Evening star., 1905-10-05
WAY TO CRATER LAKE.
A Trip Full of Unpleasant
Incidents.
LONG RIDE IN THE DARK
DISCOMFORT CAUSED BY THE
COOKS DISCRETION.
Following the Rim of a Wonderful
Canyon, With Walls Carved Deep
in the Granite Slopes Of the Mou
LONG RIDE IN THE DARK
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore, Sept. 27, 1905.
The hospitable landlady at klamath Falls
gave US a hountiful supper of fried chicken,
fritters and hot biscuits, ana we started
out in wagons about o'clock the other
night to find a sawmill on the shore of Up
per Klamath lake, where a boat was said
to be waiting for us. Between the dust
and the darkness we had a desperate drive.
but one of the drivers found the road by
walking ahead of the first team and we
reached our destination in safety. The boat
was recently built in anticipation of a large
business on the lake when the irrigation
project is completed, and is not entirely fin
ished. 1t had never been slept in before,
and was not accustomed to having strangers
lying around in all sorts of deshabille in
its cabins and on it's decks. But it behaved
very well and carried US safely-perhaps
because it is named after Winema, the good
Indian woman who served as Gen. Canby's
interpreter al the time of the Modoc mas
sacre, and saved the lives of Mr.. Meacham
and Mr.. Dyer, the other commissioners. We
expected to reach the landing of the Kla- |
math Indian agency, but there no lights
on the lake-not even moon that night
so the captain hit the shore a couple of
miles before reaching that point, and the
language that was used when went
aground indicated the unregenerate condi-
ton of Oregon boatmen.
1t was not yet daylight, but everybo
got up, and an eminent member of the
Oregon judiciary, who had been keeping
the gentlemen that shared the cabin floor
with him awake all night telling stories
concerning his professional experiences and
other subjects, pointed out very clearly the
advantages of landing at the wrong place.
He kicked his bednlate off the blankets and
rolled them up in a piece Of canvas. Then
he did what he could to bother the men
who were trying to get breakfast by Of
fering advice and suggestions as to how
bacon and potatoes should be fried and cof-
fee boiled. He wanted two eggs-one fried
on one side and the other on the other side;
and the second mate Of the steamboat
whose turn it was to cook that morning,
Is still contemplating the possibility of OBJ
liging him.
The real cook was missing According to
the assurances of the eminent Oregon jurist
we were to have had ''the best cook that
ever flung a fiap-jack in the Cascade noun
talns, and the paragon had begged the
privilege of coming with on the expedi-
ton. He had made all the preparations
had provided everything for our comfort
and convenience, but at the last moment
was compelled to change his plans in order
to hold down a desert land claim some
where in the valley, which he suspected
that some of the neighbors were trying to
jump. Everything that went wrong dur
ing the entire trip was blamed to that cook.
The Cook Missing.
Three spring wagons and one lumber
wagon were driven through the underbrush
to the edge of the lake and pIanks were
thrown out from the main deck SO that we
could reach the shore. Almost everything
the boat contained was carried over and
dumped into that lumber wagon, without
regard to faith, hope or charity-mat-
tresses, tents, bles, suit cases and
satchels, pillows, a side of beef, couple
Of hams, a sack of flour, two or three slabs
of bacon and the usual quantity of timed
goods, with frying pans, coffee pots and
other kitchen utensils, until it became
conglomerate of equipment commissary
and quartermaster's stores. The ladies
were assigned to the most comfortable
vehicle and the men folks piled in to the
others. recent Harvard athlete, with
the muscles of a Sampson, sat beside the
judge, and occasionally, by gripping his arm
or his leg, kept him reminded that sins are
sometimes punished before death.
We drove to the Indian agency to borrow
what the judge had forgotten to provide.
Mr.. Fee bought dozen towels which |
among several other necessities had been
overlooked. 1t was impossible however. |
to borrow wash basin. The judge said we
did not need one. He declared that nobody
but dudes used them in Oregon. and that
any one who wanted to wash could go down
to the lake But it Is recognized princi- |
pie of political economy that day passed
without wash basin can never be recalled |
L mere were nIteen people in the party and
not wash basin within twenty miles,
Along the Anna Canyon.
Nevertheless, we cheerfully entered a |
wonderful forest and the road followed the
rim of a still more wonderful canyon, whose |
finely sculptured walls Anna creek has |
carved deep in the granite slopes of that
mountain. The whole country is covered
with masses of volcanic debris Bits of |
Diack lava and pumice stone are strewn |
over the entire forests, while both rims of |
the canyon here and there show battle |
ments. towers. pinnacles and other project |
Ing heaps of lava that the winds and rains |
OF ages have gradually been wearing |
away. This is said to be the most recent |
eruption in the Cascade mountains, but 1t |
occurred so long ago, so many centuries |
before the knowledge of man, that it might |
Just as well have happened before the food |
Nearly all the volcanic cones and piles of |
lava are worn smooth, although the granite |
Is rough and rugged. Whenever we |
came to an open place in the woods |
we could see conical hills of lava |
where vents had evidently occurred dur
ing the great upheaval, and at one point
there are deep stratas of pumice
stone as light as a dry sponge.
We had seen samples of this pumice at
terprising people were cutting 1t out to ship
to market.
Some one suggested that so notable n
geological phenomenon as the Anna canyon
and such roaring stream as Anna creek
should have more dignihed names when ii
was explained that twenty or thirty years
ago party of young people came camping
up this way and one of the young ladies fell
suddenly i'll and died They buried her nm
der great boulder and gave the canyon