Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-11-28
Alaska.

that the coas; line Of that vast Terri
tory is % 600 miles long, while that
of all the rest of the United States
is only 10000 miles. The Alexan-
der archipelago alone includes LOO
islands. OF scenes and Ell licences
along the coast he thus vii,
limiting what we can about i
all in a general way, we may regal,.
it as an intricate web of embroidery,
sixty or seventy miles wlde-tine-
spun coast lace trimming the rugged
mountain-lad, Il continent from Pu-
get Sound to the ice about the pole.
Some would say that it is all one
monotone Of beauty, but il Is no..
The general tvpe-tne pattern is the
some through, ut, but no twov wsarc
alike. Here YOU glide into narrow
channel, heiuined in with moIntains,
forested down to the waters edge.
There is no Instant view, and your
attention j. ,lshed back to the OBJ
jects close uoout you-the crowded
spires of the spruces rising higher
on the steep green slopes; gaps of
paler green where Winter avalan-
ches lave cleared away the trees;
retreating hoilows, the fountains of
ancient glaciers, with lingering snow
banks III the shadows, and zigzigs Of
cascades disappearing in the forest;
short steep 4lens, with brawliDg
streams hidden beneath alder aud
dogaood, sttn only when they
emerge brown algae of the shore, or
from messy cliffs. Perhaps few
ducks shoot past overhead, or Il bald
eagle may be seen leisur,ly plumins
on the top Of u dead spar, or n coon
heard utteIins his intensely lonely
cry. All tbs is pure wlldness, as
closely shut in and withdrawn as a
Sierras.
In the meanwhile the steamer is
often so near the shore you may Gl3.
tinctly see the purple cones clustered
on the tops OF the trees, and the ferns
and MOSES at their feet. But new
scenes are brought to view with
magical rapidity. Rounding some
messy cape, the eye is called aw' g
into tar-reaching vlatas, boun,t,(, tx
finely curved head!ands III cr ,,m,u',
array, Que dipping grace ally be-
You'd the Other, and gro win. fain,c,
and more ethereal j. The distance.
The bright, tango channel stretch.
river like betwee' i, sllrlcd here and
there oy tue " .,h OF l,npins salmon
that rise a : GOT or two above the
water like vivid jt'> Of silver, and 10y
HOOKS OF white sulIs floating Ike ill
!ies /" long the sun span. les, Willie
the mellow-tempered sunshine, pour
ln::, over all, blends sky, land and
water in pale misty lue. Then,
while you are gtzing with strange,
dreamy longings into the depths OF
lovely ocean lane, the steamer, turn
ing into some passage not visible I'm.
til the moment of entering it, glides
through into wide expanse, sound
filled with islands, slrlnkled or clus-
tered in forms and compositions such
as only God could invent. Some
sheer-faced, plunging deep into the
blue prairie, others rounding off in
fine convex brows, or with hollow
curves terminating i'll long level
points tipped with serge. Some are
SO SMALL the trees growing on them
seem like single handful cuiled
from the neishboring woods and set
in the water to keep them fresh,
while here and ihcle at wide inter
walls you may notice bare rock just
above the water, black dot, pune
tuating the end of a full outswelling
sentence of islands, every word of
which is reflected in the mirror
water, form aud meaning doubled"