The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1904-03-22
LAKE IN THE CRATER
Mount Rainier Has Magnificent Cav
ern at Its Peak.
Pent-Up Waters without any Surface
Outlet Discovered by Tacoma
High School Professor
and Students.


There is lake of water In the crater
of Mount Rainier. Its depth and extent
are not known. and may never be- The
discovery of the lake was made by Prof.
John B. Flett, who has charge OF the
botanical department of the Tacoma
high school, and two men, Arthur GILES
pie and Frank Weymouth, who are stu
dents Of the high school, says a Tacoma
(Wash.) report. The three have made
the ascent from the east side by way of
the White river glacier. The ascent was
made Saturday, July rs, the three spend
ing that night in an ice cave in Crater
peak.
The ascent was made over long, vast
snowfelds. and up great reaches Of gla-
cir. These glaciers were bisected with
numerous crevasses. which caused the
scalers to angle back and forth across
the face of the mountain. Much time
was lost in this way, as the creyasses
could not be seen until the climbers were
almost upon them. 1t was after six
o'clock Saturday evening before they ar
rived at the rim of Crater peak. A fu-
rious wind. accompanied by driving
snow. simultaneously gathered over the
top of the mountain, and the three began
to hunt for shelter.
Passing around the rim of the crater.
steam was observed issuing from hole
about the size Of a mans body, and.
squeezing through the hole. Prof Flett
found himself in a commodious cavern.
the bottom OF which was composed OF
-0Ta ~ -n1- sr-nr : fr.
rim of the crater. while the roof CON
sisted OF the ice formation covering tho
mouth Of the crater. The boys followed
into the chamber. and the three found
themselves warmly and cozily housed
for the night. the dry steam coming up
| from the bowels Of the mountain tenn
/ pering the arctic atmosphere.
The chamber sloped away toward the
1 center of the crater. agreeable TO the
| contour Of the crater rim, but the slope
/. was such that the three could lie down
1 on the large stones without danger of
1 sliding into the darkening cavern be-
reath Prof Flett's alperstoek
/ dropped from his hand and rolled rs feet
/ down the throat of the cavern. and rope
was tied around Weymouth who ven
| tured into the darkness beneath and Sc
| cured IT, AS he descended he lighted
matches. carefully exploring his way
and finding that the mountain beneath
is honeycombed with passages. which
emit quite Jets of steam. but probably
| in the remote past vomiting forth red
hot lavo. The three then began to roll
stones down the incline Some of these
would clear all the partitions separating
the PASSAGES. against which a few Of
the stones lodged. and after sending back
a rumbling roar for a minute. as they re-
bounded from side TO side of the cayerns.
they could be heard sp,sshing into the
lake beneath
The lake has its source in the melting
of the tremendous quantities OF snow
that fall within the crater. and which is
perpetually acted upon in certain por-
tions Of the crater by the steam jets ris-
ing from the interior. There is no sur
face outlet for this water over the rim
of the crater. and if there were the low
temperatures of the crest of the old noun
tain. would soon freeze and close it up.
A subterraneous channel. leading down
through the heart of the mountain. may
give temporary vent to the pent-up wa
ters The three witnessed an ineom-
parably grand sunrise from the summit
the next morning. and on that day, which
was Sunday. descended into Paradise
, valley by way of the old route by Glib
raltar rock.
On the way down they met FIVE young
men from Seattle. who were starting to
make the ascent. in which endeavor they
were successful. they reaching the rim
of the crater the next day fNonday) al
noon. Prof. Flett and the two boys went
around the side of the mountain. cross
ing the Cowlitz and other glaciers. and
finally arriving at their camp on ridge
overlooking the White river glacier
Prof Flett believes that the route from
the east side is ore of the best that
could be selected The slope gradients be-
ing easier. there being no dizzy preci-
pieces. with the trail following a shelyinE
of rock, as there is on the Gibraltar side
of the mountain. ard no dangerous and
untoward cleavers to be traced.