Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-09-10

cans who visit it in vacation time. 1t should have
a good American name. A change IN name, OF
course, means changing the name of Mount Raj
nier since the mountain is one-third of the whole
park.
Peter the Great on his deathbed in 1925, de-
creed that Vitus Behring, 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 1773, 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 1777 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 Column
bias bar.
International jealousies brought about the Moot
ka Convention of 1890, which gave the British the
right to fish and trade provided they did no colo
nizng.
Then in 1892 came an American Capt. Robert
Gray of Boston. in the Columbia, the first Amer
lean ship to sail around the world Q790) 1t took
this dauntless American sailor nine days to get
through the breakers the Columbia's bar He
sailed 80 miles up this noble river and named it.
after his gallant ship.
That year Capt. George Vancouver of the
British navy was sent to enforce the Nootka con-
venton. He explored Huget sound, but baked at
trying TO cross tne C0umbiaS par. lie 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 the Chatham to explore the river if he could.
/ Broughton got into the river and ascended 100
miles by launch He saw Mount Rainier, about
/ 100 miles away and struck with awe. Like
true British naval officer he named this magnf-
cent mountain. rising Il, ,409 feet almost from sea
level, after Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.
Mount Rainier is 40 miles from Tacoma and
| 81 miles from Seattle. 1t is the sight of sights
from either city. AS is well known. these two
cities have feud over the name. Tacoma calls
it Tacoma and Seattle calls it Mount Rainier. This
/ is not to say that the controversy should be de-
! cded in favor of either city. But "The mountain
| that Godi of the Indians, of the most
| Impressive of earth, sh~ld have better name
than Rainier.
Here are some random extracts from the intro
ductory pages of Uncle Sans booklet
>"Of all the fre-mountans which, like beacons,
| once blazed along the Pacific coas' Mount Rainier
is the noblest," wrote John Muir. '"The Mountain
that Was God" wrote John D. Williams, giving
| title TO his book.
Easily king of all is Mount Rainier" wroin
F. E. Matthes of the United States geological sur
vey, reviewing that series of huge extinct volca-
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.
it is overwhelmingly impressive both by the vast
ness of its glacial mantle and by the striking
sculpture of its cliffs. The total area of its ga-
ciers amounts to less than 4S 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 splendoT
with the most boasted glaciers of the Alps. Cas-
cading from the summit in all directions, they
radiate like the arms of d great starfish"
Seen from Tacoma or Seattle the vast mountain
appears to rise directly from level, so insig
nifcant seem the ridges about its base. Yet these
ridges themselves are OF no mean height. They
rise 5000 to 1000 feet above the valleys that cut
through them and their crests average 6,000 feet
in altitude.
But so colossal are the proportions of the great
volcano that they dwarf mountains of this
size and give them the appearance of mere foot
hills In height it is second in the United States
only to Mount Whitney.
Mount Rainier stands, in round numbers II, ,00(
, feet above its immediate base, is nearly three
miles high, measured from level and covers
100 square miles of territory, one-third of thu