Arenaria capillaris Poiret.
Common on the rocks at 5,000 to 7,000 feet elevation. The form with curved leaves, variety nardifolia Regel, is more frequent than the type.

Arenaria verna Linnaeus.
Rather rare in the pumice on the east side of the mountain.

Arenaria macrophylla Hooker.
In dry woods at low altitudes.

PORTULACACEAE. (Purslane Family.)

Spraguea multiceps Howell.
A handsome plant, with entire spatulate leaves and dense heads of pink or purple flowers. Common in the pumice fields.

Claytonia sibirica Linnaeus.
Collected by Flett somewhere near the base of the mountain. The commonest lowland "spring beauty."

Claytonia asarifolia Bongard.
A plant with fleshy entire leaves and small racemes of white flowers. Occasional along the rivulets at 4,000 to 5,000 feet elevation.

Claytonia parvifolia Mocino.
On the rocks at 3,000 to 4,000 feet altitude.

Claytonia lanceolata Pursh.
Common in the grassy meadows. The tuberous root is edible.

Lewisia columbiana (Howell) Robinson.
Goat Mountains, Allen. Leaves fleshy, flowers rose-purple, showy.

POLYGONACEAE. (Buckwheat Family.)

Oxyria digyna (Linnaeus) Hill.
A small plant with reniform entire leaves, and flowers and fruit like those of the common docks. Not rare in rock crevices at 5,000 to 6,000 feet elevation.

Polygonum minimum Watson.
Common at 5,000 to 6,000 feet altitude.

Polygonum douglasii Greene.
On a gravelly slope near the foot of Cowlitz Glacier.

Polygonum newberryi Small.
Common in the pumice fields, where it is a characteristic plant.

Polygonum bistortoides Pursh.
Very plentiful on the grassy slopes, where it is conspicuous by its dense white-flowered spikes an inch long, borne singly on slender stems a foot or two high.

Eriogonum compositum Douglas.
A form of this variable species occurs on the talus at the foot of the cliffs on the north side of Cowlitz Glacier.

Eriogonum pyrolaefolium coryphaeum Torrey & Gray.
Plentiful in the pumice fields.

BETULACEAE. (Birch Family.)

Alnus sinuata (Regel) Rydberg.
Sitka alder. A small alder, seldom over ten or twelve feet high. Common along the streams at low altitude.

SALICACEAE. (Willow Family.)

Salix scouleriana Barratt.
The common upland willow; not rare up to 3,500 feet elevation.

Salix sitchensis Sanson.
The "silky willow" is plentiful along the Nisqually at Longmire Springs.

Salix barclayi Anderson.

Salix commutata Bebb.
These two willows make thickets along the rills at about 6,000 feet altitude. The leaves in the former are smooth above and glaucous beneath; in the latter pubescent on both sides.

Salix nivalis Hooker.
A very dwarf willow, with obtuse leaves, growing only a few inches high. Found on the north side of the mountain by Flett.

Salix saximontana Rydberg.
Very similar to Salix nivalis, but larger in every way. Also found by Flett on the north side of the mountain.

Salix cascadensis Cockerell.
(S. tenera Andersson.)
A very dwarf rare willow with leaves acute at each end. North slope of the mountain, collected by Flett.

Populus trichocarpa Torrey & Gray.
The cottonwood occurs along the Nisqually to some distance above Longmire Springs.

ORCHIDACEAE. (Orchis Family.)

Corallorhiza maculata Rafinesque.
Common in the coniferous woods at low altitudes.

Corallorhiza mertensiana Bongard.
Frequent in the dense coniferous woods up to 3,500 feet.

Spiranthes romanzoffiana Chamisso.
A small form of this species was found in a bog on the summit of the ridge overlooking the foot of the Nisqually Glacier.

Peramium decipiens (Hooker) Piper.
On the trail above Longmire Springs, according to Mr. Gorman.

Limnorchis stricta (Lindley) Rydberg.
A tall plant with long spikes of greenish flowers. Not rare in wet places at 5,000 feet elevation.

Listera caurina Piper.
Common in mossy woods up to 3,500 feet.

Listera convallarioides (Swartz) Torrey.
Growing in moist woods near the foot of the mountain.

LILIACEAE. (Lily Family.)

Allium validum Watson.
This wild onion has rootstock-like bulbs. It has been found on the north side of the mountain, and only by Mr. Flett.

Vagnera sessilifolia (Baker) Greene.
Common in moist woods up to 3,000 feet altitude.

Streptopus curvipes Vail.
Common in moist woods at 3,000 feet. Distinguished from the Eastern S. roseus by its small size, simple stems, and creeping rootstocks.

Lilium columbianum Hanson.
The wild tiger lily occurs on dry slopes near Longmire Springs and in Paradise Park, at 5,000 feet elevation.

Fritillaria lanceolata Pursh.
Goat Mountains, Allen, No. 235.

