﻿412 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OP 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  summer 
  of 
  1851 
  be 
  resided 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  i^eriod 
  at 
  a 
  wayside 
  hotel 
  near 
  George- 
  

   town, 
  El 
  Dorado 
  County. 
  One 
  evening 
  two 
  prospectors 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  hotel, 
  

   who 
  stated 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  since 
  early 
  spring 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  the 
  mythical 
  gold 
  

   lake. 
  They 
  informed 
  the 
  company 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  traveled 
  toward 
  the 
  north 
  for 
  

   a 
  distance 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  hundred 
  miles 
  without 
  discovering 
  gold. 
  They 
  

   stated 
  that 
  they 
  had, 
  however, 
  discovered 
  a 
  boiling 
  lake 
  and 
  a 
  volcanic 
  mount- 
  

   ain, 
  which 
  '• 
  threw 
  up 
  fire 
  to 
  a 
  terrible 
  height," 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  breadth 
  of 
  country 
  

   still 
  on 
  fire, 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  an 
  eruption. 
  They 
  stated 
  further, 
  that 
  at 
  one 
  point 
  

   they 
  traveled 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  ten 
  miles 
  across 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  country 
  where 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  were 
  still 
  so 
  hot 
  as 
  to 
  entirely 
  destroy 
  their 
  boots, 
  they 
  losing 
  a 
  horse 
  and 
  

   one 
  mule 
  during 
  the 
  transit. 
  They 
  placed 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  at 
  an 
  

   estimated 
  distance 
  of 
  100 
  to 
  125 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  northerly 
  direction 
  from 
  George- 
  

   town. 
  By 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  geological 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  

   that 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  Georgetown 
  to 
  the 
  Cinder 
  Cone 
  I 
  refer 
  to 
  is 
  about 
  115 
  

   miles. 
  If 
  this 
  statement 
  can 
  be 
  relied 
  upon, 
  the 
  burning 
  country 
  they 
  mention 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  belt 
  of 
  hot 
  ashes 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  described. 
  

  

  The 
  boiling 
  lake 
  referred 
  to 
  is 
  doubtless 
  one 
  which 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  existence, 
  it 
  

   being 
  located 
  about 
  eight 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Cinder 
  Cone. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  oval 
  in 
  shape, 
  and 
  contains 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  four 
  acres, 
  with 
  

   an 
  elevation 
  of 
  5,976 
  feet, 
  and 
  is 
  surrounded 
  by 
  hills 
  of 
  100 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  

   broken 
  only 
  at 
  one 
  point 
  by 
  a 
  fissure 
  which 
  admits 
  the 
  escape 
  of 
  surplus 
  water. 
  

   Around 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  this 
  lake 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  mud 
  cones, 
  from 
  

   one 
  foot 
  to 
  four 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  formed 
  of 
  finely 
  pulverized 
  volcanic 
  rock. 
  These 
  

   miniature 
  craters 
  were 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  ceaseless 
  activity, 
  ejecting 
  mud 
  and 
  sulphur- 
  

   ous 
  vapors. 
  

  

  The 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  itself 
  was 
  hot, 
  of 
  a 
  creamy 
  oolor, 
  and 
  the 
  surface 
  from 
  

   time 
  to 
  time 
  disturbed 
  by 
  the 
  escape 
  of 
  gases 
  from 
  the 
  earth 
  beneath. 
  

  

  My 
  guide 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  lake 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  tranquil 
  than 
  at 
  the 
  

   period 
  when 
  he 
  first 
  beheld 
  it, 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  years 
  since 
  ; 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  there 
  ex- 
  

   ists 
  abundant 
  evidence 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  this 
  district 
  is 
  rapidly 
  cooling. 
  A 
  mile 
  or 
  

   so 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  geyser 
  ejecting 
  boiling 
  water 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  

   of 
  ten 
  feet, 
  and 
  Field 
  assured 
  me 
  that 
  in 
  former 
  times 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  elevated 
  

   to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  twenty 
  or 
  twenty-five 
  feet. 
  While 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  

   westward 
  there 
  exists 
  a 
  huge 
  geyser 
  canon 
  with 
  hundreds 
  of 
  springs 
  still 
  in 
  

   action, 
  yet 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  large 
  cauldrons 
  which 
  have 
  ceased 
  action 
  altogether. 
  

  

  S. 
  C. 
  Hartnej 
  read 
  a 
  communication, 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  memorial 
  

   to 
  the 
  trustees 
  of 
  the 
  Lick 
  Estate, 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  

   " 
  Lick 
  Donation," 
  and 
  asking 
  for 
  a 
  modification 
  of 
  said 
  terms. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Dall 
  moved 
  that 
  the 
  memorial 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  Trustees, 
  

   with 
  power 
  to 
  act. 
  Mr. 
  Dameron 
  moved 
  to 
  amend 
  this 
  by 
  appoint- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  committee 
  of 
  three 
  to 
  act 
  with 
  the 
  Trustees. 
  The 
  amend- 
  

   ment 
  was 
  carried, 
  and 
  the 
  Chair 
  appointed 
  as 
  such 
  committee, 
  

   S. 
  C. 
  Hastings, 
  R. 
  C. 
  Harrison, 
  and 
  J, 
  H. 
  Smythe. 
  

  

  