Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-09-02
MT RAINIER LIKE OCTOPUS
Over Twenty Arm.Like Glaciers
Reach Downward From Top.
These Icy Tentnclcs Are In Sharp Con-
trast to the Masses of Euxuriant
wild Flowers Growing
Among Them.


huge wrirkled arms reaching down
among thousands of acres of the most
gorgeous and luxuriant wild flowers. to
squirt, from each finger tip, a river of
Ice water into the valley below!
Surely a quotation from the Arabian
Nights! Or a ghost tale to frighten chill
dren on Halloween!
But no, however fsurative, this is a
true statement Of an actual fact. There
really exists such an ice-armored octo-
pus il these United states 1t is justi-
fable description Of the most interesting
mountain in Uncle Sans dominions, and
perhaps in the world.
Mount Rainier is in the state of Wash
ington. SO miles southwest of Tacoma 1t
is one of that celebrated range of volca-
noes which were supposed to be extinct
until within the year, LASER Peak broke
forth again. Rainier. though supporting
one of the most remarkable single peak
glacial systems In the world, emlts steam
from certain crevices, evidence of con-
tinued internal heat.
Seen from Tacoma or Seattle, the vast
mountain appears to rise directly from
sea level, so insignificant seem the ridges
about its base. Yet these ridge hem
5000 to 1000 feet above the valleys that
cut through them. and their crests aver
age 5000 feet in altitude. Thus a, the
southwest entrance to the Mount Rainier
National Park. which Congress created
to protect this natural marvel from pri-
vate encroa chment, the elevation above
sea level is 1900 feet, while Goat Noun
tain, close by, rises to an altitude Of
6,0i5 feet.
A VERfTABLE COLOSSUS.
But SO colossal are the proportions of
the great volcano that they dwarf even
mountains of this size and give them the
appearance of mere foothills In height
Rainier is sA'ond in the United States on
ly to Mount Whitney.
Mount Rainier stands. in round num-
berS, 10000 feet high above it's immediate
base and covers 100 square miles of terri
tory. In shape It Is rot simple cone ia
pering to a slender. pointed summit like
Fujiyama, the great volcano Of Japan.
1t is rather a broadly truncated mass re.
sembling an enormous tree stump with
spreading base and irregularly broken
top
Its life history has been a varied one
Like all volcanoes, Rainier has built up
its cone with the materials elected by its
own eruptions-wth sinders and steam
shredded particles and humps of lava ana
with occasional flows Of liquid lava that
have solicited into layers of hard ba saltic
rock. AT one time it attained an altitude
of not less than 5000 feet If one may
judge by the steep inclinations OF the lava
and cinder layers visible in its flanks
Then followed a great explosion that de,
stroyed the top part of the mountain and
reduced its height by some 1000 feet The
volcano was'left beheaded, with capa-
cious hollow crater surrounded by a Jag
ged rim.
Later on this great cavity which
measured nearly three miles across from
south to north, was filled by two small
cinder cones. Successive feeble eruptons
added to their height until at last they
formed together a low rounded dome-thc
eminence that now constitutes the noun
tains summit, The higher portions of
the old crater rim rise TO elevations with
in few hundred feet of the summit
and. especially when viewed from below
stand out boldly as separate peaks that
mask and seem to overshadow the central
dome.
The altitude of the main summit has for
many years been in doubt Several fig
ures have been announced from time to
time, no two of them in agreemeAt with
each other but all Of these, 1t IS to he
observed. We're obtained by more or less
approximate methods. In 1918 the United
states Geological Survey. in connection
with its Topographic surveys of the Mount
a..
of measurements by triangulation methods
AT close range. These give the peak an
elevation of 14,4oS feet. This last figure
II should he added. is not likely to be in
error by more than foot or two and
may with some confidence be regarded Is
final. Greater eXactness of determination
Is scarcely practicable in the case of
Mount Rainier as its highest summit con-
slsts actually of mound of snow, the
height Of which naturally varies some.
what with the seasons and from year to
year
rms GROWING snow mound. which was
once supposed to be the highest point in
the United States, still bears the proud
name OF Columbia Crest. 1t Ia essentially
IA huge snowdrift or snow dune hcaped up
by the furious westerly winds.
Six great glaciers originate at the very
summit. They are the Nisqualy, the
lngraham, the Emmons, the Winthrop,
the Tahoma, and the Kautz Glaciers
But many Of great size and statelness are
born OF tho SHOWS In rock pockets or
cirques-1ce-scHlptured bowls of great
dimensions and ever-ncreasing depth
from which they merge into the glisten-
Ing armor OF the huge volcano The most
distinguished of these ire the Cowlitz. the
PARADISE the Frying Pan, the Carbon,
the Russell. the North and South Mowich, ,
the Puyallup. and the Pyramid Glaciers |
REMARKABLE GLACIERS.
More than twenty glaciers great and
small, clothe Rainier; rivers OF ice, with |
many Of the characteristics of rivers of |
water, roaring al times over precipices ike
rocky slopes-veritable noisy cascades; ris- |
ing smoothly up on hidden rocks to foam, |
brooklike, over its lower edges.
Each glacier whether originating at |
the bright summit or in vast sprnglike |
cirques, begins In even. immaculat e snow |
A thousand feet or so below it attains !
sufficient density and weight to acquire
movement. Here, looking down into |
crevasse one sees nothing but clean snow, |
piled In LAYERS; slightly compacted and |
loosely granular snow, called neve in the |
Swiss Alps. Gradually, as the current |
sweeps along. II compacts under the |
pressure and the surface MEETINGS, into |
hard. dense, blue ice.