Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-09-15
LAKE IN THE CRATER
Mount Rainier Has Magnificent Cav
ern at Its Peak.
p.rt-up Waters without Any Surface
Outlet Discovered By Taeon"
High school Professor
and Students.

discovery OF the lake was made by froi.
John B. Flett, who has charge OF the
botanical department OF the Tacoma
high school, and two men, Arthur dilies-
ME and Frank Weymouth, who are STU
dents of the high school, says Iaco1na
wash ! report. The three have mace
he ascent from the east side by way Oh
tho White river glacier. The ascent was
made Saturday, July 25, the three spend
ino that night in an ice cave In crater
peak.
7e ascent was made over long VAST
snowfelds, and up great reaches ol eia
.sr 1aese glaciers were blsecteu WIN
numerous crevasses, which caused the
scaIers to angle back and forth across
the face of the ountain Much 'lme
was lost in this way, as the creVasses
could not be seen until the climbers were
almost upon them. 1t was after SIX
O'Clock Saturday e"ening before lhey al
rived at the rim Of Crater peak lu-
rious wind, accompanied by driving
qnow Simultaneously gathered over the
ton of the mountain, and the three pegan
to hunt for shelter.
Passing around the rim OF the crater
steam was observed issuing from a hole
about the size Of a mans BODY, anu
soueezing through the hole, Prof. Flett
found himself in cOmmOdiOuS cavern,
the bottom OF which was composed u
rocks and volcanic ash making up lhe
rim of the crater while the roof con-
eisted Of the ice form ation covering the
mouth Of the crater. The boys followed
into the chamber and the three 1ouhu
themselves warmly and coZlly nouseo
for the night. the Grv steam coming up
from the bowels of the mountain tenn
pering the arctic atmosphere
The chamber sloped away toward the
center of the crater, agreeable 10 'he
contour of the crater rim, but the Slope
was such that the three could lie GOWN
on the large stones without danger OF
sliding into the darkening cavern De-
meath Prof. Fletts q alpenstocK
dronped from his hand and rolled 51eet
down the throat Of the cavern. and rope
was tied around Weymouth, VINO VEN
tured into the darkness beneath ana Sc
cured It. AS he descended he llehIeu
matches. carefully EXPLORING MS way
and finding that the mountain beneatn
Is honeycombed with passages, "hlch
emit quite Jets of steam, but probably
in the remote past vomiting fortn red
hot layo. The three then began 10 roli
stones down the incline Some OF these
would clear all the partitions separating
tho passag ages. against which fe" OF
the stones lodged, and after seh0lne pach
rumbling roar for minute, as tney rs-
bounded from side to side OF the caverns
thew could be heard splashing into tne
lake beneath.
The lake has its source In the melting
of the tremendous quantities OF snow
that fall within the crater, ano Whlch II
nernetually acted upon in certain por
tiors of the crater by the steam jets rls
inq from the interior. There is no sur
face outlet for this water over the TN
of the crater, and if there were the io'
terDeratures of the crest OF the ola noun
+oin would soon freeze and close II ul
A suhtorrane0us channel, leading COW
through the heart OF the mountain, ma
, give a temporary ventto the peht-up "d
: ters The three witnessed an 1ncon
narablv grand sunrise from the SUNNI
, tho next morning. and on that day, Whlc
, was Sunday. descended into Paradis
: valley by way Of the old route py T1'
4 raltar rock.
On the way down they met flVe youf
V men from Seattle, who were Star'lne
y maize the ascent. in which endeavor the
# ware successful, they reaching the n
Of the crater the next day (Nonday)
noon. Prof Flett and the two poys WEI
- around the side of the mountain. eros
ing the Cowlitz and other glaciers, al
finally arriving at their camp on rlo'
overlooking the White river glaclt
-- Prof Flett believes that the route fro
a tho east side is one OF the best IN
could be selected, the slope gradients D
ing easier. thcre being no dizzy pre'
picas with the trail following shelvl1
NJ rock as there is on the Gibraltar 81
of tho mountain, and no dangerous a
untovard cleavers to be traced.
peoDIe Fat Less Bread.
well, how's business asked
norter of a wholesale flour agent \
would be surprised" he replied,
know that in this time OF general pro
perity we are selling Tess flour 'hah
hard times. From 1893 to 1873 ! Sc
more -four than ever before or sin
III Business is thriving IN many lines, [
the country is too prosperous Tor l
9our men and the bakers. why is
Simply because the people have mon
,,-,rL 70 br,,- other things than bre.