The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1916-03-31

snowbank near the summit and the
fierce heat of the explosion together
with great mass Of hot cinders rapid
1y melted the snow, and the water
mixed with the ashes and the sand to
a muddy consistency rushed down the
mountainside in an irresistible torrent,
covering portions of the valley for q
width Of two miles with mud from one
to two feet deep.
UpheavaI That Made Lassen
There was time in remote
geological ages when Lassen peak did
not exist, when the waves OF the Pa
cific ocean rolled over the broad ex-
panse of what is now Sacramento val
ley and washed the shores OF CONT
nent which terminated at the base of
the Sierra Nevada mountains. Then
began a wonderful upheaval OF the
earth's crust attended with ire
mendous display of subterranean
energy and the most brilliant series of
thermal, explosive and volcanic out
bursts the world has ever known.
This was when the giant volcanoes
tains of the Cascade range were born.
The foundations of the great deep were
broken up. During the uplifting of
basic rock by stupendous subterranean
forces they. were metamorphosed by
the intense heat and veins and bikes
were filled with the melted rock from
below.
In the imaginative language Of an
early writer: 1.-THE funeral day OF the
old world had come. 1t must be buried.
The momentous event was ushered In
by one Of the grandest displays OF
terrestrial fireworks earth ever wit
messed. But there were no human spec
tators. All the pageantry and pomp OF
earth and heaven were presented on
scale Of magnificence never since
equaled. The roar Of heavens artil-
lery was drowned in the more terrible
crash of breaking and heaving noun
tains; the sun was quenched by the
fiercer CLEANS OF red flames that shot
from hundred volcanoes; along half
thousand miles, from the foundations
of Lassen and Shasta to those of Hood
and Rainier, the earth was opened in
wide-gaping chasms and tremendous
floods Of surging, burning, liquid lavas
were poured out; and black, suffocat-
ing showers of ashes and volcanic dust
were shot high in air and carried far
out over the ocean, now Swallowed by
the terrific upheavals.
The area that was affected by this
great turning over Of nature in her
sleep is of immense extent. It in
cludes parts of California, Nevada,
most Of Oregon and large part of
Washington. Its extent is about 1907
600 square miles.
volcanic phenomena" says a pro-
fessor in the University of London,
are the outward manifestations of
forces deep-seated beneath the crust
of the globe. The universally OF these
phenomena all over the surface OF the
globe in past and present times indi-
Gates the existence of general cause
beneath the earth's crust.
THE similarity of volcanic lava over
wide regions is strong evidence that
they are drawn from one continuous
magma consisting Of molten matter
beneath the solid exterior crust"
Since the first outburst of the Las
sen volcano there have been to date
several hundred other eruptions carry.
ing gray ash and fine, dry powder and
sometimes rock and rounded lava
powders, but at no time has there
been any flowing melted lava Yet
every explosion. every discharge OF
ashes and projectiles is accompanied
by powerful jets of steam and vapor
and roar like the firing of some mon
ster gun. 1t gives no signs of letting
up.