OFFICE OF THE SUPERVISOR,
Ashford, Wash., September 30, 1915.

SIR: I have the honor of submitting the following report of operations in Mount Rainier National Park for the season of 1915:

GENERAL STATEMENT.

Mount Rainier National Park was created by act of Congress approved March 2, 1899, and exclusive jurisdiction of the territory so set aside for national park purposes was ceded to the United States Government by act of the Legislature of the State of Washington approved March 16, 1901. The United States has not complied with the provision of said act of the Legislature of the State of Washington which reads:

Provided, however, That jurisdiction shall not vest until the United States, through the proper officer, notifies the governor of this State that they assume police or military jurisdiction over said park.

The park is located in the western part of the State of Washington immediately west of the summit of the Cascade Range of mountains and about 40 miles southeasterly from the southern end of Puget Sound.

It is situated largely in Pierce County, but a portion lies in Lewis County.

The administrative office is located at the main entrance to the park, near the southwest corner, which is distant by automobile road 93 miles from Seattle, 56 miles from Tacoma, and 6-1/2 miles from Ashford, on the Tacoma Eastern Railroad, a branch line of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. It is connected by telephone to Seattle, Tacoma, and the principal camps and ranger stations within the park.

The department is represented in the administration and management of the park by Mr. Stephen T. Mather, assistant to the secretary, Mr. Mark Daniels, general superintendent and landscape engineer of national parks, Monadnock Building, San Francisco, Cal., and by a local supervisor who is assisted throughout the year by a clerk-stenographer, a chief park ranger, and two permanent park rangers. During the summer months additional assistance is rendered by six temporary park rangers, a general foreman of construction, and from 50 to 150 men.

TOPOGRAPHY.

The northwest corner of the park, by road and trail travel, is about 45 miles southeast from the tidewaters of Puget Sound, an arm of the Pacific Ocean, from which waters and the country surrounding the main object of interest in the park, Mount Rainier, appears during the prevalence of ordinary clear weather as a most imposing spectacle—an ice and snow clad dome 14,408 feet high.

The park reserve is a nearly perfect square, the sides of which are 18 miles in length, and contains, therefore, 324 square miles, or sections of 640 acres each (207,360 acres), and is completely surrounded by lands embraced within the Rainier National Forest.

Near the center of the park is the summit of Mount Rainier, from which radiates a system of glaciers, ranking in importance with any similar system or group of glaciers in the world. There are more than a score of these glaciers, from which originate four important rivers—the Nisqually, the Puyallup, the White, and the Cowlitz—the three first named having large electric-power generating plants located on them at points outside the park, but all dependent upon this glacial system and the waters originating therein. The Cowlitz is as important as the others in this respect, but as yet completed development of power-generating plants has not been accomplished.

The general elevation at the boundary lines of the park of the glacial valleys is 2,000 feet above sea level. From the boundary lines these valleys afford a comparatively easy grade to the lower ends or "snouts" of the various glaciers, approximately an average additional elevation of 2,000 feet. At these glacial snouts the real Alpine nature of Mount Rainier National Park territory is thrust upon the traveler, and from, over, around, and alongside the glaciers trails have been constructed with a view to making the wonders of nature within the park easily accessible as well as to provide patrol routes for the protection of the forests and game. These trails lead to the camps or parks known as Paradise Valley (Camp of the Clouds), Indian Henry's Hunting Ground (Wigwam Hotel), Van Trump Park, Cowlitz Park, Ohanapecosh Valley, and Silver Spray Falls, Moraine Park, Grand Park, Elysian Fields, Spray Park, Natural Bridge Cataract Basin, St. Andrews Park, Glacier Basin, etc.

There is at present but one wagon-road entrance to this vast wonderland. This road leads out from Tacoma and Seattle and is a highly improved thoroughfare for a greater part of the distance from these cities to the park entrance, near the southwest corner of the park, a distance of 56 miles from Tacoma and 93 miles from Seattle. At the park gate this road is met by the road built and maintained by the Government within the park. The Government end of this road is 20.4 miles in length, leading from the entrance gate (elevation, 2,003 feet) to Longmire Springs (6.6 miles; elevation, 2,750 feet); thence to foot of Nisqually Glacier (5.3 miles; elevation, 3,909 feet); thence to Narada Falls (4.1 miles; elevation, 4,572 feet); thence to the Camp of the Clouds in Paradise Valley (4.4 miles; elevation, 5,557 feet). To this point the road is open to automobiles during the summer months. The road above Nisqually Glacier was opened to automobiles for the first time on June 20, 1915.

