The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1895-01-10

The recent eruption or claimed erup-
ton of Mount Tacoma Rainier and the
subsequent report OF the exploring party
has redirected attention to the mountains
OF Washington which have been in re-
pose since the early seventies. Father
De Smet testifies that sin the year 1916
Mounts st. Helens and Baker became
volcanoes; the latter Immediately preced-
ing the time of writing had undergone
considerable changes on the side where
the crater was formed" This corresponds
In some degree to the story OF John Hia-
ton, although the dates are not the same.
1t is also reported that Mount Tscoma
showed signs of activity at this time.
Settlers OF Whatcom county have often
seen Mount Baker in state of eruption,
giving cut fire and smoke. One old resi-
dent says he has at night, upon the water,
several times seen the fires of Mount
Baker, the smoke from which draws
down the skaeit valley. Parties who
reached the summit in the year 1866, re-
ported that the chasms on the northwest
side are OF frightful depth. The top OF the
mountain is Of solid ice and snow. The
crater lies to the southwark and far below
the summit. From the top smoke was
plainly perceptible.
The most violent earthquake of recent
times occurred in September of the year
1870. All evidence goes to prove that the
shocks came from the direction Of Mount
Olympus in the Olympic range. On the
Cowlitz prairies stock was stampeded,
chimneys were destroyed, fences were
leveled and in the houses the chairs
rocked and clocks were thrown from the
mantels. At Yelm there were observed
two very strong shocks, followed by
several slight ones. Clocks were stopped
and many thrown down. Chickens were
thrown off the roosts and chimneys and
buildings were cracked. In many places
earth assures were formed, and on the
Columbus river trail it was necessary to
make repairs in many places to prevent
accidents to horses. Numerous cracks
were found, some as far east as Okano-
gan and Yakima. In many parts dull,
rumbling noise was heard. At Olympia
houses rocked violently, throwing down
chairs and destroying property, and a
child was thrown from its bed. The ma
pie trees swsyed to and fro like inverted
pendulums, and people who stood in the
streets to avoid falling chimneys were
thrown to the ground. In Lewis county
many chimneys were broken off close to
the roofs. The side-wheel steamer Aida
was lying at her dock at Port Gamble
with her stern pointed north and the dock
to the westward; her officers and men
were startled by strong blow against
her guards on the port side, and rushed
out upon the deck thinking the steamer
had been run into. A strong swell imme-
diately began to roll the boat, and from
the excited people who had rushed into
the streets they learned that an earth
quake had occurred Gamblers deserted
their tables, leaving their gold in the
scramble to get out from under buildings
1t may be presumed that Port Gamble
was well and truly named. With this
earthquake is connected the fall OF large
portion of Mount Tacoma. for upon the
first clear day following the shocks it
could be clearly seen that the Liberty
Cap Cor north peak had lost about eighty
acres from the southern end, which had
been detached from the main part of the
peak and was distributed down the west
ern slope. Were the evidence as to the
direction of the earthquake less clear, it
might be argued that the falling of this
immense mass produced the shocks; but
the reverse is probably true The Puy-
allup Indians have tradition that at
one time Tacobet Mount Tacoma) broke
near the summit. A point fell off and
drifted over to the 0iympics; and after
this phenomenon there was snow on the
Olympics-but never before.