Erythronium montanum Watson.
The white-flowered adder's tongue, so abundant in Paradise Park, up to 5,500 feet altitude.

Erythronium parviflorum (Watson) Goodding.
Much like the preceding, but the flowers yellow. Frequent along rills at 5,500 feet.

Clintonia uniflora (Schultes) Kunth.
Abundant in the coniferous forests at 2,000 to 4,000 feet altitude. Easily recognized by its tuft of two to four radical leaves, which are oblong in form, and its delicate scapes, three or four inches high, bearing a single white flower. The berry is blue.

Trillium ovatum Pursh.
The wake-robin is plentiful at 3,000 feet altitude.

Tofieldia intermedia Rydberg.
This species has been confused with both T. glutinosa and T. occidentalis. From the former it differs principally in its seed characters, otherwise being so similar that there are no distinguishing characters in the flowering specimens. All the Cascade Mountain specimens apparently belong to T. intermedia, because no plant with the seed character of T. glutinosa has as yet been found in that range of mountains.

Veratrum viride Aiton.
The green hellebore forms considerable clumps, three or four feet high. It is frequent on moist slopes in Paradise Park.

Stenanthium occidentale Gray.
Goat Mountains, Allen, 233. Also collected on Mount Rainier by Rev. E. C. Smith, in 1890.

Xerophyllum tenax (Pursh) Nuttall.
The so-called pine-lily or bear-grass is not rare in gravelly soil in rather open woods. Straggling specimens are found up to 5,500 feet altitude.

JUNCACEAE. (Rush Family.)

Juncoides glabratum (Hooker) Sheldon.
Dry, grassy slopes at 5,000 feet.

Juncoides majus (Hooker) Piper.
(Luzula arcuata major Hooker.)
(Juncoides piperi Coville.)
The plants referred here occur at 7,000 feet altitude, in springy places. Allen, No. 44, and Piper, 2172, are identical with Tolmie's Mount Rainier specimens.

Juncoides parviflorum (Ehrhart) Coville.
Common on dry slopes up to 5,000 feet elevation.

Juncoides spicata (Linnaeus) Kuntze.
Rather rare in damp places in the pumice fields, at 8,000 feet altitude.

Juncus subtriflorus (E. Meyer) Coville.
Common at 5,000 to 6,000 feet elevation.

Juncus parryi Engelmann.
Much like the preceding, and growing along with it.

Juncus mertensianus Bongard.
Frequent along rills even up to 8,000 feet altitude.

CYPERACEAE. (Sedge Family.)

Eriophorum polystachion Linnaeus.
This "cotton-grass" occurs in the low ground around the lakes near the base of Pinnacle Peak.

Carex paddoensis Suksdorf.
Springy places at 8,000 feet altitude; Allen, 172; Piper, 2541.

Carex pyrenaica Wahlenberg.
With the preceding; Allen, 171; Piper, 2540.

Carex phaeocephala Piper.
Dryish places at 7,500 feet elevation; Piper, 2535.

Carex preslii Bailey.
Common at 5,000 feet, along streams.

Carex pachystachya Chamisso.
This species occurs along rills in Paradise Park.

Carex nigricans Meyer.
Common at 4,000 to 6,000 feet elevation.

Carex rossii Boott.
On the grassy ridge above Sluiskin Falls.

Carex geyeri Boott.
Goat Mountains, Allen, 169.

Carex mertensii Prescott.
Rare along stream banks at about 4,000 feet altitude. Some of our specimens came from near the foot of Cowlitz Glacier.

Carex spectabilis Dewey.
(C. invisa Bailey.)
In wet meadows at 4,000 feet elevation.

Carex scopulorum Holm.
With the preceding.

Carex ablata Bailey.
Frequent in the meadows of Paradise Park.

Carex accedens Holm.
Paradise Park; Piper, 2550.

Carex arcta Boott.
Mount Rainier, 4,000 feet altitude; Allen 271.

Carex atrata Linnaeus.
Collected by Allen, August 14, 1895.

Carex laeviculmis Meinschausen.
In swamps near the foot of the mountain.

Carex hepburnii Boott.
A handsome little plant common at 8,000 feet altitude.

Carex kelloggii W. Boott.
Along Paradise River; Piper, 2548.

Carex rigida Goodenough.
Allen, 269, and Piper, 2533, are referred here. The last-named specimens are from near the foot of Pinnacle Peak.

GRAMINEAE. (Grass Family.)

Phleum alpinum Linnaeus.
The "mountain timothy" is of frequent occurrence at 5,000 to 6,000 feet altitude.

Agrostis geminata Trinius.
Collected by Allen, in 1894.

Agrostis aequivalvis Trinius.
The plant referred here is common on the banks of the Paradise River up to 5,000 feet.

Agrostis rossae Vasey.
Slopes at 6,000 feet elevation; common.