FOREST CONDITIONS.

More than 200 square miles of the park lands are densely timbered. Douglas fir, white cedar, Alaska cedar, and hemlock are the predominating varieties. In addition to those named, the following varieties are found at various points within the park: Lovely fir, Noble fir, Alpine fir, Silver fir, Alpine hemlock, spruce, white pine, black (or lodge pole) pine, alder cottonwood, quaking aspen, broad leaf maple, vine maple, and smooth-leaf maple.

At an approximate general elevation of 4,500 feet the density of timber growth gradually diminishes until the extreme timber line is reached. The intervening areas, which are usually benches or plateaus on the long, sloping ridges separating the various glacial basins, form beautiful natural parks, in some of which tent camps or hotels are established and to which tourists resort in large numbers for rest and recreation. These natural parks and tent camps serve as bases for the arduous task of ascending to the summit of Mount Rainier, and for exploring the lesser mountain peaks, the glaciers, snow fields, and canyons so numerous within the park areas and in the areas surrounding.

These upland meadows, benches, plateaus, or natural parks are beautifully adorned by nature with flowers and shrubs of infinite variety and color and furnish to the most skilled botanist, not to speak of the amateur and the mere lover of the beautiful, problems in nature study never ending. Nearly 400 varieties of plant life are known to grow within the park.

ROADS AND TRAILS.

The Government road from the southwest corner of the park to the Camp of the Clouds in Paradise Valley was constructed under direction of the War Department. The road was opened for travel during 1910. The original cost of construction was $240,000. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1915, $32,364.19 was expended in repairing and improving this road. During the season just ending this road has been improved at various points by widening, constructing rock and timber crib retaining walls, guardrails, and by surfacing with 6 inches of cement gravel.

Between Longmire Springs and Narada Falls the road stands up fairly well under the heavy rains, but on the reaches below Longmire Springs and above Narada Falls considerable improvement work must yet be done to put the road in passable condition during wet weather. The section above Narada Falls was closed to traffic after each heavy rain during the present season.

The road above Nisqually Glacier was opened to automobiles on June 20, 1915, and was operated throughout the season on a one-way schedule, by which automobiles left the Glacier ascending and Paradise Valley descending on each hour from 7 a. m. to 7 p. m., passing at Narada Falls on the half hour. This traffic was controlled by three traffic officers, in telephone communication, stationed at Nisqually Glacier, Narada Falls, and Paradise Valley. The system met with universal satisfaction from the public, and it is believed that the necessary expenditure to improve this road for two-way traffic is not justified.

During the season of 1915 over 5,000 automobiles and 30,000 people passed over this road without an accident of any kind.

The original wooden bridge over Tahoma Creek, 1.2 miles from the park entrance, was replaced by a reinforced concrete structure of two 30-foot spans by McHugh & Creelman, Tacoma, Wash., contract price, $2,365.

The park trail system now has a total length of 150 miles. During the months of May, June, and July of this season three trail construction crews of 15 men each were engaged in trail building—completing about August 1 the east and west side connections of the trail encircling system. This work was done at an average cost of about $300 per mile.

The Mountaineers, about 90 in number, with a pack train of 50 horses, made the circuit of the mountain in August. The trip around the mountain can be made in about seven days, with an average march of 20 miles over the trail. This trip with proper advertising should become a very popular feature of the park. By making camp each night at certain designated points in the natural parks and upland meadows, the tourist can travel on foot by the shortest route, between camps, keeping above timber line, and obtain a magnificent view of the mountain and surrounding country from all angles, affording one of the most interesting scenic trips in all the world.

BUILDINGS.

There are eight ranger cabins in the park. The cabin at the main park entrance on the Government road, near the southwest corner of the park, is used as a general office for the park service and as living quarters for the clerk-stenographer and temporary ranger at that station. The main building (two rooms) is constructed of cedar logs. Frame additions for office purposes and kitchen have been added. The supervisor also uses this building as living quarters during the winter months.

At Longmire Springs the four-room pine-log cabin with frame addition for kitchen has been taken as a residence for the supervisor, and an old building near by, formerly used as an office by the Engineer Corps of the United States Army, has been cleaned and repaired to serve as quarters for the permanent ranger at Longmire station.

The Paradise Valley, Carbon River, and Ohanapecosh ranger stations are provided with one-room log buildings, and two more, located at Indian Henry's and White River stations, are being constructed this season.

