Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-09-09

cans who visit it in vacation time. 1t should have
IL good American name. change in name, OF
course means changing the name of Mount Raj
nier since the mountain is one-thrd of the whole
park.
Peter the Great, on his deathbed In 1925, de-
creed that Vitus Behring, a Dane in his employ,
should cross Siberia to the unknown western sea,
build two ships and search for the tabled passage
to the Atlantic. Thus came about the Russian pos
session of Alaska and Of the north Pacific coast.
Perez in 1878, and Haceta, in 1774, both Span
iards explored the Pacific coast, discovered Moot
ka sound and suspected the Columbia river from
the breakers on its bar In TIT Capt. James Cook
discovered Cooks inlet but missed both Juan de
Fuca's straits and the Columbia Capt. Robert
Means of the East India company discovered the
straits in 17SS but dared not cross the Colum-
bias bar.
International iealousIes brought about the Moot
ka Convention of 1890, which gave the British the
right to fish and trade, provided they did no colo
nzing
Then in 1902 came an American, Capt Robert
Gray Of Boston, in the Columbia, the first Amer
lean ship to sail around the world 0790). 1t took
this dauntlcss American sailor nine days to get
through the breakers the Columbias bar. He
sailed 30 miles up this noble river and named 1t
after his gallant ship.
That same year Capt George Vancouver of the
British navy was sent to enforce the Nootka con-
vention. IIc explored Puget sound, but baked at
trying to cross the Columbia's bar He met Cap
tain Gray, who told him of his ascent of the river
But the British commander baked at the break
erS, took possession Of the country in the name
Of his sovereign and left Lieutenant Broughton
In :ho Chatham to explore the river If he could.
Broughton got into the river and assembled 100
miles Ivy launch. He saw Mount Rainier about
100 miles away and struck with awe. Like
true British naval officer he named this magnif-
:-t,,~ nc
level Nfter Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.
Mount Rainier Is AZ miles from Tacoma and
81 miles from Seattle. 1t is the sight of sights
from either city. AS is we'll known, these two
cities have feud the name. Tacoma calls
it Tacoma and Seattle calls it Mount Rainier. This
Is not to say that the controversy should be de-
cidcd in favor Of either city. But 1.-THE mountain
that God" of the Indians one of the most
impressive of earth, should have a better name
than Rainier.
Here are some random extracts from the intro.
ductory pages of Uncle Sans booklet:
"Of all the fire-mountains which, like beacons,
once blaZed along the Pacific coast Mount Rainier
is tho noblest," wrote John Muir. "The Mountain
that Was Cod wrote John D. Williams, giving
title to his book
Easily king of all is Mount Rainier" wrote
j. =. Matthes of the United States geological sur
vey, reviewing that series of huge extinct vOca.
noes towering high above the sky line Of the Cas-.
cade range almost $50 feet higher than Mount
Shasta, its nearest rival in grandeur and in mass,
1t Is overwhelmingly impressive both by the vast.
ness of Its glacial mantle and by the striking
sculpture of It's cliffs. The total area Of its gla.
ciers amounts to less than 48 square miles an
expanse Of ice far exceeding that of any other
single peak In the United States. Many Of its
individual ice streams between four and six
miles long and vie in magnitude and in spendor
with the most boosted glaciers of the Alps. Cas-.
cadng from the summit In all directions they
radate like the arms Of great starfsh."
Seen from Tacoma or Seattle the vast mountain
appears to rise directly from sea level so insig.
nfcant the ridges about its base Yet these
ridges themselves Of mean height They
rise 5000 to 1000 feet above the valleys that cut
through them, and their crests average 6OOO feet
in attitude.
But colossal are the proportions of the great
volcano that they dwarf even mountains of this
size and give them the appearance of mere foot.
hills. In height 1t Is second in the United States
only TO Mount whitney
Mount Rainier stands, in round numbers, II 900
feet above its immediate base, Is nearly three
miles HIGH measured from level, and covers
100 square miles Of territory or one-third of the