Year: 1865

l


EDITOR JOURNAL,


DEAR SIR:-By the
kindness of some old friend / have
been permitted to read the journal
in this far distant land during the
last three years, and having removed
from Walla Wsllla to this place,
would ask you to change the ad-
dress, to Salem Oregon. II the pa
per is not paid for send your bill to
me, and l will remit the money, if it
is paid for please let me know to
whom am Indebted for is


have often thought of sending
you an occasional article for publica-
ton, but am so poor q writer that I
fear it would look bad in print. To
one that has never seen this country
there Is much to interest and admire,
the whole country itself is a great
curiosity. Many travel over it with
out stopping to look, or think about
it, Not so with me, for no sooner than
we had left the Missouri river, and
started up the Plat, than l discovered
that Te were in a country altogether
different from any thing 1 had ever
seen, but when we7eame to the Black
Hills, found something to admire.
Here is the first evidence of volcanic
action, and for the first time in my
life was made to realize the extent
of that tremendous power that is
underneath In the shape of internal
fire, where it has burst through the
I great Rocky fr..o'eworL-oft this Earth.
and built the high and snow cap
mountains out oi the depths of the
Earth 1t is difficult to brink the
mind fully to comprehend the power
that was necessary to raise Noun
tain of solid rock, but often did |
stand and see where this had been
done, and where the different strata
of rock, laying in confused masses,
in one hill perpendicular, and in q
third at an angle of live degrees &c.
and yet all showing that they had
been once united. The Rocky Noun
tains are nothing else than huge piles
of solid rock that have been raised
( in this way, but when we came to
the range known as the Bear Noun
tains, it is somewhat changed here.
The rock has been thrown up in a
fused condition, and from here to
the Cascade range, q distance of
about six hundred miles it has evi-
/ IDENTIFY once been an ocean of fire,
perhaps thousands of feet deep. 1t
is here that the great Sake river
known on the maps as Lewis river
has cut its channel in some places a
thousand feet into this rock, often
suddenly plunging down and form


ing falls almost if not quite equal in
beauty and grandeur, to the cele-
brated Niagara Falls. You can form
some idea of the extent of these falls
when you call to mind the fact tina,
the Mississippi and Missouri are
both rapid streams, and that by these
rivers it is over four thousand miles
to the ocean, and that the same
descent is made on this side in &
little over one thousand miles.
have Just come down tht Columbi;
where it passes through the Cascad,
range. aud the sight is beautiful
beyond description. A wealthy com
pany has bnilt short Rail road


round the rapids at the differen
places, and built Steam boats, be
+, tween so that they ascend the Colum


bia in this way some cour hundren'
miles. The channel through the cas-
cades has doubtless been made b.
the pressure of the great body o


water that accumulated in this hasol
\ after it cooled of. Here is littl
! field for investigation for the philoso
: pher. How long was il afterthe crea


ton; before this volcanic action too
r place? How long did il take thi
q ocean of fire to cool of. How long di


it take for the rain and snow TO filth
3 came bacon with water 50 as to burs
I through the Mountain, and how Ion


did it take this river TO cut its chan
n mel a Thousand feet into this rockf
ri I must close for the present. {


4 Yours Respectful, B.