The evening times., 1895-08-09
SUBMERGED FOREST.
Trees a Hundred Feet Tall Standing
Upright in the Water.

Trees a Hundred Feet Tall Standing
Upright In the Water.
Many years ago. even so far hack that the
tradRioDs of the oldest siwash extend not
thereto, says the Seattle, Wash, Times,
there was sone vast uphearal on the shores
of Lake Sarnamish that sent a portion of
the big Ne wcastle hills sliding down into
the lake, with its stallevergreen forest intact.
and there IT is to this day. About this time
of the year the waters of the lake are at theiF
lowest, and the tops of the tallest of these
big submerged trees are ost OF the water,
but never more than ten or twelve inches.
Unfortunately for the travelling public,
the submerged forest Is on the opposite side
Of the lake from the railroad and the sta
ton of Mohonon, and very fe " people ever
see the phenomenon unless they take the
time aid pains necessary TO reach 1t.
The waters of the lake are very deep and
the bluffs back of the beach very precpi-
tous, so that the only explanation of the
freak is that by an earthquake OF some
other means great slide had been started
in early times and it went do wn as a ma So
until 1t found lodgnient at the bottom of the
lake. At this time one can see down into
N-N~ es~ASSs 0CptHS Vi Tue 1sf k6
for thirty feet or more Near the banks the
forest trees are inter laced at various
angles and in Confusion, but further out in
he deep water they stand straight, erect
and bnibless and barkless, 1eO feet tall
They are not petnfied in the sense of being
urned to stone, but they are preserved and
ippear to have stood there for ages. They
are three feet through. some of them. and
u nrm In texture as to be scarcely affected
oy a knife blade A great slide extended
.or some distance. and it would now be a
iangerous piece Of work for n steamer to
attempt passage over the tops of these trees
Even now the water along the shore is
Tery deep, and 4 ten-fuot pole would sink
oerpendicnlariy out of sight ten feet from
IL. shore line.
All over this country are found strata
nj blue clay, which in the winter sea-
son are very tTeacherDus, and, given the
least bit Of opportunity, will slide away,
carrying everything above with them.
fhis Is the theory of the submerged for
est or Lake sanlamish. 1t probably was
growing above one of these blne earth
strata, and heavy rains, or an Garth
quake, Set it moving. The quantity of
earth carried down was SO great that
the Positions of the trees on the portion
carried away were little affected. 1t is
hardly to be believed that the earth
sank down at this point and
became portion OF the lake.
Few such places exist There is a
place In the famous Tunwater mon,
oa the line of the Great Northern, near
Leayenworth, which is in some respects
similar. At some early time portion
Of the great mosntaip side came rushing
iown and buried itself at the bottom
'f the canon. Now, there is O consider
ibls lake, aud in the center stand tan,
imbless trees, different in species from
hose growing along the canon.
AT Green Lake, near Georgetown, Col
a lake which Is 10 900 feet above sea
evei-is n submerged forest of pine
rees- some hundred feet tall, but not so
numerous as in Lake Samamish