Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-10-24
The BOttOiniess SAguenay.

This river of death of Saguenay, is
bottOmless. You might, if possible,
drain the st. Lawrence river dry, says
Mr., lie Moine, the Canadian authority,
and yet this dark, still river would be
able to float the Great Eastern aud all
her majestv's ships of the line. "A
bottomieSs river sounds strangely new;
indeed, were it not SD L should not
trouble you or myself to mention it.
But this river is thus far unfathOmed.
1t is full of counter currents, swift,
perilouS in the extreme. AS the vast
red moon comes shOuldering up out of
the st. Lawrence away above toward
the sea and stood there a glowing period
to a great day, we draw back from
TadOusac, where the ancient church
sits in the tawnsy sand and scattering
grass and, rounding granite headland,
we slowly steamed up the silent river OF
death. 1t widened a little as We went
forward, but even its mile of water
looked narrow enough as We crept up
between the great naked walls Of State
and granite that shut out these dark
waters from every living thing. On
the right hand great, naked and mono
tonous capes of slate and toppling
granite. On the left hand, granite and
slate and granite, and all silent. all new
and nude, as if just fallen half finished
from Gods hand. One mile, two miles,
twenty miles, and only the weary wall
of granite and slate; only the great
massive monotony of nude and uncom-
pleted earth. Now the walls would
seem to close in before us and bar all
possible advance. Then as we round
ed another weary and eternal cape of
overhanging granite, in its few fright
ened and torn trees, the dark way
would open before us. And ten, twen-
| ty, thirty miles more of silence, gloom,
river of death. No sound. No sign of
life is here. Summer or winter, spring.
time or autumn, all seasons alike, no
bird, no beast, not even the smallest in
sect, save only possible hOusefiy that
NAV harbor in the steamboat and so be
brought with you, is ever seen here.
This is literally the river Of death. l
know no spot like it on the face OF this
earth. Our deserts with their owls,
horn-toadS, prairie dogs, and rattle
snakes are populous with life in COM
parison. And yet this awful absence of
all kinds of life con not be due to the
| waters. They are famous for fish of the
best kind. The air is certainly delicious.
But all this vast rivers shore Is as
empty of life as when darkness was
| upon the face of the deep"
| And no man has settled here. For
nearly 100 miles not sign of man is
seen. You seem to be sort of COlum-
bus. as if no man had ever been here
before you. At every turn of a great
granite cape these lines rhymed inces-
sanity in my ears:
We were the first that eyer burst
| Upon that silent sea.
An hour past midnight and we near
ed the central object of the journey.
Cape Trinity, granite wall OF about
9. 900 feet, which in places literally
oyerhangs the ship. Our captain laid
the vessel closely against the monOlitn,
and for a moment rested there. We
seemed so small. The great steamer
was as little top, held out there III the
hollow of Gods hand.
No sound anywhere. No sign of life,
or light, save the moon, that filled the
canyon with her silver and lit the amber
river of death with tender and an al.
Turing light. No lighthouse, no light
from the habitationS of man far away
ON the mountains; only the stars that
hung above US, locked in the stony hel
NETS Of their everlasting hills.