East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-01-21
PACIFIC COAST IS
SINKING. SINKING
PORTLAND GEOLOGISr TAKES
ISSUE WITH CONTEMPORARIES
Claims Lifetime Study Of Geological
PhcnomcMa in Northwest Qualities
Him TO BE Best Judge-Objects to
Other Current IIyoptheses.

Portland-"The whole Pacific coast
is sinking Notwithstanding the con-
sensus of opinion of scientific experts
of the United States geological survey
and others to the contrary. l can
prove il by conclusive arguments and
| can back my arguments with ire
futable data if l can only get q hear
| ing, l have devoted a lifetime to a
detailed study of geological phenom-
ena in the northwest and l know that
| am right. But because stand
alone in my theory I have not been
able as yet to prevail upon any sci
entific journal of note to publish the
| facts that l have CLEANED after years
of deIving into the mysteries of stra-
| ta"
Such was the forceful statement
made by w. Hampton Smith, pio-
neer geologist of Portland, at a ses-
sion of the Portland Academy of Sci
ences last Saturday night.
Can Advance Proof.
"My worthy contemporaries in the
field of geologic research have fur
tIler promulgated the hypothesis that
the basaltic formation found in the
willamette valley and elsewhere on
this coast belongs to the miocene or
some later period of the tetiary age.
They are absolutely wrong about this
| can. l think, advance conclusive
proofs of their error he continued
mo. the government experts are
surely mistaken when they say that
the Cascade mountains, for instance
are of miecene origin. From laborl'
Gus investigation l have become con-
vinced that the formation dates back
at the very latest, to the end of the
cretaceous period, or the early par
of the eocene period"
mo more palpable error can b'
made by a geologist than to say tina
( the Pacific coast is rising. This II
not true. The geological movemen
is downward Every mark. charac
terstic and phenomena of submerginl
coast is evident from Behring sea L
= the Gulf of Lower California. NO Ia
: dies and gentlemen, this section
Z the globe was never under salt waite
in the miocene period of the world
evolution
1T has been said that shells bear
ing the marks of the miocene perio
). have been found on this coast.
seriously question the correctness o
: this l never found any such shells
: That shell game, l am inclined to be
= lieye. has been overworked."
Gravel Deposits of Glacial Origin.
: Mr.. smith adso advanced many al
u guments to show that the gravel de
1f7,,,, OF a
glacial origin, in spite of the fact Una
y the government experts hold to tn
3 idea that they are the result OF streai
u action. One OF the most telling poin'
/ was that the gravel could not hav
! heen deposited by the Columbia an
II willamette rivers for the reason th'
! {, Is found scattered all over Multn'
; nah and Clackamas counties. Ha
u the gravel been deposited by stream
he maintained. it would have pee
III found only along their courses.
ct The geologist told some interes
ct ing facts observed by him in II
s course of so years of study of Il
coast strata. He explained the ph
~ nomena Of cedar trees with pas
ne cores and basalt bark by eNpressh
ne the belief that hollow logs we
IN caught in the glacial period and Wh
er' in the ice were filled with lava pou
ne ed forth in immense volumes fro
OF one Of the many vents in the "a
cade ranges.
Talks of Logs and Stumps'
These logs. he said. might ma
Mt baen carried for hundreds and tho
sands of miles before being dropp
lie where they were found. He told
ry. stone stumps, and even Of stone prI
ge- niles which he had found in vari'
But localities of the northwest.