Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-11-21
AN ALASK An GLACIER.
Plucking Flowers From the Edge Of the
Mighty Mass OF Ice.
From INC san Francisco BnlletIn.

| From the San Francisco Bulletin.
Arriving opposite the mouth of the
ford we steered straight inland between
wooded shores SURPRISINGLY beautiful,
and the grand glacier came in sight,
lying at home in its massive granite val
ley, glowing in the early sunshine, and
extending n noble invitation TO come
and see. After we are fairly between
the two majestic mountain rocks that
guard the gate Of the ford, the view
that was unfoded fixed every eye in
wondering admiration. No written words
however built together, can convey
anything like an adequate conception
Of its sublime grandeur-the noble sim
plicity and tho fineness of the sculpture
Of the walls; their magnificent proper
tons; the cascade garden and forest
adornments; the placid waters between
them; the great white ice wall stretch
ing across in the middle and the snow
laden mountain peaks beyond.
Sailing directly up to the sunken brow
OF the terminal 'moraine, we then seem
ed to be separated from the glacier on
ly by a low, tide-leveled strip of detritus
u hundred yards or so in width; but on
80 grand scale are all the magnitudes
Of the valley that we aiterward found il
to be mile or more.
| The Captain ordered the Indians to
get out the canoe and take ~ many Of
us ashore as wished to so, and accom-
pany us TO the glacier also in case we
should desire them to do so. Padding
to the nearest and dryest looking portion
of the moraine we stepped ashore, but
gladly wallowed back into the canoe, for
the gray mineral mud paste made
from the mountain meal and kept un-
stable by the tides, at once took us in
swallowing us feet foremost. Our next
attempt, made nearer the middle Of the
valley, was successful and we soon found
ourselves on good gravefly ground. |
made haste in direct line for the huge
ice wall which seemed to recede rs we
approached. The only difficulty we met
was network of icy streams, ut the
largest Of which we halted, not willing
to get wet in fording. The Indian we had
with us promptly carried us over the
difficulty on his back.
Standing in the gateway of this gl0li-
Gus temple and regarding it only rs
picture, its outlines may be easily traced
There is the water foreground of pale
milky-blue color, from the suspended
rock mud issuing from beneath the
grinding glacier-one smooth sheet
sweeping back five or six miles like one
Of the lower reaches of a great river.
AT the head the water is bounded by
barrier wall of blush. white ice from
500 to 600 feet high, few mountain
tops crowned with snow appearing be-
You'd 1t ON either hand stretches series
Of majestic granite rocks from 5000 to
1000 feet high, in some places bare, in
some forrested and well patched with
yellow-green chaparral and ilowery gar
dens, especially about half way up from
top to bottom, and the whole built to-
gether IN general, varied way into
walls, like those ofthe Yosemite Valley,
extending far beyond the ice barrier,
whilelthor bases are hurled i'll the glacier
This is, in fact, a Yosemite Valley in
process of formation, the modelling and
sculpture OF the walls nearly completed
and well planted.