Two small frame buildings, 10 by 12, have been constructed this season at Nisqually Glacier and Narada Falls for use by the traffic officers.

A frame warehouse is located at Longmire station, and park service tools, equipment, and supplies are assembled therein at such times as service conditions will allow.

TELEPHONES.

During the present season 40 miles of single-wire telephone line has been constructed over the west side trail from a point on South Fork of the Puyallup River via Sunset Park, Mountain Meadows, Crater Lake, Spray Park, Carbon River Valley to the Carbon River ranger station and the northwest corner of the park, from which point the Forest Service has extended the line to a connection with the commercial line at Fairfax, Wash.

An additional 20 miles is now under construction from Glacier Cabin at the snout of the Carbon Glacier via Mystic Lake, Glacier Basin, and the White River Valley to the ranger station on White River at boundary post No. 62. When completed these extensions will bring the total mileage of single-wire Government line within the park up to 90 miles.

In addition there is 6.6 miles of telephone, belonging to the Tacoma Eastern Railroad Co., which terminates at Longmire Springs.

MINING CLAIMS.

Mining operations are confined to claims located prior to the act of Congress of May 27, 1908, prohibiting the location of mineral claims within the park.

Active claim is asserted to nine locations by the Mount Rainier Mining Co. in the Glacier Basin district (north central section of the park), while in the vicinity of Longmire Springs (south central section) the Eagle Peak Copper Mining Co. is working toward the development of two claims, and Sherman Evans and Ike Evans two claims. Improvements on all of these claims consist largely of tunnels. No ore shipments have ever been made except for test purposes, from any mine within the park, though operations of various kinds have been in progress for nearly 20 years.

FIRES.

No fires occurred within the park during the season of 1915. During the month there were numerous fires outside the park and for about one week in the latter part of the month the smoke drifted into the park to such an extent that sight-seeing was impossible except in the early morning hours.

PATROL.

During the season there were employed in the park service nine park rangers: Thomas E. O'Farrell, chief park ranger, stationed on the Carbon River at the northwest corner of the park, from which point he directed the patrol, trail, and telephone construction work on the north side; Prof. J. B. Flett, park ranger, stationed at Longmire Springs in charge of traffic, camp grounds, and the distribution of park literature, general information concerning the flora, trees, shrubbery, etc.; Rudolph L. Rosso, park ranger, stationed at Paradise Valley, in charge of Paradise Valley and Indian Henry's Camps; Arthur White, temporary park ranger, stationed on White River in the northeast corner of the park; Herman B. Burnett, temporary park ranger, stationed at the Ohanapecosh Hot Springs in the southeast corner of the park; Earl V. Clifford, temporary park ranger, stationed at the park entrance, in charge of the registration of visitors and issuing automobile permits; Archibald Duncan, L. D. Boyle, and M. D. Gunston, temporary park rangers, stationed at Nisqually Glacier, Narada Falls, and Paradise Valley, respectively, as traffic officers, under the supervision of Chas. A. Clark, general foreman of road improvement work.

GAME.

The comparatively mild winter of 1914-15 was very favorable to game increase, and, judged from the frequency of being encountered by tourists and park rangers, there has been a very satisfactory increase of deer. Hunting is absolutely prohibited in park territory, and every precaution is taken by park officers to prevent poaching, but the densely wooded nature of park territory makes it impossible to entirely stop the practice. A great many goats have been observed at various times and places during the past summer. One band of 100 goats was observed by trail workers in August. A number of goats have pastured in Van Trump Park this season.

MINERAL SPRINGS.

The mineral springs at Longmire constitute an attraction which has had much to do with the development of the park. The ground on which these springs are located was patented under the mining laws a number of years ago and is held by private parties. This tract is so situated with reference to Government lands that the public can not readily distinguish the private from the public lands and buildings. Several kinds of mineralized waters spring from the ground on this tract and little care is exercised to prevent pollution. A large amount of this water has a temperature of 70° F. on reaching the surface. It is heavily charged with sulphur, and a swimming tank is provided in order that visitors may take a "sulphur plunge." Other waters are charged with iron, and still others are sweet, cool and sparkling.

Immediately south of the southern boundary of the park, near the southeast corner, very hot mineral springs are located, and an attempt is being made to acquire them under the mineral-land laws. If this attempt fails, the small amount of land involved should be taken from the national forest and added to the park.

