The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-01-22

and the climbing Is found to be espe-
cially fatlguing, The Cinder Cone rs
regular in FORM with surprisingly
smooth dark surface, showing no traces
of waterways or other marks OF the
rayages OF time.
1t rises TO an elevation of 64O feet
above the lowest point of its base 600
feet above the seal, with an average d.
ameter of 1000 feet below and TaO feet
across the top, Its slopes are as steep
as it is possible for such loose volcanic
material 10 maintain, and are marked
in many places by slides, The angles
of the slope range from thirty to thirty
seven degrees, according to the size of
the volcanic fragments, The dull, SOM
Der aspect of the smooth, dark slope Is
greatly relieved by the carmine and
orange colored lapili ON the southeast
ern side, so that when viewed from
near Snag Lake, the coen presents the
pleasing hues of sunset. The strange
ness of the scene Is greatly enhanced
by the almost complete absence of vege-
tation; only two small bushes cling on
the outer slopes and give life to the
cone.
On the summit of the cone We have
well developed crater, The pit has
depth of 240 feet, with a narrow bottom
and partially shaggy slopes, so steep as
to be scaled with difficulty. A peculiar
feature is the double character of the
crater 1t has two rims, one within the
other, separated by a shallow moat,
which encircles the great funnel shaped
depression in the crater.
From the summit is obtained an ex-
oeEent view of the lava field. A small
portion of it, near the Cinder Cone, be-
| ing covered with sand Is smooth, but
| the larger portion, composed of angular
blocks of lava loosely piled together, is
extremely rough. The relation of these
| two PORTIONS to each other and to the
volcanic sand of the region is of special
Importance i'm tracing the history of
the volcanic phenomena of this vicinity,
| but will not be noticed until after the
| form of the lava field and the character
of the ancient lake bed with it are con-
| sidered.
| The general form of the lava field Is
tabular, and it covers an area of about
one by two and half miles in extent,
It ends on all sides abruptly, like q ter
race, and is in many places over 100
/ feet high.
Within the lava field and about its
end bordering on Lake Bidwell is a dot
of soft, white material, which, when ex-
amined under the microscope. is found
to be infusorial earth. mixed with vege-
table matter such as grows on lake bot
toms. 1t is evident that this was once
The bed of lake, and as it connects
directly with the present bed Of Lake
Bidwell 1t shows that Lake Bidwell was
once larger than it now is, occupying not
only its present area, but also much Of
that now covered by the lava field.
Beneath the ancient lake beds and to
some extent covered by volcanic sand is
a lava which corresponds to that occur
ring near the southern base of the Gin
der Cone. The country rock on which
the Cinder Cone and sheet of volcanic
sand rest is basalt from the neighbor-
ling but older volcano of Prospect Peak.
The two sheets of lava in the lava eSid
are separated by the infneariai deposit
of the ancient bed of Lake Bidwell, and
also by thin sheet Of sand which COW
ers the older lava near the Cinder Cone,
the collections Of volcanic bombs encir-
cling the base, and the volcanic neck
within are all represented In the sec
ton.
| The whole aspect of the Cinder Cone
and lava field is so new that one at first
feels confident of finding historic evil
dences of it's eruption To say that 1t
was formed in the geological yesterday
even makes it too old, for It appears
rather to belong to the early part Of to-
day Yet the evidence clearly demon
strates that the. earliest eruption oc-
Cured before theAbeginning Of the pres
ent century
The second or ELUSIVE eruption oc-
Cured at much later date. but GER
tainly more than fifty years ago, and
was of such character as not to at
tract attention.