The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-11-24

The summis Again invfsibie-Mr. Van
Tramp's opiaien.
The elsments yesterday again prevented
an observation OF the phenomens AZ the
summit of Mount Rainier which were
noticed on Wednesday morning Inc
persons who first observed the smoke and
steam arising from the summit ana the
changes in its form, remain as positive as
ever in their declaration that their eyes
did not deceive them, notwithstanding the
increduiity Of the old mountain climbers.
who explain away the unusual aspect OF
the summit. though none Of them Claim
to have seen IL 81 the time mentioned Nor
do they attempt 10 explain the occurrence
Of an earthquake on both sides OF sne
mountain on the day when the phenomena
weresohserved. Whatever the nature OF the
disturbance may have been, 10 Is certain
that something was happening about tne
summit Of Mount Rainier which was OF
very unusual character
Z. II. Van Trum, of Yeirn, who was one
of the first to maze the ascent oil tne
mountain, IS among those who discreot
the statement thas any eruption, now
ever slight, or any change in tho form OF
the summit has occurred. His explains
ton Of the phenomena Is given IN the foa-
lowing dispatch:
TACOMA. Nov. 23.-It remained cloudy
ali day today and Mount Rainier could
not be seen. Prof. p. B. Van Trump, oil
Yelm Prairie, thirty miles north on the
Northern Pacific. whore q splendid view
OF the mountain 10 obtainabie. writes inc
Ledger to the effect that mists rising from
the mountain have probably been mis-
ko f~r b. al
educated gentleman and high authority
on ali matters pertaining to the mountain
In 1872 no made the ascent with Ten.
Hazard Stevens, Of Boston. aud since has
made numerous ascenfs. he has made
special study Of phsnomena connected
with the great mountain. Prof. Van
Trump writes thus:
During nv twenty-seven years ac-
qnaintance with or knowledge OF the
mountain / have known OF number oil
persons who, at different periods In the
past, declared they saw columns of smoke
issuing from the top of the mountain. and
that afterward they noted remarkable
changes in the appearances of one or other
of the peaks never before noticed by
them. Had the summit really changed
as often as some people have imagined,
there would now be little left OF the origi-
nal peaks
"Some people are almost as fanciful
about the mountain as are the Indians IN
their legends about it. In one legend IS
told how 'Tscobet' once had only single,
solid peak. not q triple summit as now;
that the three peaks were the WORK OF
mountain spirit, or that the mountain IL
self. under the personification OF warning
giant. wrought this change In Its summit
when in angry conflict with other giant
peaks.
Persons familiar with mountain phe-
Wall
this great mountain, know that clouds or
masses of mist often form very rapidly on
the mountain side or near its base, which
sometimes suddenly elongate into stream
ers or columns and shoot rapidly up the
mountain in the ravines or depressions
between its rocky ribs, and rise high above
the peaks, or one OF them. Seen from the
other side of the peak, this ascending
column of mist (of q dark or black hue
when seen in a certain Lightly looks exactly
like smoke issuing from the summit OF the
peak. Such phenomenon IL sometimes
seen in connection with the north peak
especially.
thrown off from the middle peak, some
times half dozen IN rapid succession,
look very much sometimes like puts Of
smoke. These caps are simply condensed
mist air o. steam from the craters and
almost invariably precede storm or
change in the weather. our mountain IL
a great atural barometer. and its predic-
tons of . change in the weather Tin from
one to three days from the appearance OF
tho weather caps on the middle peak are
as reliable as those of the artificial and
mercurial barometer.
THE dome of snow and Ice, called
latterly .Columbia's crest il SO hrmly
ana surely fixed on the solid rock
which forms the common rim OF the
two craters that it would take a
much harder shock of earthquake
to toppie it into either crater than we have
ever had In Washington, or are likely 70
have. And even If, according to one
theory, the central snow of the crater had
fallen inv ard, such a phenomenon would
not necessarily have resulted in the over
turning or disappearance of 'Columbia's
CREST Such throe or CONFUSION of the
old mountain ~ would produce such q
wonderful change in its appearances,
viewed sixty miles away and plainly visi-
bic. would have caused such violent trem-
bling of mother earth for 100 miles from
the mountain as would have convinced,
not a few, but every man. woman and
child within that radius that something
startlingly strange and phenomenal had
occurred"