Fine mineralized water has been discovered on the new trail, which was built up the Tahoma Fork River, 5 miles north of the Government road and also on the South Fork of Puyallup River near boundary post No. 16.

TRAVEL.

During the season 32,764 visitors to the park registered at the park office, on the Government road, near the southwest corner of the park. There is no systematic effort to obtain registration of entrances at other places on the boundaries, but the ranger in the Carbon River district estimates the number of entrances on the north side as being 2,000, and the ranger at Ohanapecosh station estimates the number entering there at 50, making the number of visitors reach the total of 34,814, as compared to a total of 15,038 for the season of 1914. A systematic count of the park gate registration shows the 32,764 registrations at that point to be distributed as follows: From Tacoma, 8,194; from Seattle, 7,437; from other points in the State of Washington, 5,544; from points outside the State of Washington, 11,589.

The number of private automobile permits issued during the season of 1915 was 3,230, as compared to 1,594 issued in 1914. The number of people entering in private automobiles was 23,404; the total number of machine entrances, 5,029. The figures given in the last sentence above do not include the automobile-stage entrances, by which means 8,153 people entered, 3,652 having come to Ashford, on the Tacoma Eastern Railroad, thence to the park in automobile stage, the remaining 4,501 having come on automobile stages from Tacoma; 200 people entered in horse-drawn vehicles; 5,000 people came into the park for camping purposes. The average length of time each person remained in the park is estimated at three days. Visitors are not required to register on going out.

AUTOMOBILES AND MOTORCYCLES.

During the year ended September 30, 1915, there were issued 3,230 permits to owners of private automobiles to use the roads of the park for travel. These permits are good for repeated entrances until December 31 of the year of issue. For each of these permits a fee of $5 was exacted, making the revenue collections from this source $16,150, while public automobiles paid $1,900. Motorcycles to the number of 247 were licensed at $1 each.

ACCIDENTS.

Two fatal accidents occurred in the park during the month of August, 1915. On August 19 Mr. Gilbert Francis Ordway, a prominent attorney of Boston, Mass., while returning from the summit of Mount Rainier, was killed near Gibraltar in descending the cliffs of Cowlitz Cleaver, a rocky ridge that extends from Camp Muir to Gibraltar. The mountain-climbing party was composed of seven people and a guide. After walking along this cleaver for about a quarter of a mile the party started to leave it and go down to the trail in the snow below. When within 15 feet of the trail Mr. Ordway placed his Alpine staff directly in front of him, in order to make a step down of about 2 feet. Suddenly his staff slipped, precipitating him forward to the trail below, a drop of about 15 feet. He struck on his head, just back of the left ear, against a rock, rendering him unconscious, in which state he remained until his death. The accident happened at 4.20 p. m., but he lived until the rescue party reached him at 10 p.m.

On August 31 Mr. C. W. Ferguson, of Seattle, Wash., was killed by falling ice in the caves of Paradise Glacier. There were 17 people and a guide in the party. Disregarding the instructions of the guide, several people proceeded in advance and entered the caves. Two boys passed through, Mr. Ferguson, accompanied by his wife, followed, stopped inside and began picking at the ice overhead with his Alpine staff, when a large block of ice broke loose, killing him instantly.

Aside from these two no other accidents have occurred.

An arrangement was made with Dr. James R. Yocom, of Tacoma, for medical and hospital service to the men employed on construction work, for which the men contributed $1 per month. Two patients were removed to the hospital in Tacoma, one of whom died.

CONCESSIONS AND SPECIAL PERMITS.

Following is a list of special permits issued and amounts paid therefor for the season now closing:

Special permits issued during season of 1915.

HOTELS AND CAMP ACCOMMODATIONS.

The National Park Inn, at Longmire Springs, is the principal public stopping place within the park. The franchise to operate this hotel is held in the name of the Tacoma Eastern Railroad. The building is a frame structure, two and one-half stories in height, 125 feet long, and 32 feet wide. There are 36 guest rooms in the main building, and through the use of tents 250 guests may be accommodated. A very attractive clubhouse or assembly hall, built of pine logs, has been provided for the comfort and enjoyment of guests. Water is taken from the Nisqually River for the operation of an electric lighting and refrigerating plant.

A hotel and tent camp is operated on the patented lands at Longmire Springs by Mrs. Elcaine Longmire.

John L. Reese operates a tent camp in Paradise Valley, and George B. Hall operates a tent camp in Indian Henry's Hunting Grounds.

Very respectfully,

D. L. REABURN,
Supervisor.

The SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.