Agrostis humilis Vasey.
Abundant in springy places at 8,500 feet elevation.

Calamagrostis vaseyi Beal.
Goat Mountains, Allen, and common on the rocky ridges north of Cowlitz Glacier.

Calamagrostis scabra Presl.
Not rare at 5,500 feet elevation; near Sluiskin Falls, Piper; Tatoosh Mountains, Allen.

Deschampsia atropurpurea (Wahlenberg) Scheele.
Common at 5,000 to 6,000 feet elevation.

Danthonia intermedia Vasey.
Common at about 5,000 feet altitude.

Trisetum cernuum Trinius.
Moist places up to 5,000 feet altitude.

Trisetum spicatum (Linnaeus) Richter.
Rare on the ridge near Camp of the Clouds.

Cinna latifolia (Treviranus) Grisebach.
Common in wet ground about Longmire Springs.

Poa arctica R. Brown.
A grass doubtfully referred to this species is common at 5,500 feet elevation.

Poa paddensis Williams.
One of the most frequent grasses at 5,000 to 6,000 feet.

Poa saxatilis Scribner & Williams.
On rock cliffs at 6,000 feet. The type of this species is Piper No. 1964, from above Camp of the Clouds.

Poa suksdorfii Vasey.
Rather rare in the pumice at 9,000 feet elevation.

Poa lettermani Vasey.
On the slopes near Camp Muir, growing with the preceding.

Festuca viridula Vasey.
The finest grass on the slopes. Abundant at 5,000 feet elevation.

Festuca ovina supina (Schur) Hackel.
In the pumice fields at 8,000 feet altitude.

Festuca subulata Trinius.
Longmire Springs, in moist places.

Bromus marginatus Nees.
A species doubtfully referred here was collected on the mountains in 1890 by Rev. E. C. Smith. No specimens of it are now in our possession.

Sitanion rigidum J. G. Smith.
Pumice fields at 8,000 feet.

Sitanion glabrum J. G. Smith.
Common on the rocky ridges north of Cowlitz Glacier.

Sitanion rubescens Piper.
Dry slopes on the south side of the mountain.

SPARGANIACEAE. (Bur-reed Family.)

Sparganium minimum Fries.
Collected in 1890 by Rev. E. C. Smith, in one of the small lakes near the base of Pinnacle Peak.

TAXACEAE. (Yew Family.)

Taxus brevifolia Nuttall. Western Yew.
The yew is not uncommon along the trail from Longmire Springs to Paradise Park. It does not ascend much above 3,000 feet elevation.

PINACEAE. (Pine Family.)

Juniperus sibirica Burgsdorff. Mountain Juniper.
The alpine juniper occurs on the banks of the Nisqually, near Longmire Springs, and is common on the rocks up to 7,500 feet elevation.

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (Lambert) Spach. Alaska Cedar.
The Alaska cedar ranges on the mountain slopes from 3,500 feet up to 6,000 feet altitude. It is far more abundant on the north side of the peak than on the south. Few, if any, specimens exceed four feet in diameter, and where the trees are most abundant the trunks are only one or two feet through.

Abies grandis Lindley. White Fir.
Some trees, without cones, which were observed on the trail above Longmire Springs, are doubtfully referred here. They are more likely to belong to the following species.

Abies amabilis (Douglas) Forbes. Lovely Fir.
The Lovely fir is abundant at from 2,500 to 3,500 feet elevation. It is usually but a small tree, with beautifully symmetrical form. Except when fruiting, it is difficult to distinguish from the lowland white fir.

Abies nobilis Lindley. Noble Fir.
The finest of all the firs, frequently four to six feet in diameter, without a single branch for a hundred feet or more. Easily known by the deep red color of the bark when chopped into, and by the large cones, covered with reflexed bracts. Abundant at 4,000 to 5,000 feet.

Abies lasiocarpa (Hooker) Nuttall. Subalpine Fir.
This is the primly conical little fir so common in Paradise Park. It rarely occurs below 4,500 feet elevation. Its dark purple pubescent cones, only two or three inches long, readily distinguish it from the preceding species.

Pseudotsuga mucronata (Rafinesque) Sudworth. Douglas Spruce.
The Douglas spruce is common up to 3,500 feet elevation. There is a marked tendency of the cones to be relatively shorter and thicker at this altitude, but otherwise the tree shows little variation from its lowland typical form.

Tsuga heterophylla Rafinesque. Western Hemlock.
The Western hemlock is abundant at 3,000 feet altitude, but usually much smaller than when growing near the sea level.

Tsuga mertensiana (Bongard) Carriere. Black Hemlock.
The Black hemlock is frequent from 4,000 to 6,000 feet elevation. On the higher slopes it commonly forms clumps with the Subalpine fir. When this is the case, the irregular form and dark foliage of the hemlock, usually festooned with lichens, form a pleasing contrast to the conical form and lighter foliage of the fir.

