The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-12
APPROPRIATE NANE FOR THE SUBLIME
OBJECT UNDER WHOSE SHADOW Ne UVE.
A Suggestion That Mount Rainier BE Ne
chriStened in Honor of DR.. Mar
Gus Whitman.

T, supposed TO have recorded All i"'po' '"'''
| events In official circles.
| The London Times of April >. iSes, mace
! the following brief announcement: Al
/ rniral Rainier died on THURSDAY eVeninn
| last at O'Clock at his home at Ciapton.
In s.Campheli's British Admirais.
work covering the naval history OF 1reae
| Britain from the time or caesar GOWN :.
/ l-Se and purporting TO give history .,
All the British naval officers or any dis-
| tinetion. and in most cases giving lengthy
T! accounts of their deeds. Ii is stated thar on
/ March 8. 1779. a squadron sailed LOT .ns
! East Indies under command or SIT Eo-
ward Hughes. and among ms SHIPS was
| the Buford. commanded by cap,. fe.s1
| Rainier. OF his deeds the historian
| states; "Our navy had no opportunity
1 during the whole year u17a) of performing
| any essential service in the East Indies.
| In a work entitled History of the Brit
| .sh Navy" by c. d. Yonge, an English
| history from the earliest period 10 the
| present time" there occurs the most ex-
| tended reference to Rainier to he found
| In any work In the library. 1t was dur
| ing England's war with Holland In 1875.
| The English had adopted the policy or
| attacking the Dutch republic in her coli
onies SO as to weaxen her commerciai
| strength. Among those attacked was the
Island of Trineomalee, in Ceyion. ana
4 InfS Is where AGuifdi iNaiifiSA Nt1st't
| guished 90 himself His great services
TO mankind are thus referred to by
| Yonge at page 4S2: AT the same time
| another small squadron under the COM
| mand OF Rear Admiral Rainier. consist
| ing of the Suffolk, "A. the flag ship: the
| Centurion, 90 and the Diomede. A, with
| small body of troops under the command
| of Col. James Stewart. reached Trim
| GONZALEZ. in Ceylon. with view to the
| reduction of that important island. The
/ attempt was not in every respect FORUM
| ate for the Diomede struck on a hidden
rock and went down SO suddenly that 1t
/ was not without great difficulty that her
| crew was saved. but the resistance made
by the Dutch was of very different
character to that which had been Of
| fered by their countrymen at the cape
| (of Good Hope). After very brief attack
| the garrison surrendered. though the fort
| was armed with nearly a hundred heavy
guns. and the other strongholds followed
| their example. so that the eastern side
| of the island became ours without costing
/ us a greater loss than sixteen men killed
| and sixty wounded
| The foregoing is faithful account OF
| the record of Peter Rainier as offered by
| one of the greatest libraries in the world.
Is there anything In 1t to Justify such a
monument? How came IL then TO be his ?
| In May. 1892 Capt. Vancouver an early
4
waters of Puget sound at the Straits, saw
this great peak in the distance. which. as
| he himself relates. after my friend
Rear Admiral Rainier. distinguished by
| the name of Mount Rainier" And thus
| 1t came to pass that an obscure English
| man. obscure even among his own peo-
| pie. who rendered no service TO mankind
| who left no record behind him by which
| to he traced save only as the hero of
| ''Trfncomalee"-thus become q god be-
fore whose mighty seat all mankind must
bow In reverential alteration and whose
name 1t is blasphemy to challenge!
| What great magician was this Capt
| George Vancouver. that he could accom-
| plish such metamorphosis!
| What Tacoma Means.
4 Tacoma-The derivation OF this word
is shrouded in the myths and legends Of
the Indian races. which have tiourished
! for unknown ages under the great shad-
| ow OF this mountain. An eminent au-
| thority says the term means plenty of
| food, or ''nourishment." and hence
woman who had plenty of nourishment
| in her breasts was called Tacoma sla
| dah. or "the motherly woman" and In
course OF time the nourishing breast of
| woman was called Tacoma" and, fur
| ther, that THE snow capped mountains
| were called 'Haik-Tacomas' because
they resembled woman's breast and
| were supposed to furnish plenty of nour-
| ishment TO the lesser mountains" An
other very eminent authority, who has
| made the chronological history of the In
dian races almost lifelong study. says:
| Tacoma Is the white mans rendering of
| the NesGually and Puyallup word TIA
ho-ma' or 'Tah-o-mah' The word means
| snow mountain or white mountain" n
would be useless to multiply authorities.
| This derivation is the very uniform cor.
1 clnEi0n
| acquainted with the subject by long ex
| perience among the native races or nv
STUDY OF their language and legends.
30 that the word Tacoma" how much
soever II may lack In authentic force as
the name of this great mountain. has a
certain appropriateness, II win be readily
! aoIni''ea. covered with eternal white
ness. sending forth TO the NORTH ~.
west and South beautiful streams n
str1ctest purity. enshrouding the Land wit,
/ FeruuFe ana luxuriant vegetation sr,i,
| HIs serenejy upon her children millions
1i ~hom are now sleeping silently AT her
feef and millions yet to be-weil NAV The
| mother" i7iiiis
bnt however appropriate II NAV he az
an aboriginal sentiment :. .wor.r.
emotion behtting the grandeur OF tho an
yect, preserves no tradition of inte.es,
| as history, and impresses no lesaor 80
value 10 future generations. VI
| ~. IKE the other. is involved In ais.
| cora ana dissension and petty strife a,s
must ne az long as II remains wh,t.,,,.
| OF merit II may have had or wbatevar -,
Rood " might have accomplished bas
| olsappeared In the miets Of ,ba 10,
therefore,. l propose another fdoI a nar,
| goo one 10 whom all may cast revero,.
eyes with nrfde In the knowledge tha,
80 a. rneanins worthy Of the greatness
| the name propose
why Not rni II Whitman,
whitman And now who was Witt
! man and why should he bo ,h,, ~
ored' The publicity given The ,a.e 80,
| raforv exercises at wafra waua -
| DOUBTLESS caused many IN kpoc, - va !,
MN VINO had never before hnara ~
| name But 10 fully understand ga
| pfecfafe the man ard his great ser..,
| 10 the nation. fs 10 know the btsts
| me prolonged struggle between, +bn r-s,. -
states ana Great Britain over ,ha -.
| SESSION. OF the Oregon terrstory ;, :.
| was called II involves ,ha 1rsr,
array OF data which were the suht... -.
.'seossion and consideration ara !"
ps ,he TWO governments for ns,r,, -.
s'"rF on the explorations ara AZ.
| OF the SPANISH during ,ha 90
| -. - s.,ulF OF our own discoveries
ria-..sg 'I'as IN i'sZ of the English er.
| p'osaNons by Cant. Vancouver 49,. =,
same time: OF the T4,nfssan, ~ anou' the
lss8. ny Jefferson: Of the xcgsr,sss III
a.'ohs IN i1f-'ss by Lewis ana CO.
81 the operations OF that vast cb.-.a
.t1he OF British conquest tho IIyssn..'
ray 'onnany: Of the founding ~ Al.
1ta' IN irIl; OF the many and sfrrcs. -.