noisy carnival :
rats that climbed up the walls and
dropped to the floor with delighted
squeaSs they were making.
These monstrous rats, with a taste for
disturbing the peace, had no taste for
the food that .pleases tbe.rats of civiliza-
ton. The -four and the bacon, the