Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-26
ICE FROM MT. RAINIER
Tacoma Mans Plan to Mine
From Glacier.
TO SHIP BY TROLLEY WIRE
Unfavorable Report Made by Geolog.
ical Survey.
NO GATEWAY FOR FUGITIvES
Extradition Stares Fleeing Suspects
in the Face-strange Copies
of the Bible.
NO GATEWAY FOR FUGITIVEs
EY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.


Not long ago f. s. BIattner Of Tacoma
asked tie Secretary of the Interior for
permit to quarry ice from the Tahoma
glacier. on Mount Rainier. and ship it
by wire trolley eight and a half miles
down grade of 1f3 feet to be sold for
domestic and commercial purposes in the
cities of Tacoma and Seattle. where, he
says, ice costs $40 a ton. He claims that
he can mine the ice and convey it to an
extension of the Tacoma Eastern rail-
way without interfering with the pleas
ure o. tourists or marrng the natural
scenery of the mountain. He submits
diagram of the proposed overhead troll
ley or aerial tram as he calls il, sim
liar to those now used to carry buckets
of ore across Chlcoot pass and from the
Hall mines. in Nelson, Columbia His
plan is to use series OF derrfcks $50
feet apart and twenty-five feet high.
with two wires passing over grooved
wheels. The Chilcoot pass aerial tram
has span of ,43o feet, dropping 1859
feet. At the Hall mines the aerial tram
is 23.797 feet long, with a fall of over
1900 feet.
Mr.. Blattrer proposes to touch the
North Tahoma glacier at an altitude OF
$3.50 feet and run his aerial tram from
that point to Ashford village, which IS
a drop CT l.163 feet. The proposition was
referred by the Secretary of the Interior
to the geological survey for investigation
and report as to the present condition of
the glaciers the probable effect Of quar-
rying ice upon their scenic beauty and
the practicability Of Mr.. Blattners plan
Under instructions from George Otls
Smith, director of the survey, report
was submitted by Bailey Willis, who said:
1.-THE glaciers of Mount Rainier are now
retreating: that is. the annual supply of
ice from the higher mountain slopes is
less than the annual waste from the
lower end. The amount of retreat varies
from year to year, and may even In
certain instances be in some part replaced
by a temporary advance; but the retreat
in decade Is very obvious and materially
| changes the position and character Of the
! lower extremity of the glacier. In view
| of this fact, 1t cannot be assumed that
| the glacier will replace any considerable
amount of ice which might be removed
| for commercial uses. Especially is this
| taken for commercial use. and the under
| lying muddy ice thus exposed would waste
| away much more rapidly than did the
white surface of the glacier"
Special Claim for Protection.
With regard to the effects on the seem
| cry and the pleasure of the tourists, Mr..
| Willis says that 1.-The Tahoma glaciers
are easily accessible being within less
than five miles of wagon road. with
direct access Np the valley of the stream
that flows from them. The construction
of path for ordinary walkers would
encounter no special difficulty or expense.
The Tahoma glaciers are much more ac
cessible than those of the northeastern
side Of Mount Rainier. for instance. yet
they are frequently visited by parties who
wish to avoid the crowd and observe
nature undeflled The acce feasibility yet
secluded character of the Tahoma glaciers
constitutes a special claim to protection.
Furthermore. the north Tahoma and Will
son glaciers end within three miles of
Vista Peak high point within the west
ern boundary of the park, from which
one of the most comprehensive and superb
view of Mount Rainier may be had. The
only view with which l can compare it
is that of the Jungfrau from Murren in
Switzerland. While not now much visited.
this point will develop as a scenic resort,
and the glaciers which lie immed 'ately In
the foreground should remain untouched
In their natural beauty.
THE operation OF taking ice from the
glaciers for commercial uses involves
stripping the clear Ice which descends
from an altitude Of about 1000 feet in a
superb ice cascade. and finally ends in
a toe which Is covered with moraine Can
accumulation of broken stones and deb
ris,. The removal of the ice pyramids
and pinnacles would seriously diminish
the beauty Of the glacier, and it would
also be followed by the rapid melting of
the ice. where it descends over the cliff
and is exposed to deep crevasSes that
extend tc. the bed rock. The glacier would
soon be cut by a melted zone. and re-
stricted to the section that lies above
1900 feet
Mr.. Willis calls attention to the fact
that the operation Of cutting and trans
porting the ice could only be carried on
by the use OF machinery and the MAIN
tenance of a camp of laboring men who
would erect unsightly structures and
constitute an intoIerable nuisance
He also calls attention to the law that
Mount Rainier National Park. and sug-
gests that technically ii is believed that
quarrying ice is form of mining. which
would have been prohibited by the farm
ers of the statute if 1t had occurred to
them that such purpose might be en-
tertained.
It is proposed to supply ice in CONNER
cial quantities to the populations of Seat
tie and Tacoma and presumably TO other
towns along the lines OF the railways
between those cities. The population
which would thus be reached now num-
bers about 2tO.UD persons, and Is increas-
ing. Furthermore, steamers sail fire.
quently from those ports. carrying large
quantities of ice. The ice consumption
of New York and Chicago Is equal TO
about one ton per capita per year. hence
on the above basis the probable consump-
ton Of Puget Sound is 100000 tons per
annum.
Would Destroy Ice Cascade.
Mr.. Willis proceeds to demonstrate that
successful business enterprise would
require at least 10000 tons to he taken
out annually. ard u. effect would be to
effect. He argues. too. that there is no
necessity mining Glaciers