Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1884-04-19
A Trip Through Deception Pass.
Seattle Herald. !

Deception Pass is well named. As the
ste amer approached it, it was hard tor US
TO believe that we were not running
against solid wall of rock. 1t was only
at the last moment that the narrow chan
mel was discovered. 1t lies betNe en FL
dsleo and Wildly islands.
Twixt cleaning walls Of granite
Opened up the Pass, So nanow and con-
fined
I, seemed phantom ship could scarce 60
through
without shipwreck.
This channel, once so dreaded by sail
ors, is now deemed easy and safe, although
at certain stages OF the tide 1t requires all
good steamer can do to make way
against the current, and a sailing vessel
would be quite at the mercy OF the water,
and would run a great chance of being
broken into kindling wood on the rocks.
A remarkable feature OF the shore In the
neighberheed OF the pass is the almost
entire absence of soil, which was carried
away by those majestic professions OF
icebergs which marked the glacial period
anil for " hose return to sweep away our
present civilization and all its traces
scientists are looking some $4,000 years
hereafter. CAPTAIN Jackson says that the
same characteristics mark all the shore
line from this point right up to and in
elusive of Alaska. Deception Pass, We
may remark in passing, is 200 feet wide
by about 400 in length, and is sometimes
know as "the hole in the wall"
We paid a brief visit to LaeSnner,
where we saw DR.. Bslcolm and some eth
er acquaintance. The town seems
thri wing one, and the Doctor reported
everything promising. Il being our in
teLtion to tako in the surroundings
more fully on our way back, we did no :
(nor indeed had we time toy take full
notes.
On our way out through the Pass the
W. F. Muuroe raced US, and rather got
away with us, for the reason, Chiefly, Ina
Captain jackson did not hurry and
the engineer had no spare niggar to sit
SQUAT on the safety valve.
On emerging from the Pass We could
see right across the Race Rocks and down
the Straits OF San Juan de Fuca. By and
by we reached Burrows Bay, with its tlne
well-sheltered anchorage and natural MILL
site. This is one of the innumerable pros
pectiye termini of some railroad from
somewhere with which the Sound shore
is dotted. In rapid succession we passed
Orcas. Guemes. and Lummi islands The
first named is one of the largest in tue
archipelago, and the last guards the south
end of the Gulf of Georgia as Texada
does the north. Ship Harbor is another
terminus,-of coal read from Skagit il
we do not mistake. At the present writ
ing, all we can say for it is that it affords
good anchorage and shelter tor shipping
in all wsathers. 1t lies between Fidalgo
and duemes.
Guemes postoffiee is stu ated on road
stead about q mile rom Ship Halbor
and consists OF solitary stere and mail,
landing. From there right across tue
channel lies Auacertes, which consists of
three or four houses. store and the En-
terprse office. The last is the snly gen
uine enterprise about the place.
A similar place, without even that
much to save it from torpidity, is Monks
Landidg at the head OF Fidalgs Bay, an
inlet of Psdills Bay. Samish postoffice
is another rudimentary city, but with
good prospects of becoming an important
point ia the near future, as it will, in all
probability, be an outlet for ceal and tim
Der from the Skasit. Atlanta, in the i'm
mediate neighborhood, shows signs Of
push and enterprise, fiue wharf and ho-
tel being either quite or nearly completed
there. This will be the shi piping point
tor the products and resources OF q large
tract of adjacent couftry.