The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-11-11
WONDERS OF SCIENCE.
Tho Immense Glacioro of Alaska.


The study of the geology of Califor-
mia enabled Prof Whitney, and Others, to
point out the traces of Immense glaciers
which at time geologloally recent had
existed in the mountains Of the SielEa
Nevada. The climate and the dimenution
of the rainfall, consequent upon ccmpar.
atively recent geological changes, have
however, caused the disappearance of tho
greater part Of these, and it was not till
1870 that Dir. Clarence King discovered
actual glaciers on the north aide of the
extinct volcano of Shasta in Northern
California.
From the summit Of the Shasta, IA
400 feet above tho sea, we look down on
three considerable glaciers. One ofthese
has breadth Of three or four miles down
the canon. Its thickness 10 estimated In
places to be tleast 1900 feet, and it sur
face presents great crevasses, two of them
1000 feet long, and thirty or forty wide.
Glaciers have also been found on Mount
Rainier, or Tacoms, Washington Terri.
tory, on Mount Hood, in Oregon, and in
Alaska. ~ .n N.
Much more would be known about the
glaciers Of Alaska but for it's compara-
lively recent settlement, the thinness OF
its population even now, and the Difficult
ty of 0fscientific observation.
The Stickiue is perhaps better known
than any other river in Alaska, because
of its being the way back to tho Cassian
gold mines. 1t is about $50 or 400 miles.
long, and navigable for small steamers
100 miles, iiowing first in general vest
erly direction, through grass, undulating
plains, darkened here and there with
patches of ofevergreens, then curying south
ward, and receiving numerous tributa..
ries from the north, it enters the coast
range and sweeps across it to the eea
long, aud one to three miles wide at the
bottom, and from 5000 to 5000 feet,
deep, marvelously beautiful and inspiring
from end to end. To the appreciative
observer sailing up the river through
the midst of about ITO miles ia gallery,
Of sublime pictures, an unbroken series
of majestic mountains, glaciers, falls, cas-.
cades, forests, groves, flowery garden
spots, grassy meadow in endless Variety
of form and composition furniture
enough for dozen Yosemites-whilei
back of the walls, and thousands Of feet
above them, innumerable peakes and
spires and dcmes of ice and snow tower
graudly into the sky. 1.7 :t,
About fifteen miles above the mouth
of the river you come to the first of the
great glaciers, pouring down through the
forest in shattered ice cascade nearly 10
the level Of the river. Here the canon,
is about two miles wide, planted with
cottonwoods along the river, and fir and
patches ofwild rose and raspberry extend
back to the grand Yosemite walls.
Twelve miles back to this point noble
view is opened along the Skoot River
canon-a group of glacier laden Alps
from 10000 to 1900 feet high, the
source of the largest tributary of the
Stickine.
Thirty-fye miles below the mouth Of
the river the most striking object Of ell
comes in sight. This is the lower ex.
panded part of the great glaciers, measu-
ring about ak miles around the snout,
pushed boldly forward into the middle
Of the valley among the trees, while its
sources are mostly hidden. II takes its
rise in the heart Of the range, thirty or
forty miles away. Compared with
this the Swiss meY dc yloce is small
thing. It is called the "Ice Mouptain,"
and seems to have been regarded as
motionless mass, created on the spot, like
the rocks and trees about, without VEN
turing to guess as to how or when. The
front of the snout{is about 800. feet high,
but rises rapidly hae.S for iewlfnifes to
g iisight Of about ! 600 feet. ~ ~
Seen through gaps of the trees growing
on one of its terminal moraines, as you
sail slowly along against the current, the
marvellous beauty of the chasms and
clustered pinnacles shows to fine advan-
tage in the sunshine. Forbes, ,Tyndall
Ramsey. Merriman, Hayes and other OBJ
servers, have written much about the
wonderful glaciers of other parts of the
world, and yet the mystery of the exact
period of the origi. os these great masses
of ice in Alaska is seldom referred 10.