Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-08-15
THE LOST .SIL YER NINE.


| was mining coal on the Broad Top in
Pennsylvania when l was commissioned b y
the Northern Pacific railroad company as one
of party of three civil engineers to make n
barometrical survey of the Skagit and Sauk
passes of the Cascade Mountains in Washing
ton Territory. This was in 1870. The Ska
git Pass was supposed to exist. No white
man had knowledge of it. The Cascade
Mountains are n continuation of the Sierra
NevadAs. The Skagit Pass, if it existed, was
the most northerly one in the range on Amer
lean territory. 1t was supposed to be about
forty miles south of the British boundary line,
and to be due east of the Fidalgo Island in
Puget Sound, and of San Juan Island, which
is better known.
When this survey was ordered the directors
of the Northern Pacific railroad company, as
well MS the United States government, had
not sufficient knowledge of the tremendous
mountain barrier between the Columbia riv-
er and the Pacific to determine the route by
which the projected road could best reach
the sea. They had to feel their way in the
dark. This will explain the long hesitation
in fixing the western terminus of the railroad
and the seeming incertitude Of policy shown
in the large purchases of land on Puget
Sound for account of the company at Belling-
ham Bay, Whatcom, WILDLY Island. Utsala-
dy, Seattle, Olympia, and elsewhere No
man knew where the railroad would could,
or should terminate on Puget Sound and
these purchases were scattered to insure the
speculative netting of the terminus some
where
Well, our business is to find out if a rail
road of standard gauge can be built across
the Cascade range through the Skagit Pass or
the Pass channeled by the Sauk river, which
is the southern branch of the Skagit The
party organized at Whatcom, at Bellingham
W au,hork in, tlraa
panied by ten Indians. The paddles are dip
ped in the cool salt water and we have start
ed on our trip across the bay, then through
sloughs, over scantily covered aud flats until
the Swinomish Flats are reached. There the
Swnomish slough is taken, and we are soon
at an Indian agency. Here we camped for
the night, a dreadful place, damp, swampy,
and afflicted with mosquitoes. These were
so thick that the remark of one of the natives
was but little exaggerated. Moving arounda
"smudge" fire l had built so as to keep in
the line of the smoke, l injected an exclama-
ton or two into my conversation with him
about the troublesomeness of the Northern
mosquitoes. Hardly interrupting his story,
the native said, I'VE don't call them thick
until a club thrown up in the air comes down
bloody :" and without a smile he kept ON
with his tale of an elk as big as a mule.
Next morning we start for the Skagit river
and get as far up as the settlement below the
jam" Though it is far from nightfall, our
chief halts and makes camp, and stalks majes-
tically around for the admiration of the set
tiers. The camp being pitched under some
wide spreading cedars, l strolled off to the
river, got into a canoe and crossed to where
l saw some men clearing the forest. They
stopped work and we seated ourselves on a
log talked and smoked They told me that
it costs two hundred dollars per acre to clear
the land, and as l looked at the large trees
from four to six feet in diameter believed it.
asked them if they knew of the passes
through the mountains. They did not they
had heard of the Sauk Pass from the Indians,
but never of the Skagit Pass
Soon firing of the wood cutters l wander
off, and wandering come to a log hut in front
of which a white man is sitting on stool,
watching two little half-breed children play
in the sand by the river A couple of canoes
are tied to some stakes and float round and
round in an eddy of the river. Leaning
against a great cedar, l watch the children
play and look at the man. There is some
thing in his appearance, as he sits before me,
that impresses me as being different from the
Missouri Pixies have just left So l stand,
unseen by him, and look.
Across the river is jolly party of Indians
They laugh loudly, and talk necessarily, as
they cook fresh salmon. They make pretty
picture as they move and act around their fire,
shaded by the great evergreens. neatly
DIRE essed, Rt-headed Indian woman comes out
of the house. Passing the white man with
out n word, she utters some gutturals TO the
children who are playing. They hurry into
canoe the mother follows, and quickly
paddles across TO the tish-oOoking party.
Leaving the shelter of my tree, l walk
slowly toward the man. He starts as he sees
a strange face. introduce myself With
smile he says that his name is-well, Jack
son will do. At once see that have STUN
bled on an intelligent gentleman. lam asked
many questions He seems to be greatly re-
leved to find that the Northern Pacific road
will not be built at once. He presses me to
stay to supper, to stay all night l, more
than willing, consent. We eat hearty meal
of salmon and lettuce; then, dragging blank
cts out to the rough porch, we lie there smok-
ing and talking, He seems glad TO see one
lust from the East, and asks il have ever
been in Philadelphia, saying that he was
born and educated in that city. describe
the city as it was when last saw it. When
| finish, he, with a weary sigh laments the
wasting of his life ON the banks of the Ska
git.
As the moon rises the scene changes, mel
lows, and becomes indistinct The fire
across the river burns brightly, tlecking the
sleeping Indians. The river grows beautiful
as il flows at our feet Becoming confidential,
l ask Jackson why he stops here, raising po-
tatoes and peas for a niggardly market He
hesitates a minute, then says; II will tell
YOU why" And he relates this story;
Years ago / was placer mining on the
American river. In our employment was an
Indian. We had treated him well, paid him
as we agreed and once or twice stood be-
tween him and danger from drunken Pixies.
Naturally the Indian looked on us as friends
and when he saw that we were interested in
the reported discovery of quartz mines, he
became interested too. One night while sit.
ting in our cabin, he said that he would tell