The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-29


MALT LAKE, Sept 25.-Crater
lake, in southern Oregon, although
4 discovered by white men nearly
sixty years ago, and set apart
as national park for the last ten
years, has only recently come into tho
view OF the general public. But ii has
already taken rank among the half
dozen foremost scenic wonders Of
America. and as it is not sonly of mar.
velous beauty but also OF scientific in
terest, visit to il formed one Of tho
most enjoyable episodes Of the trans.
continental excursion OF the ArAerican
Geographical society.
The party started from Modford, rs
guests Of the Commercial club of that
city, and reached the lake after an e1
citing automobile ride OF eightyfvo
miles, in the course of which they
climbed nearly 6000 feet and passed
through virgin forest Of Douglas fir,
yellow pine and sugar pine, which
aroused the admiration Of the foreign
members TO such degree that they in
sisted upon stopping at every oppor-
tunity TO photograph some especially
imposing giant Of the woods. and could
with difficulty be persuaded TO hurry
on to their destination
Crater Lake a Marvel.
After climbing all day about the
cliffs which rise from one TO two thou
sand feet above the surface of the lake,
and rowing on its transparent blue
waters, which in some places are 1000
feet deep, the geographers gathered
around their campfire in the evening
and discussed the past geographic and
geologic history of the lake and the
surrounding region.
Crater lake is nearly circular IN
shape and has an average diameter of
about five miles. Its surface is over
5000 feet above sea level, and it is com
pletely surrounded by cliffs which, in
some places, rise 1000 feet almost yer.
tically. Outside Of tins rim, the ground
slopes away i'll all directions, so tina;
the lake Is situated at the top OF
mountain. but it Is the opinion of most
the question, that the present noun.
tain is only the lower portion OF a tar
larger one which lowered to a hoight
of nearly $1,000 feet and which has re.
ceived the name of Mount Mezama.
A Blown-up Crater.
1t is supposed that the upper por-
Of poIn
stroyed In some tremendous cataclysm,
aud that it WINS probably eng,lfed,
leaving the great hole which was after.
wards filed By the lake. On this sup
position, the depression occupied BY tho
lake, properly speaking, Is not crater,
bat caldera OF pit. Since the forma-
ton of this c1dera, several smaller
eraters have opened within it, and have
elected lava and built up volcanic
cones, one of which now rise5 500 feet
above the surface Of the lake and is
called Wizard island.
This theory of the origin of Crater
lake was questioned by some Of the
members Of the geographical party,
who argued that the top of the noun
tain might have been blown off, instead
OF being engulfed, and several even ex-
pressed their belief that there has
never been any higher part of the
mountain, but that the lake occupios
what was once the real crater of the
volcano,
Makes a Discovery.
One OF the arguments for the former
existence OF u great mountain is the
aV1dannn II oil
nm and on the outer slopes, and il is
generally supposed that these glneiers
could only have come from a hioh
mountain. But Prof. Mark Jefferson
stated that in his walks about the rim
OF the lake, ne had not found glacial
strlae, or scratches. on the rocks OF
su1ricient Importance 20 mark the for.
iaer iiaer existence OF any great bodies Of
ice, and, moreover, that the striae
which were TO be seen pointed toward
the inside OF the rim as we'll as iowa rd
the outside, indicating that the lee
movement was in both directions, This
could be explained by supposing that
the present depression was once filled
with ice, which rose higher than tho
rim and on subsiding flowed down both
sides.
This view Was substantiated by
Prof. Carl Uhlig Of Tubiugeu, who ha.
climbed Mount Kiliman iaro, the great
African volcano, which is capped with
snow and lee There he found glacia
tion on both the interior and exterior
OF the crater. He did not think that
there had ever been mountain rising
sbove Crater lake, and saw no reasor
why the pit should not once have beer
an active crater like those OF seyera
existing volcanoes, such as on the island
Of Hawaii, for instance.
Prof. Eugene de Cholnoky of Kolozs
var. Hungary, also argued against III,
tyoothcsis Of az ancient Mount Ma