CRATER LAKE, OREGON. 379 



that even on a hazy day a white dinner plate 10 inches in diameter may 

 be seen at a depth of nearly 100 feet. It contains no fish, but a small 

 crustacean flourishes in its waters, and salamanders occur in abundance 

 locally along' the shore. 



The level of the lake oscillates with the seasons. During the rainy 

 winter it rises, and in the summer it falls. In August, 1896, observa- 

 tions were made for twenty-two days, and the lake sank at the rate of 

 1 inch for every five or six days, depending somewhat on the conditions 

 of the weather. The Mazamas have established a water gauge, and it 

 was hoped that an extended series of observations would be obtained, 

 but the ice broke it off the next winter. 



Mr. B. W. Evermann, of the United States Fish Commission, who 

 visited the lake last summer, made some interesting observations of its 

 temperature. At i p. m., August 22 — 



The temperature of the surface water was 60° 



At a depth of 555 feet the temperature was 39° 



At a depth of 1,043 feet the temperature was 41° 



At a depth of 1,623 feet (ou the bottom) the temperature was 46° 



The increase of temperature with the depth suggests that the bottom 

 may yet be warm from volcanic heat, but more observations are needed 

 to fully establish such an abnormal relation of temperatures in a body 

 of water. 



Aside from its attractive scenic features, Grater Lake affords one of 

 the most interesting and instructive fields for the study of volcanic 

 geology to be found anywhere in the world. Considered in all its 

 aspects, it ranks with the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, the Yosemite 

 Valley, and the Falls of Niagara, and it is interesting to note that a 

 bill has been introduced in Congress to make it a national park for the 

 pleasure and instruction of the people. 



