Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1896-10-01
.GRATER LAKE.
fh Deepest Body of Fresh Water
in America.
Some Curious Facts About This
Oregon Wonder.

deepest body OF fresh water in Amer
lea Only one lake in the world is
deeper, namely, Baikal, which exceeds
itan depth by about 400 feet. Until
retently it was asserted that Crater
Lfke was bottomiess, but soundings
haze proved that its greatest depth is
eter, nearly circular, and occupies the
crater of an extinct Volcano.
No fish have ever been known to ex-
ist in Crater Lake. Not long ago q
request that it be stocked with trout
WAS sent to Washington by the Maza-
mas, who are club of mountain
climbers. having headquarters at
Portland. MaZama is the Indian name
for mountain goat. The climbers are
anxious to angle in the extinct crater,
and the government experts are going
to find out whether or not such q
thing is practicable. 1t is easy enough
to put trout into the water, but that
Won i be of no use unless there is
fooG for them there. Trials will be
made by an expedition, for the pur-
pose of ascertaining how much food
there is and whether or not it is OF
kind suitable for speckled beauties to
browse upon.
This will be accomplished by tow
ing small nets of gauze along the sur
face of the water. The water will
dow through the gauze, which will
catch all the animalcule that come in
its way. The quantity of the latter
secured in a given number of minutes
Or hours will be an accurate measure
of the amount of fish food present
They will be bottled and preserved in
formaline for subsequent examination
| by specialist who will determine the
species represented. Chiefly they
will be little shrimps and other small
crustaceans, and there will be some in
sects also. 1t will be necessary to
make the towings at different hours Of
the day, because some crustaceans
swim near the surface only in the
morning, others at midday, and others
yet in the evening. Shady areas as
we'll as sunny ones must be sought for
var ons species.
| 4 most interesting series Of expert
me BITS will be made for the purpose
of }scertaining the temperature of the
wat ter at various depths No temper
ATTIRE observations have ever been
taken in fresh water nearly SO far
down. With this end In view. an
eq1. pment Of self-registering Their
mometers and supplementary appar-
at4s will be taken and will be lei
down by means Of sounding lines.
There are very few places in the en-
tile lake where the depth is less than
1.f00 feet, though it shoals off some
what in the southwest part. One line
Of soundings registered over 1,90(
feft for distance Of two miles. These
d(pths are unapproached by any othel
he in tho western hemisphere.
No wonder, then, that Crater LAX
vhs Supposed to be bottomless. How
,er the truth is that all lakes owe
pc feet deep possess a similar repu
ltion. Any body of water that
deeper than the length of the longes
feeling line is sure to lack bottom il
be popular belief. A first-rate ex
,mple Of this sort of delusion is al
fbrded by Payette Lake in Idaho. ]
pas formerly imagined to be bottom
hiss, and later its depth was officiall
slated to be 2. 600 feet Recent in
estigation proves that its creates
depth is 305 feet There are no dat
b which to base guess as to tn
1ottom tenn mperature Of Crater Lake
lut the supposition is that it will b
Hcry little above freezing. The ten
rerature Of the ocean depths remain
/ about forty degrees Fahrenheit a
BE year round. even In the tropicl
Nevertheless, some volcanic heat .1na
Bf remain to warm tie waters {