Traveller.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 353, 12 February 1903, Page 7

Traveller.

J LAKE OREGON. ; s|!&P LD . Allin Davy, chief of the . sffZJflr kiamath tribe, once gave the tol3!j§F3 lowing history of the discovery of the lake by his people. ' A long time ago, long before the whit© man appeared to v ( * and drive the Indian out, a band of Kiai iths, while out hunting came sudden 1, upon the lake and were startled by rfa remarkable walla and awed by its majest o proportions. Theit spmts subdued and trembling with fear, they silently gazed upon the face of the heaven-hued lake. Something within them told the braves that the Great Spirit dwelt thoro and they dared not remain, or explore ihe shores of the lake, but passed silently down the aide of the mountain and enca ipedfar away. 'By some unaccountable influence owever, one brave was induced to return. He went up to the very brink of the preoipica and started hUj eampfire. Here he lay down to rest; here he alupt till morn slept until the tan waa high in the heavens, and then rose and returned to his tribesmen far down the mountain. 'At night he went again, and again he slept until morn. Each visit' bore a charm that drew him back again. Sao night found him deeping above the bine lake; and each night strange voices aroBQ from the waters; mysterious noises filled the air. 'At last, after a great many moons, he was invited to bathe in the waters of the lake by a stranger who appeared to him in the night. This stranger looked and was dressed like a Kiamath Indian, but he was really a Liaj. There were many Qf these in the lake and they seemed to exist "almost sutirsly in the water. \- ' The Kiamath brave suddenly became hardier and stronger than any «aan in his tribe because of his plunge in the mysteriouß waters. Others then began to seek its influence. Old warriors se«t their sons for strength and covpaga to meet the conflicts awaiting theini Eirat they slept on the rocka above;, then ventured to the water's edge, and \laat of all plunged into the lake and the coveted strength was theirs, '" - \ ..' On one occasion a brave who visited the lake killed a monster fish, aud was m once set upon by untold numboM of ex\ cited Llaon, who carried him to the tap V of the cliffs, cut his throat with a knife, v and then tore his body into small pieces, which were thrown down to the waters far below, where he waa devoured by other angry Llaos 5 and such shall ie the fate of every Kiamath brave who from that day to this dares look upon the lake.' Bearing in mind this legend it is not strange that the existence ot Crater lake was not auspected by the first white pioneers in Oregon, nor was it heard of through the Indians themselves, It waa , discovered by a party of prospectors Jane 12, 1858— J. W. Williams, George Robb, James Louden, Pat McManus, Isaac Skeeters, and a sixth man named Dodd. These had left the rest of their party below and were not looking for gold, but having run short of provisions, were on a hunt for game. For a time hunger forsook them as they stood upon the cliffs and drank, in the scene that stretched before thorn. A Sacred Rock. Will G. Steele says, in writing of a trip he made to the lake in 1886: * Near the base of Button cliff stands a solitary rock, probably 100 feet high by 200 in lenatth, and nearly tfce same in breadth, that while never having been seen by the present generation of Indians, is navertbeleaa known to them, and is a special object of superstitious dread. They consider it a peculiarly ferocious monster, but are unable to describe its cha actoristicß. c It stands in the lake entirely alone and about, fifty yards from the shore. Standing on the cliffs about five miles to the west and looking across the lake, thia strahgo rpoE is plainly visible in the analight, its rugged peaks giving the appearance of a full-rigged ship at anchor. Should a cloud pass before the sua, as the shadow strikes the rock it will pass from view as effectually as though it had i 1 ceased to exist. * * * I have never . learned its Indian name, but among the whites it is known as tue phantom ship.' ■Governmental Experiments. No fish have ever been known to exist in Crater L ike. Recently a club of mountain cli tubers, with headquarters at Portland, Oregon, sent to Washington a request that Crater Lake be stocked with trout, and the government experts are going to find out if such a scheme is practicable. It is easy enough to put trout into the water, but the question is, Is, there sufficient food in the water to . nourish the fish after they are there P , The temperature of such a deep body of water is of scientific interest, also, for there is no data on which to base even a guess as to that of the bottom of Crater Lake; but the supposition is that it will be very little above freezing. The temperature of the ocean remains at 40 degrees Fahrenheit all the year round, even in the tropics. Novertheless, some volcanic heat may yet remain to warm the depths of Crater Lake. An interesting series of experiments may be undertaken te ascertain the temperature of the lake at various depths by the government expertß. •