Pinus albicaulis Engelmann. White-bark Pine.
This white-barked nut pine is abundant on the high ridge north of the Cowlitz Glacier. It also occurs above Camp of the Clouds. It rarely fruits, and when it does the cones, with their sweet edible seeds, are quickly torn to pieces by Clark's crow. The trunk and branches are frequently adorned with the bright yellow lichen, Evernia vulpina.

Pinus monticola Douglas. Western White Pine.
Not uncommon at low elevations. The narrow cones, six to twelve inches long, are characteristic.

Pinus contorta Douglas. Lodgepole Pine.
Reported by Mr. Gorman "on the moraines of the Nisqually."

Picea engelmanni Parry. Engelmann Spruce.
Rather a rare tree about Mount Rainier, at 3,500 feet elevation. In the Sitka or Tideland spruce the leaves are decidedly flattened; in the Engelmann spruce they are nearly square in cross section.

ISOETACEAE. (Quillwort Family.)

Isoetes echinospora braunii Engelmann.
Common in the small lakes near the foot of Pinnacle Peak.

LYCOPODIACEAE. (Club-moss Family.)

Lycopodium annotinum Linnaeus.
A large patch of this handsome species occurs at the point where the trail first crosses Paradise River above Longmire Springs.

Lycopodium sitchense Ruprecht.
Common on the meadows at 4,000 feet elevation.

EQUISETACEAE. (Horsetail Family.)

Equisetum limosum Linnaeus.
This species occurs in the bog on top of the ridge above the foot of Nisqually Glacier. The old trail to the park led through this bog.

Equisetum arvense Linnaeus.
Sterile fronds of this plant were observed at Longmire Springs.

Equisetum robustum A. Braun.
Common in damp places up to 3,000 feet elevation. Readily eaten by cayuses.

POLYPODIACEAE. (Fern Family.)

Polypodium hesperium Maxon.
Not rare in rock crevices on the cliffs overlooking the lakes at the foot of Pinnacle Peak.

Phegopteris dryopteris (Linnaeus) Fee.
The pretty "oak-fern" is abundant along the trail above Longmire's, in deep woods.

Phegopteris alpestris (Hoppe) Mettenius.
Forming crown-like tufts in the talus at the foot of cliffs in Paradise Park.

Dryopteris spinulosa dilatata (Hoffman) Underwood.
The common wood-fern is frequent in the forests at 3,000 feet altitude.

Polystichum lonchitis (Linnaeus) Roth.
Specimens of this species are in my possession from Mount Rainier, but the exact place of collection has passed my recollection. Presumably it was found in or near Paradise Park.

Filix fragilis (Linnaeus) Underwood.
Diminutive specimens of this fern were collected on the cliffs at 8,000 feet altitude. Rev. E. C. Smith found much finer examples at a lower elevation.

Cryptogramma acrostichoides R. Brown.
Common in the coarse gravel on the bars of the Nisqually, occurring even at the foot of the glacier.

OPHIOGLOSSACEAE. (Adder's Tongue Family.)

Botrychium lunaria (Linnaeus) Swartz.
Specimens were collected by Rev. E. C. Smith on the north side of the mountain in 1888.

Botrychium lanceolatum (S. G. Gmelin) Angstroem.
Longmire Springs, Allen, not otherwise known on the Pacific Coast.

XVII. CREATION OF MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK
MEMORIAL BY SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

A surprisingly wide interest was awakened by the proposal to create a national park to include the great mass of Mount Rainier and its immediate surroundings. Five societies appointed committees to coöperate in securing the needed legislation from Congress. Those committees prepared a memorial. The Senate Miscellaneous Document, number 247, Fifty-third Congress, second session, shows that the memorial was introduced on July 16, 1894, by Senator Watson C. Squire from the State of Washington. The memorial was deemed of sufficient importance to be republished in the Eighteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey for 1896-1897. It is here reproduced from that publication.

With all the interest thus manifested, it required nearly five years from the introduction of the memorial to witness the achievement of its purpose. The act of Congress creating the Mount Rainier National Park bears the date of March 2, 1899.

To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled:

At a meeting of the Geological Society of America, in Madison, Wis., August 15, 1893, a committee was appointed for the purpose of memorializing the Congress in relation to the establishment of a national park in the State of Washington to include Mount Rainier, often called Mount Tacoma. The committee consists of Dr. David T. Day, Mr. S. F. Emmons, and Mr. Bailey Willis.

At a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Madison, Wis., August 21, 1893, a committee was appointed by that body for the same purpose as above mentioned, consisting of Maj. J. W. Powell, Prof. Joseph Le Conte, Prof. I. C. Russell, Mr. B. E. Fernow, and Dr. C. H. Merriam.

