The Washington times., 1925-01-22
MUD AVALANCHE
AGAIN FEARED
ON COAST
Congress to Open Hearings
on Proposal U. s. Take Steps
to Check Glacial Flow

Tomorrow morning Congress will
begin hearings on a proposal for
the Government to stem a mighty
tide of glacial mud which threatens
again to sweep down the slopes of
Mount Shasta, California, burying
railroads, water mains and vast
tracts of land and creating bars
and other menaces to navigation in
one Of CALIFORNIA; largest rivers.
Last summer, following unusually
rapid melting Of the huge glaciers
which cover the upper slopes Of
Mount Shasta, great seas Of mud
composed of volcanic ash and lava
sands swept for miles down into
the lower country around the great
peak, causing immense damage.
The same calamity is threatened
in the next warm summer unless
diverting dams are erected and
other steps taken to combat the
flow, according to members of the
California delegation in Congress.
Call for u. S. Survey.
Identical bills, providing for a
survey by the War Department of
the glacial fields OF Shasta with q
view to the building of the neces-
sary works, have been introduced
in the Senate by Senator Samuel
Shortridge and in the House by
Congressman John Raker, of Cali
fornia.
Hearings on the Raker bill will
De held, beginning tomorrow be-
lore the House committee on rivers
ana harbors. A number Of wit
nesses from California will appear
before the committee, among them
~. M. SWobe, president of the
McCloud River Railroad Company,
one or the greatest sufferers dur.
ing the last period of mud
avalanches.
During the unprecedented calamity
last summer tremendous quantities
OF mud, rocks and refuse were swept
INTO the McCloud river, then down
through the Pit and Sacramento
rivers into San Francisco bay. The
mud flow changed channels, reduced
depths in naVigable streams, and
killed millions of fish,
Covers LOO Acres.
The same glacial mud flow resulted
in the covering Of 100 acres of land
at the base of the mountain under a
sea OF this morainic substance to
depths of from four to twenty feet.
Great portions of the five huge
glaciers on the mountain sides, weak
ened by excessive melting last July,
crashed down the mountain sides,
sending great masses of snow, water
and glacial mud before them.
The mud spread over one valley
eight miles long and more than a
half mile wide. AS it hardens in the
hot sun this mud becomes almost
like concrete.
All the streams feeding from the
glaciers, including the McCloud and
sacramento rivers, were swollen over
their banks and changed from crystal
clear mountain streams to murky
torrents.
Immense boulders eight and ten
feet in diameter and weighing tons
apiece were borne like chips on the
mud streams, breaking the water
mains to the town Of McCloud,
threatening the town itself, burying
the railroad and highways.
Portions Of the railroad were kept
open only by constant digging. Com
municatiOn between San Francisco
and the back country of Siskiyou
county and the great Pit river hydro
electric camps was cut Off
Several parties sent out to explore
the glacier were caught in the mud
flow and barely escaped being over
whelmed. These parties, pushing
to within sight of the glaciers, saw
| great masses Of ice, weighing thou
sands of tons, break off the glaciers
and fall. The immense blocks were
followed by a rush of sand, mud
and water, which, plunging thou
sands Of feet down the precipitate
| mountain sides, struck the banks
of Mud creek with a roar that could
| be heard for miles. Clouds Of dust
| went up to heights estimated as
great as one mile, blotting out the
sun.
Mount Shasta Altered.
So great was the volume of ma
terial carried down the south slope
of Mount Shasta. that the topog-