New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-01-15

making narrow lakes without visible outlet. wherein
we sailed close mp to impossible shores, like tho
walls of Sinbads Valley, but turning on orr track,
| found an unexpected dcliverance. Then, looking
back all the way was closed behind u.s. Here III the
| lonely mountains. wo were alone. No world be-
| hind. no world before. Woe to HIM who was not
sufficient for himself in these solitudcs They were
| so mercess in their demands that the delinquent
had no resource but to eude them and hide himself
| TO forget his rcstlessness in nap. And when no
went ho paid the penalty for all ms rghthahd
| faIngsoiT and lcft-hand OBJECTIONS. Tor he lost
fine rocks and the rocks are grander than the for
| ests. Walls of basalt in vast lodges overtop the
| farther mountains. Rifted powders stand alone,
their base washed by the river. thor heads uphold
| NC the sky Columns and obelisks and shafts rise
with mightier strength and q more majestic grace
than architecture has imagined. And through these
| stately gateways We come TO the Cascades.
Tho Cascades are the fierce and pent-uD rapids
where tho chang river falls forty feet, half of it in
mile But there are five miles Of dangerous or I'M
possible navigation, and we let pretty and swift
ttle steamer flor the railroad This railroad is tho
second in imporlancein Oregon, and is five miles long
the chieferlnc being fifty miles further up the stream
and fifteen miles in length. Life may have much OF
tragedy for me- bnt it has been kind OH the whole,
| for have ridden on tho cow catcher! And cannot
| imagine madden excitement. Five of us did It,
Diana and J. as tho only ladies. were awarded tho
| most desirable places-the two minute mats above
| the pilot, and in front of the boiler.
| They were so lnobby and small and oily, and had
| such an i'll flavor Of fire and brimstoIs where the
engine ,rould puff its hateful white breath into our
faces that but for the airy case and superiority I'M
piled in having the only seats, we might have pre-
| ferred standing; like the good Gubernator, who
pcrched on brass nail, rested first one foot ana theh
the other clingng with both hands 10 the strongest
| rod within reach, aud shouting jam HowR8 Body
at te TOP of his voice or like TiutOrctO who stood
| in air. apparently, sort of FLYING Mercury IN
Scotch cap and CATERS Weniadc those five miles in
| ten minutcs The great river to the right OF u.s.
| rocky mountains to the left our flight through
chasms and riffs of stone that seemed TO press for
ward with an evil-minded purpose to shut us in,
lust a glimpse Of buo sky far above, such as
prisoners SEQ through their chinks,-Se thnn-
dercd on with such mad rush and noise that
John Broun's Booty might have been n
Chinese drgc for all could hear OF it, and that
our very eycids were blown down by the fierce
wind, and would not let MS see.
It is like tho delight Of flying. or rather
it is what flying might be If wings were
| unencumbercd with body. The whole ire
mendous motive power is out Of your sight for
gotten You sweepon, swift, inevitable, eRortlcss
irresistible In your imagination you become a
Fate a Fury one of the inscrutabe black genii dear
to your childhood, Time, Death itself. You com
mand tho world. If it were worth your while in
your swift progress you would sweep it after you.
You are so vast power that you cannot be expressed
else Won would shout or shrek. But you feel that
this excitement must not last too long. Fate, Fury
Demon that Won are you are mortal and the strain
Ia. ltr,l ali, guflap lV "a Ngn
were shot off. you stop-at a steamboat
landing and you are no longer Destiny. but very
stiff-knced and scriously-galed young person, who
with difficulty slides down off the pilot, laughing,
and declaring A hard place for anybody but the
Inda-rubber Man, born without joints, and with car
tage instead Of bones Yes, you are mean enough
TO say that foresccing that il anybody understood
the wonder Of that ride there wonld be no chance
for YOU TO make friends with the cow-cGtchcr Of
engine number two.
Now this next steamer. with its sweet Indian
name livingup there alone and beyond easy nayiga-
ton is a prctier and safer and bcttcr-Ordcrcd. and
plcasantcr boat than three out Of four Of our North
River steamers. The cabins were sweet with ccan-
illness. the silver and china glittcred with care
full ubbings. the carpets were fresh the
furniture was simple and clean, the
meals were unlike all other steamboat
meals of which have knowledge in that there were
few dishes. and they were perfectly cooked This IS
the way that thorough and tidy Oregon keeps house
cverywhere-and we did not feel inclined TO point u
moral by speaking of our Sound and River steam
boats. Forty five miles now Of way Ike none
other in the world. You are in the heart Of the
mountains. The river is q narrow, swift. fierce
stream, hcreabOuts. The wind sweeps through the
wild gorges with q and a rush like q tornado.
In Spring when tile river is full this wind ashes it
TIL il runs in great waves like the sea- and boat can
hardly live in it-away up here, two hundred miles
from It's mouth 1t has only aswift current now. how
ever and lapsing ripple on the shore. The lodges
of basat rear themselves up into columns hewn and
carven by the winds and rains into majestic and
noble forms. They rise clear and stately row
beyond row. till sometimes five rows of these
gigantic pillars spring one above another TO make
the marvellous cOlonnadc.
The walls of the wonderful Giants Causeway are
one hundred and fifty feet in hight believe. These
walls are fifteen hundred. two thousand three thou
sand They guard strange weatherbeatcn ruins of old
rock Towers. castles abbcys, forts hinge grOesque
monsterso of preAdamitc growth stand all along
the crest of the mountains. The river doubles and
turns tho channel narTows that you cannot guess
| what lno of safe navigation tho hawk-eycd pilot
sees which you cannot, for to you, the rapids suck
and the rocks threaten everywhere. The river Is
longer river but chain Of tiny inland seas, each
walled in with impossible walls,
| All this way. wherever canon opened,
or tho mountains bowed their heads, you
have seen magnificent Mount Hood snow
crowned. still. and noble. Out to tho North there
have been glimpSes Of Adams. Jefferson. and far
off beautiful Rainier, while once or twice perfect
Saint eens' has made glad the day. Mount Hood has
been variousy reported to be eleven thousand feet
high eighteen thousand feet and of all intermediate
| attitudes Some late Vandal of the Gradgrnd tribe