At a meeting of the National Geographic Society, held in Washington, D. C., on October 13, 1893, there was appointed a committee for the purpose above mentioned, consisting of Hon. Gardiner G. Hubbard, Hon. Watson C. Squire, Mr. John W. Thompson, Miss Mary F. Waite, and Miss Eliza R. Scidmore.

At a meeting of the Sierra Club, held in San Francisco December 30, 1893, a committee for the same purpose was appointed, composed of Mr. John Muir, President D. S. Jordan, Mr. R. M. Johnson, Mr. George B. Bayley, Mr. P. B. Van Trump.

At a meeting of the Appalachian Mountain Club, held in Boston April 11, 1894, a similar committee was appointed, consisting of Mr. John Ritchie, Jr., Rev. E. C. Smith, Dr. Charles E. Fay.

The committees thus appointed were instructed by the several bodies to which they belong to coöperate in the preparation of a memorial to Congress, setting forth the substantial reasons for the establishment of such park.

Pursuant to their instructions, the committees present the following memorial to the Congress, and pray that such action may be taken by the honorable Senators and Representatives as will secure to the people of the United States the benefits of a national park which shall include the area mentioned above. In support of their prayer they beg to submit the following statement:

By proclamation of the President, in compliance with the statutes provided therefor, a Pacific Forest Reserve has been established in the State of Washington, the western portion of which is nearly coincident with the tract of land to be included in the national park for which your memorialists pray.

The western part of this reserve includes many features of unique interest and wonderful grandeur, which fit it peculiarly to be a national park, forever set aside for the pleasure and instruction of the people. The region is one of such exceptional rainfall and snowfall that the preservation of its forests is of unusual importance as a protection against floods in the lower valleys; but the scenic features, which mark it out for a national park, attract tourists, who set fire to the timber. This destruction goes on notwithstanding it is a forest reserve, and will continue until protection is afforded by adequate supervision of the area, whether as a reserve or park.

The reserve is traversed through the middle from north to south by the crest of the Cascade Range, which has an elevation varying from 5,300 to 6,800 feet. This is the divide between tributaries of Puget Sound, flowing west, and those of Yakima River, flowing east. Mount Rainier, the isolated volcanic peak, 14,400 feet high, stands 12 miles west of the divide, from which it is separated by a deep valley.

The eastern half of the reserve differs from the western in climate, in flora, and in fauna, in geographic and geologic features, and in aspects of scenery. The eastern slope of the Cascade Range within the reserve is a mountainous region, with summits rising to a general elevation of 6,500 to 7,600 feet above the sea. It is forest covered and presents many attractions to the tourist and hunter; but it is not peculiar among the mountain regions of America either for grandeur or interest, and it is not an essential part of the area to be set apart as a national park.

The western slope of the Cascades within the reserve is short and steep as compared with the eastern. Much of it is precipitous, particularly opposite Mount Rainier, where its bare walls would appear most grand were they not in the shadow of that overpowering peak. North and south of Rainier this slope is more gradual and densely wooded.

The western half of the Pacific reserve, that portion which it is proposed shall be made a national park, is characterized by Mount Rainier, whose summit is but 4 miles from the western boundary of the reserve and whose glaciers extend beyond its limits.

Mount Tacoma is not simply a volcanic cone, peculiar for its hugeness. It was formerly a vast volcanic dome, 30 miles in radius to the north, west, and south; but rivers have cut deep canyons, glaciers have carved ample amphitheaters back into the mass, and now many serrate ridges rising from a few hundred to 10,000 feet above the sea converge at that altitude to support the central pyramid, which towers more than 4,000 feet above its base.

This grand mountain is not, like Mount Blanc, merely the dominant peak of a chain of snow mountains; it is the only snow peak in view, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams being, like it, isolated and many miles distant. Rainier is majestic in its isolation, reaching 6,000 to 8,000 feet above its neighbors. It is superb in its boldness, rising from one canyon 11,000 feet in 7 miles. Not only is it the grandest mountain in this country, it is one of the grand mountains of the world, to be named with St. Elias, Fusiyama, and Ararat, and the most superb summits of the Alps. Eminent scientists of England and Germany, who, as members of the Alpine Club of Switzerland and travelers of wide experience, would naturally be conservative in their judgment, have borne witness to the majesty of the scenery about Rainier.

In 1883 Professor Zittel, a well-known German geologist, and Prof. James Bryce, member of Parliament and author of the American Commonwealth, made a report on the scenery about Mount Rainier. Among other things, they said:

"The scenery of Mount Rainier is of rare and varied beauty. The peak itself is as noble a mountain as we have ever seen in its lines and structure. The glaciers which descend from its snow fields present all the characteristic features of those in the Alps, and though less extensive than the ice streams of the Mount Blanc or Monta Rosa groups are in their crevasses and séracs equally striking and equally worthy of close study. We have seen nothing more beautiful in Switzerland or Tyrol, in Norway or in the Pyrenees, than the Carbon River glaciers and the great Puyallup glaciers; indeed, the ice in the latter is unusually pure, and the crevasses unusually fine. The combination of ice scenery with woodland scenery of the grandest type is to be found nowhere in the Old World, unless it be in the Himalayas, and, so far as we know, nowhere else on the American Continent."

