C. King — Glaciers on Mountains oj the Pacific Slo2:)e. 167 



descends to the southwest. It is fed by the snow and ico of a 

 somewhat larger area of country, and is consideral)ly hn^ader 

 than the glacier of White river. In length they are isbout 

 equal. 



An immense amount of glacial debris must be anmially car- 

 ried down the stream, whose waters are heavily charizfil with 

 fine light gray trachytic sand, brought down from abow liy tins 

 moving mass of ice. The character of the rock, a brittU'. por- 

 ous trachyte, is such, that under the wearing action ot the li la- 

 cier it would be easily eroded and ground to fine powder. The 

 very extensive accumulations of sand-banks, which are con- 

 stantlv forming at the mouth of the stream, where it empties 

 into the Columbia river, bear ample evidence of the fact. 



The Little Sandy river, a tributarv of the main stream, with 

 whitih it unites, a few miles below the base of the mountain, 

 has its source in the third glacier, which is formed on the west- 

 em flank of the peak, separated from the Sandy by a high wall, 

 a somewhat broken irregular ridge of trachyte, which extends 

 along the southwest slope of the mountain. 



The upper portion or the neve of the glacier is inclined at 

 quite a high angle, and is considerablv fissured by broad deep 

 crevasses. It has cut into the sides ^f the mountain a deep, 

 narrow gorge with bare precipitous clifis. The glacier and the 

 valley of the Little Sandy are both quite narrow. 



One of the most marked geological and topographical features 

 of Mount Hood and the vicinitv is its very extensive system of 

 extinct glaciers, which everywhere gouged out immense trough- 

 shaped valleys, cutting down deeply into the eariier tracbytic 

 lava flows of the old volcano. The entire network of valleys 

 were all connected with two main glaciers; that of Hood river 

 on the north, and the Sandy on the south. The ancient W hite 

 nver glacier was undoubtedly very large; but, as far as my 

 observations have yet extended, had no tributaries. 



Kespectfully yours, ^ , . . 



Aknold Hague, Assistant Geologut 



I propose, if my plans receive the sanction of my chief, 

 General Humphreys, to include Mt. Baker, Mt. St Helens and 

 Mt. Adams and probably San Francisco Mountain, in this senes 

 of monographic surveys ; if so, at the close of next summer we 

 shall be in possession of a complete series of maps and studies 

 of all the great isolated volcanic cones of the Western Umted 



