The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-02
Mt. BAKER SEM|-ACT|VE.
SUPPOSEDLY EXTINCT VOLCANO rs
SUES smoke AND sTEAM.
Party OF welI-Known whatcom Men
Climb the Mounta.n's Summit and
Witness the Rising steam and
suIphurous varor From Crater.

Special Dispatch 10 the Post-Intelligencer
NEW wHATCOM. Sept. 1.-The state
mant that Mount Baker is a semi-ac.iVe
volcano. and possesses a live crater from
which sulphurous vapors are constantly
rising. Is made By whstcon parties
whose veracity cannot be questioned
They have Just returned from making
the difficult ascent OF the mountain.
II has always been believed here that
Mount Baker was at least an extinct vol
cano. and the very few parties who
have climbed the peak have told of see
ing live crater at the summit. Many
have heretofore looked on these reports
as exaggerations, but the statements OF
the latest scaiers OF the mountain leave
ments.
The party 70 make the last ascent Of
Mount Baker was composed OF J. A. Lee.
principal Of the whatcom high school:
r. w. Epiy and Robert Vale. OF the
Whatcom normal school faculty; +. f.
Handschy. deputy county treasurer;
Charles Macpherson and Walter Hen
men OF this city, and Joe Morovits.
hunter and trapper of Baker lake. who
acted as guide The party was carnped
ure trim and on On sunday wesRr H.
their attention was attracted 70 Mount
Baker by dense volumes of smoke or va
por. which rose from point just be-
This phenomena had often been wit
messed from Whatcom. but many main
tanned that i was merely blowing snow
parry to the mountain gave them such
clear and unmlstaKahle view of the
vnpor that they decided 20 make the
ascent TO the crater.
Climb to the Crater.
The start was made early the next
morning, and the timber line was reached
BY night. where they camped. The next
day the journey up the snow-covered
sides of the peak began. For nine hours
they made their way around ana be-
SIDE great crcvasses, reaching the crater
at In the afternoon.
Tho crater, as near as they could tell.
occupies the whole shoulder OF the noun
tain just below the dome. and to the right,
ter. however. has become filed with
snow. as II IL at an altitude OF about
$500 feet: y occupies several acres in
extent. In the center of the snow led
basin Is a large. almost perfectly round
hole In the snow, about 200 feet across,
through which the mountain constantly
emits steam and .ulphurous vapors.
volumes or smoke then as attracted their
attention on the. preceding sunday. but
the yaror was dense enough to cast a
passed before the SIM At times the
fumes OF sulphur were almost overpow-
ering. and crustatiehs Of that material
were plainly visible on the snow on the
sides OF the crater hole. Indeed the
mountain climbers nvrr that the smell
Of sulphur Is. at times. plainly peroepti-
hle at the timber line. probably two
miles away. Several good photographs
were secured Of the crater. and the par
ty also brought hack souvenirs of, sal
phur crystals and lava from the noun.
tain sido.
The ascent to the very summit was
also made. hut a heavy. iow-fying bank
OF clouds obstructed the View In all al
rections The top Of Mount Rainier was
visible, piercing the clouds many miles
The trip from the summit to the tim
Der lfne, which In the ascent took nine
hours. was made on the down trip in one
hour and three-quartcrs. The party camp
ed again at the timber line, and reached
Baker lake the next day. They describe
the ascent OF the mountain as not par
ticulariy dangerous, but as a hard. tedi-
Gus climb. From the bdse OF the noun
tain 10 the timber line the underbrush
Il very bad They returned TO whatcom
Thursday evening.