These eminent and experienced observers further say:

"We may perhaps be permitted to express a hope that the suggestion will at no distant date be made to Congress that Mount Rainier should, like the Yosemite Valley and the geyser region of the Upper Yellowstone, be reserved by the Federal Government and treated as a national park."

But Mount Tacoma is single not merely because it is superbly majestic; it is an arctic island in a temperate zone. In a bygone age an arctic climate prevailed over the Northwest, and glaciers covered the Cascade Range. Arctic animals and arctic plants then lived throughout the region. As the climate became milder and glaciers melted, the creatures of the cold climate were limited in their geographic range to the districts of the shrinking glaciers. On the great peak the glaciers linger still. They give to it its greatest beauty. They are themselves magnificent, and with them survives a colony of arctic animals and plants which can not exist in the temperate climate of the less lofty mountains. These arctic forms are as effectually isolated as shipwrecked sailors on an island in mid-ocean. There is no refuge for them beyond their haunts on ice-bound cliffs. But even there the birds and animals are no longer safe from the keen sportsman, and the few survivors must soon be exterminated unless protected by the Government in a national park.

The area of the Pacific forest reserve includes valuable timber and important water supplies. It is said to contain coal, gold, and silver.

The timber on the western slope differs from that on the eastern in size and density of growth and in kinds of trees. The forests of Puget Sound are world-renowned for the magnitude and beauty of their hemlocks, cedars, and firs. Their timber constitutes one of the most important resources of the State. Nowhere are they more luxuriant than on the foothills west and north of Mount Rainier. But their value as timber is there subordinate to their value as regulators of floods. The Puyallup River, whose lower valley is a rich hop garden, is even now subject to floods during the rapid melting of the snow on Mount Rainier in the limited area above timber line. In the broader area below timber line, but above 3,000 feet in elevation, the depth of snow in the winter of 1893 was 9 to 15 feet. Protected by the dense canopy of the fir and hemlock trees this snow melts slowly and the river is high from March to June. But let the forest be once destroyed by fire or by lumbermen and the snows of each winter, melting in early spring, will annually overwhelm the Puyallup Valley and transform it into a gravelly waste. The same is true of White River and the Nisqually.

The forests of the eastern slope, tributary to the Yakima, are of even greater importance as water preservers. They constitute a great reservoir, holding back the precipitation of the wet season and allowing it to filter down when most needed by crops. In the Yakima Valley water gives to land its value. Storage of flood waters and extensive distribution by canals is necessary. The forests being preserved to control the water, the natural storage basins should be improved and canals built. For these reasons it is most important that no part of the forest reserve should be sacrificed, even though the eastern half is not included in the national park.

The boundaries of the proposed national park have been so drawn as to exclude from its area all lands upon which coal, gold, or other valuable minerals are supposed to occur, and they conform to the purpose that the park shall include all features of peculiar scenic beauty without encroaching on the interests of miners or settlers.

None save those who can march and camp in the primeval forest can now visit Mount Rainier; but it is the wilderness, not the distance, that makes it difficult of approach. On the west the distance up the Nisqually River from the railroad at Yelm Prairie to the reserve is but 40 miles. Though heavily timbered, the valley of the Nisqually affords an easy route for a railroad. The Cowlitz Valley also offers a line of approach without difficulty by rail, it being about 50 miles from the railroad to the reserve.

On the northwest the railroad at Wilkeson is but 23 miles from the summit of Mount Rainier, and the glaciers can be reached by riding 25 miles through the great forest.

On the north the Cascade branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad crosses the range, only 13 miles in a direct line and 19 miles along the summit from the northern limit of the reserve.

On the east the city of North Yakima is but 62 miles from the summit of Mount Rainier.

The proposed park covers a mountain region which lies across the line of travel from east to west. The railroad winds northward; the travel down the Columbia River turns southward to avoid it. The great current of tourists which flows north and south through Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver, and Alaska passes to the west within sight of Mount Rainier, and when the grand old mountain is obscured by clouds the travelers linger to see it, or, passing regretfully on their way, know that they have missed the finest view of their trip.

When a railroad is built up the Nisqually or Cowlitz Valley to the park and connection by stages is assured northward to the Cascade branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad and eastward to Yakima, the flood of travel will be diverted through the park.

