The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-06

no sign of eruption there. Anything more
peaceful could hardly be imagined.
Constantine's dishwasher and General
factotum, Louis-there are no female ser
wants on the place-told exactly the same
story and then I started out to explore
the ravine. 1t was a weary scramble on
a hot afternoon, down through chaparral
and thick underground. startling the
hares and quail at every step Just below
the Summit House there is an old mine
a tunnel running deep into the mountain.
Some twenty years ago a Sanguine indi-
vidual imagined that he could get gold
from the slender quartz reefs which crop
the hillside testifies to his energy; the
abandoned mine, with its rotting tim5ers,
TO his failure.
The noise. however did not come out
of this tunnel There was nothing there
which could produce such a sound. Nor
did the examination of the gully give any
better results. Whatever the underground
action may have been it showed no indi-
cations on the surface. When l reached
Bolinas Bay / questioned all the ranchers
who live along the shore, but not one
of them had heard the sounds. Evidently
the noise was confined to the highest
points of the range and Travelled over, in
an easterly direction, toward Ross VAL
ley.
The theory that the rumbling had been
caused by the stampers at Dog Town,
some three miles from the bay, looked
at first sight to be far-Ietcheo. put X
the mine had not been working for many
months. and that Ii was practically in
a state of collapse. AS to the sea, IT IS
out of the question that any waves, no
matter how high, could shake the solid
ground in this manner
There remains therefore no explanation
but that of subterranean activity to ac-
count for the phenomenon. An old resi-
dent of the nefghborhood, Captain Burns,
states that he heard similar noises thirty
years ago. And nearly forty years ago,
in 1859 there was an even more marked
disturbance at Mount st. Helena, A ire
mendous explosion was heard WITHIN the
mountain, like the. firing OF heavy can
non. All the inhabitants of the locality
listened to the strange SOUND, ana were
scared out of their wits IN anticipation
ing serious fouowed, and Mount st. He
lena towers as placidly to-day as 1t has
done for centuries past.
Neither has Mount Tamalpais anything
to fear from these tiny rumblings. It is
true that certain evidences of volcanic
activity are to be found in the neighnor-
from Willow Camp. some remarkable sui
phur springs occur. The springs rise
through the sand into the ocean, and can
only be located at low vide; There, by
can enjoy a hot sulphur bath, and after
ward cool off by plunge into the sea
AT times the fumes arising from these
springs are so strong that they can be
smelt for long distance; But there
is nothing very serious in this. sulphur
springs are by no means an uncommon
phenomenon and do not necessarily indi-
cate any volcanic danger.
Some scientists accounted, for the Mount
ST. Helena explosion by the supposiIion
fallen in an underground cavity. Perhaps
the same thing happened at Tamalpais.
could have continued for two days, un-
less great pieces of stone kept on falling
all the time. Probably some OF our spe-
TIE sounds may reeur any day, or ii may
be years before they are heard again.
Anyway, old Constantine has sworn, II he
is still alive. to locate them. AS soon as
he hears the first rumblIng he will mount
his horse and gallop over the ranges I'M
til he finds exactly where the sound
comes from. we must wait until then
for a solution of the mystery.
J. F. ROSE-SOLEY.