Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-07
FISH IN CRATER LAKE
Planted With Rainbow Trout
in 1887.
DESCENT TO SURFACE
DOWN A DIFFICULT TRAIL
ALMOST PERPENDICULAR.
Experience Around the Camp Fire on
the Rim Overlooking the Lake
The Return Trip.
By WILLIAM e. CURTIS
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Hecord-Herald.

By WILLIAM e. CURTIS
Special Correspondence q The Star and the Chicago
KLAMATH FALLS, Greg,
September 3D. 1906
Few people have had the opportunity to
cruise around the interior of volcano In
an open boat and fish in the deepest waters
In the United States for rainbow trout. It
costs an effort. however, to enjoy the priyi-
lege, which is attained exclusively at Cra-
ter lake. The descent from the rim to the
water is very difficult. Mr.. Arant. tie SUI
perintendent. knows of only one place to go
down. and that is natural trail which has
never been improved 1t is sort of a mix
ture of circular stairways and toboggan
slides. and follows the erevices and shelves
of cliff about 1,eoo feet high and almost
perpendicular. The return journey taxes the
nerve and endurance OF an experienced
mourta!neer
Three of our party went down; the play
full Harvard giant. one of the assistant gen.
era1 passenger agents and the private sec
rotary, and they took their fishing tackle
with them to test the truth CT a story that
the Geep, blue wat rs that fill the gre ltest Of
calderas are swarn,ing with trout. AT the
bottom they found a boat hauled from
klamath Falls many years ago for the use
of the explorers of the geological survey
and lowered over the precfpice with great
difficulty. 1t is now kept for the use of the
custodian. and he politely loans 1t to such
visitors as he thinks will use it properly !
suppose there will be steamer on the lake
some time and an elevator from the rim to
the bottom. so that fat men can go down
and up without difficulty; or at least an
easy trail By the same faith some time
there will be a hotel with steam-heating
apparatus at the north pole
Planted With Rainbow Trout.
In 1857. Mr.. Steel of Portland and Mr..
Coffey of Medford, Greg, planted Crater
lake with rainbow trout. TIE streams about
this part of the countr' were swarming
with trout at that time and they hired a
couple of boys to asst them. The Toys
caught 30 fish. for which they received 2
cents each, and Messrs Steel and Coffey
put theU1--not the boys. but the fsh-in i'm
provised tanks and started for Crater Lake.
1t was five-day trip By wagon and upon
their arrival only thirty-five of the fish had
survived. Their progeny in the lake are now
numerous, and are easily caught. Fisher
men are rare in these parts Our Toys
caught seven, and ate them for break
fast in the morning. The rainbow variety is
a sort of salmon trout, with most ex-
quisite complexion and firm. hard yellow
flesh.
While they were fishing the rest of rs
were wandering around the rim of the
crater. absorbing the wonders that nature
had wrought and wishing that the CHUCK
wagon would come. For it is a phys!o-
logical phenomenon frequently observed
that scenery does not appear SO sublime to
man who is hungry, as it does to one
who has had a good dinner and a COM
Portable bed. When a man has eaten break
fast at daylight, has had solitary Saline
cracker for lunch and has ridden for twelve
consecutive hours over a stony and dusty
road, it is difficult for him to admire any
thing.
Arrival at the Lake.
The outside slopes of the crater are quite
steep. The road circles around through the
forest so as to make as easy a grade as
possible, but the soil is soft volcanic sand
and clings to the wheels more stubbornly
than ordinary dust; hence it was a hard
pull for the horses. We reached the end
of the journey about ) o'clock, and found
that the wonders of Crater lake had not
been exaggerated IN the descriptions we
had heard and read. l told you yesterday
what they are, and multiplication of
words can convey no clearer idea of one
of the most extraordinary natural freaks
of nature, and one of the most impressive
Views that the universe affords ike the
Grand canyon Crater lake is unique There
are craterS and Craters, wet and dry big
and little, in this and other countries but
none of them approach within comparing
distance to that which lies here. Imagine
a lake of clear. blue water. twenty miles
in circumference and almost circular, sur
rounded by a perpendicular wall nearly
half a mile high, and that will convey to
you some idea of what l am unable to de-
scribe. 1t surpasses the noblest ford of
Norway, which it resembles, because its
walls are unbroken because it is COM
piete.
The charm lies not in its magnitude, nor
in the elevations, for everything is built
upon titanic lines, but upon the combina-
ton of colors and contrasts and the unique
character of the spectacle. 1t is not only
unusual, but l am told by the highest au-
thorities that there is nothing like it any
where else in the world
Around the Camp Fire.
We wandered about the rim and sat in
silent awe: taking in the spectacle from
different points of view, until 1t grew dark
and we could not see any longer Then
we wandered up to the camping ground
which had been selected for us by Supt.
Arant and kindly supplied by him with
wood, milk and water; for the nearest
spring is three quarters of a mile away
There was an immense fire of logs burning
and we sat around on other logs and on the
ground still waiting for that ''chuck
wagon. big campfire is a fine thing,
especially in the midst of a mighty forest,
and on frosty night, for we were 7OoS
feet above the sea and the air was snappy
But the difficulty with big campfire Is
that it fries you on one side. Your back
may be freezing while your face is blis-
tered with the heat, and by turning around,
you get no permanent relief. You simply
reverse the objection. Your nose and An
gers may be freezing while the perSpra-
ton Is running down your spinal column
/ suppose that some time somebody will
invent merry-go-reund. or something like
a potter's wheel to keep people moving be-
fore campfires like whirling dervishes, SO
that they can be cooked evenly on all sides.
And still the chuck wagon didn't come!
The head teamster sent another pair OF
d GnTx-F hn fr-a 30 hNtr ~
and finally we heard whoops of warning
which were answered by whoops of 10y
And when we had thrown out a couple of
tons of mattresses, blankets tents, suit