Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-11-15
An Alaska Glacier Edged with way.
ing Flowers

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 valley, glowing in the early sunshine,
and extending most 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 unfolded fixed every
eye in wondering admiration. No written
words, however buflded together. can convey
anything like an adequate conception OF its
sublime grandeur-the noble simplicity and the
finene $ OF the sculpture Of the walls; their
magnificent proportions; the cascade garden
and forest adornmentS; the placid water be-
tween them; the great white ice>wall stretching
across in the middle, and the snow laden noun
tain peaks beyond
Sailing directly up to the sunken brow OF the
terminal moraine, we then seemed to be sepa-
strip of detr1tus, hundred yards or so in width:
but on so grand a scale are all the magnitude OF
the valley that we afterward found 1t to be mile
or more.
The captain ordered the Indians to get out the
canoe. and take as many OF us ashore as wished
to go, and accompany 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 wal
lowed back into the canoe, for the gray mine
raj mud, paste made from the noun
tain meal, and kept unstable 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 gravelly ground. l made
haste in direct line for the huge ice wall,
Which seemed to recede as we approached. The
only difficulty we met was network Of icy
streams, at the largest of which we halted, not
willing to get wet in fording. The Indian we
had with us promptly carried us over the diff
Guilty on his back.
Standing in the gateway Of this glorious
temple and regarding it only as picture, its
outlines may easily be 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 great river. At the head the water
is bounded by barrier wall of bluish-white
ice, from 500 to 600 feet high, a few mountain
tops crowned with snow appearing beyond
1t. On either hand stretches a series of ma
jestic granite rocks from three to four thousand
feet high, In some places bare In some forrested,
and well patched with yellow green chaparral
and fiowery gardens, especially about halfway
up from top to bottom, and the whole built to-
gether in general, varied way into walls, like
those of Yosemite valley, extending far beyond
the ice barrier, one immense brow appearing
beyond the other, while the bases are buried in
the glacier. This, is, in fact, Yosemite valley
In process OF formation the modelling sculpture
OF the walls nearly completed and well planted.
At length after being ferried in this way over
several more of these outrushing glacial
streams. we reached the glorious crystal wall,
along which we passed, admiring its noble arch
itecture the play OF light in the riffs and angles
and the structure of the ice as displayed in the
less fractured sections finding fresh beauty
every step. By dint of patient NgZagging and
doubling among the crevfceS and vigorous use
cliffs, we made our way up over the snow and
back mile or so over the cascading brow to
height about 100 feet above the base Of the
wall.
The whole front and brow of this majestic
glacier is gaShed and Sculptured into a maze of
yaWning chaSmS and crevaSSeS, and bewilder-
ing variety of strange architectural forms, ap-
palling to the strongest nerves, but novel and
beautiful beyond measure-clusters of glitter
ing lance-tipped spires, gables, and obelsAs,
bold outstanding baStionS and plain mural cliffs
adorned along the top with fretted cornice and
battlement, while every gorge and crevasse,
chasm and hollow was filed with light The
day was warm, and back on the broad waving
bosom of the glacier water streams were out
spread in a complicated network, each in its
own frictionleSS channel cut down through the
porous decaying ice Of the surface into the quick
and living blue, and flowing with a grace OF
motion, and ring and gurgle and flashing of
light to be found only on the crystal hills and
dales of glacier.
Along the sides we could see the mighty flood
grinding against the granite with tremendous
pressure, rounding the outswelling Bosses deep
enfng and smoothing the retreating hOllowS
and shaping every portion Of the mountain
walls into the forms they were meant to have
when In the fullneSS Of time the ice tool should
be lifted and set aside by the SUM- Back two or
three miles from the front the current is now
probably 200 feet deep, but when we examine
the walls, the grOOved and rounded features, so
surely glacial show that In the earlier days OF
the Ice age they were all OverSwept, this glacier
having flowed from 5000 to 4, 200 feet above its
present leveL-[Sln Francisco Bulletin