A Weather Station on the Roof of the Cascades

The project of establishing a meteorological station on the summit of Mount Rainier, to be maintained by the government, is not so visionary a scheme as may seem on the surface, for stations of this character are now located on Mont Blanc, Switzerland; Pike's Peak, Colorado; Mount Washington, New Hampshire; Mount Vesuvius, and on lesser peaks throughout Europe. The station on Mont Blanc has an altitude of more than 15,000 feet, thus being higher than the summit of our proud sentinel of the Cascades. Mont Blanc is located in a more temperate zone and therefore is surrounded by milder atmospheric conditions than those which exist at the same elevation in this latitude, but members of the signal service, who have given the subject much study, declare that a station on Mount Rainier is entirely possible. In the recent explorations it was demonstrated that men can exist there even in the midst of winter. Such a station would be of much benefit to science in many ways, and being located in the state it serves, would give it additional prominence and distinction. Mount Rainier presents many claims for a permanent meteorological station which the other peaks of the Cascade range—Mounts Baker, St. Helens, Adams, Jefferson and Rainier—do not possess, and also would be a notable site because of its isolation and symmetry.

The station must consist of two little huts, one for the observer and the other for the instruments, and could be equipped with an automatic barograph, thermograph, hygrometer and anemometers, together with the usual mercurial thermometers. As in other stations of like character, a relief station could be established further down the mountain, probably on the south side, which is admitted to be more accessible, where those in charge could remain during the severe weather. The automatic instruments would demand attention about once every two weeks. This is the manner in which the Mont Blanc station is maintained, the relief station being located at a lower elevation, and the summit is visited every ten days. On Mount Rainier, in the event it were necessary for the observers to remain on the summit overnight or for several days, should a storm come up, the steam from the active crater would keep them warm and they could exist on the supplies cached there for such an emergency.

A meteorological station on Rainier would give Puget Sound a prestige in that line which she does not now enjoy. It is believed the summit of the mountain is the windiest place on the globe, and it would certainly be interesting to know just what the wind velocity there really is. Some time since a member of the signal service in this city endeavored to measure the velocity of the wind on the mountain by estimating the speed at which the clouds of snow were being driven across the summit. He declared that the wind was blowing at the rate of 280 miles an hour. The highest wind ever recorded in the United States was on the top of Mount Washington, at an altitude of 6,279 feet, where it blew once at the rate of 168 miles an hour.