The point which combines accessibility with surroundings of great beauty, and which is therefore most appropriate as a hotel site, is southeast of Mount Rainier, on one of the spurs of the Tatoosh Mountains, near the Cowlitz Valley. To open this region to travel it would be sufficient to establish the hotel and its connections down the Nisqually or Cowlitz Valley, together with trails to points of interest within the park. From the hotel a principal trail would extend north to the Emmons and White River glaciers, which would thus be easily accessible, and thence the railroad at Wilkeson could readily be reached on horseback over the old Northern Pacific trail. In the future, stage roads, or possibly a railroad, would be extended over the Cowlitz Pass to the eastern slope, North Yakima would be reached via the Tieton or Tannum Valley, and Tannum Lake would become a favorite resort.

But the highway which would challenge the world for its equal in grand scenery would extend from the Cowlitz Pass northward along the crest of the range to the Cascade branch. The distance is 50 miles, 31 in the park and 19 beyond it to the railroad. Within the reserve the summit is open and park-like. On the east is a sea of mountains; on the west is a bold descent of 3,000 feet to the valleys of Cowlitz and White rivers, beyond which Tacoma rises in overpowering grandeur, 8,000 feet above the road and only 12 miles distant.

A committee of your memorialists has carefully examined the existing maps of the State of Washington with special reference to the position of this reserve, and finds that the boundaries of the reserve are farther east, in relation to Mount Rainier, than was supposed. The western boundary traverses the slope of Mount Rainier at altitudes of 7,000 to 9,000 feet, and the glaciers extend several miles beyond it. In order to include all of the glacial area and the immediately adjacent forest on the west, your memorialists respectfully recommend that the western boundary of the park be drawn one range west of that of the reserve, viz., at the range line between ranges 6 and 7 east of the Willamette meridian. By this change no part of the Wilkeson-Carbonado coal field would be included in the park.

Your memorialists find, as already stated, that it is not necessary to include the eastern slope of the Cascades in the park, and furthermore that it is desirable to leave the Natchez Pass on the north and the Cowlitz Pass on the south open for the construction of railroads. Your memorialists therefore pray that the park be defined by the following boundaries: Beginning at the northwest corner of sec. 19, T. 18 N., R. 7 E. of the Willamette meridian; thence south 24 miles more or less to the southwest corner of sec. 18, T. 14 N., R. 7 E.; thence east 27 miles more or less to the summit of the Cascade Range; thence in a northerly direction to a point east of the place of beginning, and thence west 26 miles more or less to the place of beginning.

Your memorialists respectfully represent that—

Railroad lines have been surveyed and after the establishment of a national park would soon be built to its boundaries. The concessions for a hotel, stopping places, and stage routes could be leased and the proceeds devoted to the maintenance of the park. The policing of the park could be performed from the barracks at Vancouver by details of soldiers, who would thus be given useful and healthful employment from May to October.

The establishment of a hotel would afford opportunity for a weather station, which, in view of the controlling influence exerted by Mount Rainier on the moisture-laden winds from the Pacific, would be important in relation to local weather predictions.

Your memorialists further represent that this region of marvelous beauty is even now being seriously marred by careless camping parties. Its valuable forests and rare animals are being injured and will certainly be destroyed unless the forest reserve be policed during the camping seasons. But efficient protection of the undeveloped wilderness is extraordinarily difficult and in this case practically impossible.

Therefore, for the preservation of the property of the United States, for the protection from floods of the people of Washington in the Yakima, Cowlitz, Nisqually, Puyallup, and White River valleys, and for the pleasure and education of the nation, your memorialists pray that the area above described be declared a national park forever.

For the National Geographic Society:

Gardiner G. Hubbard,
President.

For the American Association for the Advancement of Science:

J. W. Powell.

For the Geological Society of America:

Bailey Willis.

For the Sierra Club:

John Muir.

For the Appalachian Mountain Club:

John Ritchie, Jr.

Washington, D.C., June 27, 1894.

XVIII. MOUNT RAINIER IS 14,408 FEET HIGH
By THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

The United States Geological Survey issued a bulletin for newspaper publication on January 22, 1914, giving the height of the mountain as determined by the most accurate and definitive methods known. That bulletin is here given as it was then issued. At the same time F. E. Matthes, topographer with the Survey, sent additional comment to the Sierra Club of California, by whom it was published in the Sierra Bulletin for January, 1914. This comment is now reproduced by permission of the Sierra Club.

The height of the summit of Mount Rainier, Washington, has been determined by the United States Geological Survey to be 14,408 feet above mean sea level. This elevation now officially displaces the former supposed height of the mountain of 14,363 feet and accords to Mount Rainier the distinction of being the second highest mountain peak in the United States, Mount Whitney, California, being the highest. The correct height of Rainier was determined by a party of topographic engineers of the Survey in connection with the mapping of the Mount Rainier National Park, which was completed last summer. The topographic survey of the park was begun in 1910 by F. E. Matthes, continued in 1911 by Mr. Matthes and George R. Davis, and finished in 1913 by C. H. Birdseye, W. O. Tufts, O. G. Taylor, and S. E. Taylor.

