﻿410 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  portion, 
  if 
  any, 
  of 
  the 
  lava 
  in 
  view, 
  but 
  rather 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  elevated 
  by 
  

   forces 
  acting 
  directly 
  beneath 
  the 
  site 
  it 
  now 
  occupies. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  ashes 
  

   and 
  pumice 
  which 
  have 
  evidently 
  been 
  discharged 
  from 
  this 
  cone 
  is, 
  however, 
  

   amazing. 
  In 
  the 
  immediate 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  the 
  deposit 
  is 
  from 
  twelve 
  

   to 
  twenty 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness, 
  and 
  two 
  miles 
  away 
  it 
  is 
  five 
  or 
  six. 
  I 
  traced 
  

   this 
  deposit 
  for 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  southwest, 
  and 
  Obed 
  Field, 
  one 
  of 
  my 
  

   guides, 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  to 
  the 
  northwest 
  it 
  extends 
  fully 
  ten 
  miles. 
  To 
  the 
  

   eastward 
  the 
  deposit 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  extensive. 
  Yet 
  it 
  is 
  safe 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  a 
  breadth 
  

   of 
  eighty 
  or 
  one 
  hundred 
  square 
  miles 
  has 
  been 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  ashes 
  from 
  this 
  

   volcano. 
  Small 
  bits 
  of 
  pumice 
  of 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  bean 
  are 
  plentifully 
  mixed 
  with 
  

   the 
  deposit. 
  

  

  The 
  ashes 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  dull 
  gray 
  color, 
  differing 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  from 
  any 
  other 
  I 
  

   had 
  previously 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  offer 
  but 
  little 
  resistance 
  to 
  

   the 
  wind 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  drifting 
  are 
  apparent, 
  and 
  they 
  rest 
  evenly 
  upon 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  as 
  they 
  fell. 
  My 
  reasons 
  for 
  believing 
  this 
  volcano 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  recent 
  

   origin 
  may 
  be 
  briefly 
  stated. 
  In 
  Snag 
  Lake, 
  across 
  which 
  the 
  dike 
  of 
  lava 
  

   extends, 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  dead 
  trees 
  still 
  standing, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  lake 
  shore 
  are 
  

   many 
  trees 
  and 
  stumps 
  battered 
  and 
  torn 
  by 
  ice, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  driven 
  upon 
  

   the 
  beach 
  by 
  the 
  wind. 
  This 
  is 
  notably 
  the 
  case 
  upon 
  the 
  eastern 
  border 
  of 
  

   the 
  lake, 
  where 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  counted 
  by 
  the 
  hundred. 
  

  

  These 
  facts 
  clearly 
  indicate 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  portion, 
  at 
  least, 
  of 
  what 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  

   bed 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  has 
  but 
  recently 
  been 
  a 
  forest, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  lava 
  

   has 
  been 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  Again, 
  along 
  the 
  

   borders 
  of 
  the 
  lava 
  bed 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  trees 
  still 
  standing 
  with 
  lava 
  

   nearly 
  or 
  quite 
  encircling 
  them, 
  their 
  dead 
  and 
  blackened 
  trunks 
  furnishing 
  

   incontestable 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  eruption 
  occurred 
  while 
  they 
  occupied 
  their 
  

   present 
  positions. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  northwest 
  of 
  the 
  cone 
  an 
  open 
  space 
  exists 
  of 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   acres 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  extent, 
  the 
  trees 
  upon 
  which 
  have 
  nearly 
  all 
  disappeared. 
  

   There 
  exists, 
  to 
  my 
  mind, 
  the 
  clearest 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  vegetation 
  upon 
  this 
  

   tract 
  was 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  shower 
  of 
  hot 
  ashes. 
  The 
  trees 
  still 
  standing 
  are 
  

   burned 
  upon 
  all 
  sides, 
  precisely 
  as 
  a 
  green 
  tree 
  burns, 
  a 
  thin 
  stratum 
  of 
  char- 
  

   coal 
  still 
  adhering 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  remaining 
  wood. 
  A 
  few 
  trunks 
  have 
  

   fallen, 
  and 
  they 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  heavy 
  ash, 
  not 
  partially 
  buried 
  in 
  it. 
  

   No 
  traces 
  are 
  perceptible 
  of 
  fallen 
  timber 
  lying 
  beneath 
  the 
  ash, 
  as 
  that 
  would 
  

   naturally 
  have 
  been 
  entirely 
  burned 
  away. 
  

  

  I 
  observed 
  many 
  concave 
  depressions 
  dotting 
  this 
  field 
  of 
  ashes. 
  These 
  de- 
  

   pressions 
  were 
  from 
  six 
  to 
  ten 
  inches 
  in 
  depth 
  and 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  four 
  feet 
  in 
  

   diameter, 
  with 
  sides 
  sloping 
  towards 
  the 
  center. 
  Where 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  occurred, 
  

   on 
  digging 
  through 
  the 
  ashes 
  I 
  invariably 
  found 
  traces 
  of 
  a 
  charred 
  or 
  decaying 
  

   tree 
  stump. 
  In 
  the 
  forest 
  beyond 
  , 
  the 
  trees 
  were 
  invariably 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  

   zone 
  of 
  ashes. 
  Further 
  evidence 
  of 
  this 
  recent 
  shower 
  may 
  without 
  doubt 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  by 
  a 
  thorough 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  trees 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  Many 
  

   small 
  cavities 
  at 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  branches 
  are 
  thrown 
  off 
  will 
  yet 
  disclose 
  

   a 
  store 
  of 
  ashes 
  to 
  reward 
  the 
  search. 
  

  

  