The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-29
woNDERs o. cRATER MOUNTAIN.
4 Descent Into the Wonderful Interior Of
an Extinct Volcano.


4 Descent Into the Wonderful Interior Of
an Extinct Volcano.
Crater mountain is one of the Una
tilla Indians great spOok depots from
ancient times. Bucks that are now white
with the hoary frosts Of many winters
recOllect hanging in the trees tightly
strapped to their nursing boards while
their mothers roamed the forests in
search of game for the lords Of creation
or wood for the tepee and from infancy
love to relate how the Great Spirit spoke
to them with the awful voice of terrinc
thunder in the bowels of the earth.
Many are the stories and legends Of In
dian lore told Of Crater mountain.
One of the favorite ones is told of
great war between the Shoshones and
Umatillas When the Umatillas had
conquered their foes, they proceeded to
slaughter old and young, regardless of
sex. One beautiful ShoshOne maiden,
seeing that death was inevitable from
her pursuing foes, plunged headlong in
to the burning crater, and instantly the
volcanic eruption ceased, much to the
CONSERVATION of her pursuers, who on
the following day found, on looking
down the chasm Of inky darkness, q re-
splendent light, with the form Of the
ShOshone maiden in the midst Of the
apparition. They told it to their dusky
warriors, and to this day Crater noun
tain is looked upon with reverence from
an Indian point Of view.
The following is from the diary Of
the Hon. J. A Wright: 'Crater noun
tain is located some IL miles from the
camp Of Cornucopia, on the south side
of the range, whose caps are tipped with
eternal snow Many chasms and assures
have in the misty past cleft the noun
tains and left them in the most fantas-
tic shapes. Vegetation ceases to grow
after a certain height is reached, and
close under the base of one of the great
peaks is the famous extinct volcano.
Ashes and lava are found in great pro
fusion and in such indeseribable masses
that it makes the ascent one of peril
and great difficulty. However, once at
the top, a peek down into the black,
fathomless abyss supplies the most NOR
bid mind with all the sensatiOnalism
necessary for a lifetime. a favorite
amusement was to throw rocks down
and listen to the sounds as they struck
on the projecting sides of the dark Chin
ney until the sounds died away, leaving
nothing but fer the mystified explorer
to guess it had reached the bottom. "
Many have been the stories circulated
of the wonderful cavern that extended
from the sides of the great chimney.
stout cable was provided and basket
swung from a pulley. The Hon. Joseph,
with camera and notebook, was careful
" Lowered some 378 feet, when he no
ticed an aperture in the side Of the
chimney, and by signals agreed upon a
halt was called in his downward career,
and he crawled through a cleft in the
great chimney, and the work of explO-
ration began. The first sight that met his
astonished gaze was q most stupendOus
chamber, from whose mighty dome
hung stalactites Of great beauty, which
was enhanced by the light Of the can
die and fairly struck terror to his heart,
as the Pickering candle seemed to pos
sess the power of some unseen hand
that made millions of the brilliant sta
lactites dance in Respondent beauty. A
great snowy owl blinked at the aston
ished Joseph.
The explorer CROPPED his way to the
far end Of the chamber, where he
thought he heard sounds of falling
water, nor was he mistaken, for,
squeezing himself through an opening,
he found himself in another chamber Of
great beauty, with a stream of hot sui
phur water running into the earth. The
incrnstation from the sulphur water
had transformed the cavern into
coral like substance and left it in such
fantastic shapes He found in the
water some lively little lizards and
some frogs that change color on the
slightest provocation and two large
rats, who eyed the explorer with Gu
riosity that seemed to bOde no good,
and he longed for his little gun. Baker
City COR. } Democrat.