In the mapping of the summit of the mountain a terrific blizzard was encountered; in fact, two ascents of the upper portion of the mountain were necessary. The first ascent of the upper 5,450 feet was begun at 5 o'clock a.m., August 16 [1913], and dawn broke with every indication of developing into a beautiful day. On reaching the summit the men encountered a terrific gale, clouds enveloped the mountain, preventing observations, and by noon snow began to fall. A descent was attempted, but the party became hopelessly lost in a labyrinth of crevasses, the storm developing into a blizzard. To descend further was impossible; to remain was suicide. Consequently a return to the crater was ordered, and the men reached it after a two hours' climb, utterly exhausted and nearly frozen. Here they sought shelter in one of the steam caves, where during the long night they were thoroughly steamed and half frozen in turn. Strenuous measures were employed by the men to keep from falling asleep and freezing to death. As it was, their fingers and ears were badly frozen. Finally, with a rising barometer, they succeeded in descending 9,000 feet to a temporary camp, making the descent in three hours. Here they recuperated and prepared for another ascent, which was accomplished on August 20, the start being made at 1 o'clock in the morning. Good weather was encountered and the mapping of the entire summit was finished by 1 o'clock.

"If anyone thinks that American glaciers are play glaciers, or that the weather which may be encountered at the summit of Mount Rainier in August is uniformly balmy and springlike," said Mr. Birdseye, whose fingers and ears were badly frosted, "let him climb Mount Rainier during one of its summer blizzards. The steam caves in the crater are not the pleasantest places imaginable to spend the night in, but had they not been there, not one of us would be alive today to tell the tale."

Comment by F. E. Matthes

The mountaineers of the Pacific Northwest will no doubt jubilate at the above announcement by the United States Geological Survey of the new figure for the altitude of Mount Rainier. It places that peak close to the top of the list of high mountains in the United States. Mount Rainier's closest rival on the Pacific coast, Mount Shasta, it so happens, has just recently been beheaded by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and now can claim no more than 14,162 feet, that is, 218 feet less than it once boasted. The great volcano of Puget Sound is thus left well in the lead.

A review of the different figures that have been announced in the past for each of the higher peaks of the United States would almost justify one to infer that these summits have a peculiar habit of fluctuating in height from time to time. Both Rainier and Shasta have been notorious for their inconstancy; so much so indeed that it is to be feared that the public will lose faith somewhat in the trustworthiness of altitude determinations in general. There is good reason to believe, however, that the last announcements for these two peaks are not likely to be changed again. About Mount Shasta, perhaps the Coast Survey is the only party able to speak positively; but as regards Mount Rainier, the Geological Survey feels satisfied that the new figure is the best that can be obtained with modern methods and instruments.

The elevation of Mount Whitney (14,501 ft.), it may be remembered, was determined by actual leveling, but such procedure would have been impossible on Mount Rainier, as the most practicable route to its summit leads over many miles of snow and ice, and up a precipitous chute several hundred feet in height. On thawing snow accurate leveling is out of the question, for the instrument can not be set up so firmly that it will not settle slightly between back and fore sights. To execute this pottering kind of work in freezing weather would entail both hardship and great expense. But the obstacle that would have proved entirely insuperable to levels on Mount Rainier and led to the abandoning of that method is the dreaded Gibraltar Rock, well known to many who read this magazine [Sierra Club Bulletin]. To carry levels up its precipitous side is for practical considerations all but impossible.

It was necessary, in the case of Mount Rainier, to resort to long-distance methods of angulation. That is to say, sights were taken to its summit from neighboring peaks, six to eight miles distant, the altitudes of which had been carefully determined, and the positions of which with respect to the mountain's summit had been computed from a scheme of triangulation.

It is not possible to execute vertical-angle measurements of this sort with the precision obtainable by leveling; at the same time by providing a sufficient number of checks and repeating each measurement many times a result can be attained that can be relied on within a foot or two. And closer than that the determination of a snowcapped peak, such as Mount Rainier, need scarcely be; for its actual height is bound to fluctuate by several feet from year to year and even from month to month.

It is gratifying to note how closely the new trigonometric determination of Mount Rainier accords with the barometric one of Prof. Alexander McAdie (14,394 ft.). It is hoped that this agreement between the results of two fundamentally different methods will strengthen public faith in their reliability, and lead to the discarding of other figures (some of them much exaggerated) that have appeared in print from time to time.

In closing, it may be said, that the Geological Survey's bulletin little more than hints at the fortitude and pluck of Mr. Birdseye and his party in their almost disastrous experiences on the peak. Survey men are so frequently confronted by peril in their daily work, that they are not apt to write or talk about it, and as a consequence the public seldom learns the intimate details. It is to be hoped that the history of this undertaking will some day appear in full.