The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-05-16
Columbia River Scenery.


acopy." The afternoon #ss per-
feet, and due attention having
been given to the commissary de-
partment, the scenery along the
route engrossed our attention.
"There is a tide in the affairs of
men that taken at the food leads
on to fortune;" there is a tide in
the Columbia river that taken at
the ebb holds back a steamboat.
The ripping waves, that showed
like molten silver in the slanting
rays of sunlight, were sombered
here and there by great patches of
cloud shadow, and those gather
ing masses of vapor rolled their
stormy folds around the noun
tains to the north and sent sudden
showers down that in turn threw
rainbows in profusion to the east.
The sails of the fisher feet gleam-
ed brightly on every hand, and
wood scows, log RATS and steam
boats gave the practical side to
this picture of busy industry.
Rounding Tongue Point the seem
cry to the northeast was surpass
ingly grand. The trailing wreaths
Of mist swung into hidden ravines
and left the skies above glowing
with q warm light, the great forests
in vivid emerald rose sloping TO
the far-off Cascades, that seemed
to recede afar in Times remotest
blue as we advanced. The CLEANS
Of gold and purple that streaked
the green and shadowy entrance to
the nearer wiudings OF the shore
line shone brightly on the carpet
of moss and wild flowers - natures
volumes, boand ia green and gold,
and open 10 be read by every
passer-by. Each turn Of the
river brings uew beauties in
sight, and as the boat runs closer
to the Territory side, many minor
points of beauty show out from the
bewildering wealth of gorgeous
natural scenery. Some thirty miles
above Astoria is sight that, view
ed as we saw it, from the deck of
the Fleetwood below, is most i'm
pressive.
Like the buttresscs of gigantic
tower rise great columns of basalt,
gray and grim, gashed and scanned
by the fire and ice of aons of long
gone ages that wrought such visi-
bic desolation; and yet TIE wounds
are covered by nature with robes
Of blue and emerald that contrast
strangely with the somber tiuts of
these giant columns that rear their
neads in stately spires toward the
zenith. In 4 cleft above, spark
ling streamlet comes tossing on its
way from loftier heights, and
bounds from the edge over the face
Of the crags to the shadowy gorge
below. The effect is sublime. A
crystal sheet at The start, it is dissi
pated into spray and rain and rain.
bow dust before it gets to the
nOwer-set pool, around which the
prismatic glow of purple and
orange and violet are playing as
the softened sunlight falls upon it
through the glancing needles of
the pines. The air is filed with
the music Of the water; the
low note of the sparkling cas-
cade as it bounds from the
edge of the cliff. alternating with
the treble of the lighter spray as
patters into the rocky basin be-
low. Three hundred feet above,
the leafy banners spring lightly
from those slanting walls that
were never brushed save by the
giddy sweep of the eagles wing or
the fall Of some discrowned forest
king to the swiftly rushing current
below. Farther back are beetling
cliffs of crumbling rock with lateral
creyasses in their frowning heights,
with here and there transverse
masses of brown rock bridging the
heights to still loftier peaks above.
Over the craggy ledge flowed a
thin sheet of dancing, g,bubbling wa
ter that swayed in the breeze and
sparkled in the sunlight, and
breaking into thousand glittering