Ellsworth American., 1915-08-18
MOUNT RAINIER.
BIRTHPLACE OF TWENTY GIANT
GLACIERS.


GREATEST SINGLE MOUNTAIN - BE-
TWEEN GLACIERS GROW LUxURI-
ANT MASSES OF WILD FLOWERS.
A frozen octopus Of enormous bulk
whose glittering armored body rises three
miles into the sky, with twenty or more
huge wrinkled arms reaching down
among thousands Of acres Of the most
gorgeous and iuxuriant wild flowers, to
squirt, from each finger tip, river OF ice
water into the valley belowl
Surely quotation from the Arabian
Nights! Or ghost tale to frighten chill
dren on Hallowe'eni
But no, how ever fgurative, this is q
true statement of an actual fact. There
really exists such an ice-armored octopus
in these United States. 1t is justifiable
description OF the most interesting noun
tain in Uncle Sans dominions, and per-
haps in the world.
Mt. Rainier is in the state of Washing
ton, flfty-six miles southwest OF Tacoma.
1t is one OF that celebrated range Of
volcanoes which were supposed to be
extinct until, within the year, Lassen
Peak broke forth again. Rainier, though
supporting one Of the most remarkable
single peak glacial systems in the
world, emits steam from certain crevices,
evidence OF continued internal heat.
Seen from Tacoma or Seattle, the vast
mountain appears to 1u y, m
sea leavel, SO insignificant seem the ridges
about its base. Yet these ridges them
selves are Of no mean height. They rise
3,000 to 1900 feet above the valleys that
cut through them, and their crests average
5000 feet in altitude. Thus at the south
west entrance to the Mount Rainier
National Park, which Congress created to
protect this natural marvel from private
encroachment, the elevation above sea
level is 1000 feet, while Goat mountain,
clUse by, rises to an altitude Of 6,045 feet.
A vERITABLE 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
nAiuLcI ID SCCOuQ III tuo OuLIcu SLHLe6
only to Mount Whitney.
Mount Rainier stands, in round num-
bers, 10000 feet high above its immediate
base and covers 100 square miles OF terri
tory. In shape it is not simple cone ta-
pering to a slender, pointed summit like
Fuiiyama, the great volcano of Japan.
1t is rather q 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 vocanoes, Rainer has built up it's
cone with the materials elected by it's
own eruptions-with cinders and steam
shredded particles and Jumps OF lava and
with occasional flows OF liquid lava that
have soliditied into layers OF hard basaltic
rock. At one time it attained an altitude
OF not less than 5000 feet, IL one may
Judge by the steep inclination Of the lava
and cinder layers visible in its fanks.
Then followed great explosion that de-
reduced its height by some 1000 feet.
The volcano was left beheaded, with q
capacious hollow crater surrounded by Q
jagged rim.
Later on this great cavity, which meas
| ured nearly three miles across from sout
to north, was filled by two small cinder
cones. Successive feeble eruptions added
to their height until at last they formed
together low rounded dome = the emil
| nence that now constitutes the mountains
summit. The higher portions Of the old
crater rim rise to elevations within = few
hundred feet Of the summit and, especi-
| ally when viewed from below, stand out
| boldly as separate peaks that mask and
seem 70 overshadow the central dome.
HARD TO ESTABLISH ALTITUDE.
The altitude of the main summit has for
many years been in doubt. Several figures
have been announced from time to time,
| no two Of them in agreement with each
other; but all of these, it is to be OBJ
served, were obtained by more or less
approximate methods. In 1918 the United
States Geological Survey, in connection
with its topographic surveys of the Mount
Rainier National Park, made new series
OF measurements by triangulation methods
at close range. These give the peak an
elevation OF i, ,4OS feet. This last figure, ii
should be added, is not likely to be in er-
ror by more than foot or two, and may
with some confidence be regarded as final.
Greater exactDess OF determination ia
scarcely practicable in the case of Mount
Rainier, as its highest summit consists
actually OF mound of snow, the height
the seasons and from year to year.
This browning snow mound, which was
once supposed to be the highest point in
the United States, still bears the proud
name OF Columbia crest. 1t is essentially
huge snowdrift or snow dune heaped up
by the furious westerly winds.