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

WONDERS OF SCIENCE.
Tho Immense Glaciers OF Alaska.
The study Of the geology of Califor.
! MIA enabled Prof. Whitney, and others, to
point out the traces of immense gleciers.
which at time geologically recent had
existed in the mountains ofttte Sierra
Nevada. The climate and The dimenution
/. of the rainfall, consequent upon compar-
a.ively recent geological changes, haye
however, caused the disappearance of the
greater part of these, and it was not till
1870 that Mr.. Clarence King. discovered
actual glaciers onlthe north side OF the
extinct volcano of Shasta in Northern
California.
From Che summit oflthe Shasta, H.
400 feet above the sea, We look down on
three considerable glaciers One ofthese
has q breadth Of three or four miles down
the canon. Its, thickness is estimat I'd ln
places to be atlleast 1900 feet, and it'sur-
face presents great tcrevasses, two of them
3, 600 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. ,,i.t a. -,
Much more would be known about the
glaciers Of Alaska but for its 'compara-
lively recent sentlement, the thlnness Of
its population even now, and the difficult
ty of scientific observation.
The Stickine is perhaps better known
than any other river in Alaska, because
of its being the way back TO the Cassian
gold mines. sItis about $50 or 400 miles
long, and nayigable for small, steamers
$50 miles, flowing FIRST in O general west
erly direction, through grass, undulating
plains, darkened here and there With
patches Of fevergreens, then curying south
ward, aud receiving numerous trlbuta.
ries from the north, it enters the, coast
range and sweeps across it to the sea
through a valley more than 100 miles
long, and one to three miles wide at the
bottom, and from 8, 600 to 5000 feet
deep, marvelously beautiful and inspiring
from end to end. To tho appreciatiye
observer sailing up the river through
the midst Of about 40 miles is gallery
Of sublime pictures, an unbroken series
OF majestic mountains, g,aS.els ia..s, s.Jan Ja1
cades, forests, groves. 5noMsly gaiHsn ..u
spots, grassy meadow IN enoless ,vsless s;.,.ss
OF 1orm aud eom mPys.s.onM.asS;i PWasNa;.a0 mS;io
enough ior: oo.sn, : .Sa;,.anJs Ss1es% ~ fsst
Dack7 OF Ihe Wails, anu iIouoas sa.Ios y. az. anJ
above tnem, lnnume!ao.s peaaes n1s ta1.ar ana
spires and domes OF ice ana snoW aN 'o"ef
grandiy INTO tne sly. 49, '.., o.,.,
About fifteen miles aooye tae lpeasn ~ !
of the river you come 20 t9e als1 ~ ~ .ue .
great glaciers, pouring down tnioug1 tae
forest in ashatferea ice CASCADE neatiy ~
the level otthe fiyer. yer here 1s sne calon l.;sS
is about TWO miles swloe, plan!ea VIII WIZ
cotton WOODS along,tne.i1iYei, anu;al faad snd
patcncs q WIG Iose sno asu;.: IasguIa T nsii.
6ack 70 me gIaaa =. La'eaas moI nohis
Twelve mles PACE 20 snIs ,ysns SEaot aRSr P;sar
view IS opened 4lonS we. sIASos 3sIes T ,na
canon-a, group oa dSa g,ac.es t:L l'L:m. o .o
from ,l0, ,ov0 toslz,VoV lesa nlgn, .he
source OF the largest srioutafy, Oh sne
Shckine. -.
Thirty-6ye miles below the NOUN 33 95
the river the most striking ooIec1:ot an
comes in sight: This y the lower e1'
panded part of the great gliciers, measu'