The Brookhaven leader., 1885-03-26
IVOLUMEs. BROOKHAVEN. MISS. THURSDAY MARCH
SCENERY IN ALASKA.
yaperior TO That of Norway aud switzer.
land-"Wild. Strange and Silent"
lChilcat iAlasknI LetterI

saperor 10 Ihat OF norway ana Switzer-
land-"wild, Strange and Silent"
tChilcat tAlaskai Letter.
The further northward one goes among
he Alaska islands the deeper become tbs
channels and more tortuOIs, the higher
the mountains, and wil,ler, grandcr and
more beautiful the scenery. Around
rise the mountain islands, green. heavily
wooded, and with steep Sues furrowed
by many landsiiie, an often bathed
by an ice-cold stream lcapiug from snow ,
peaks above to black deep waters far
below Everything is wild and strange
AMI silent. 70 towns appear in sight,
few canoes are to lie seen, and only
lonely forests, rank AMI undI turb.d
neglected cOveS, reaching long arms far
inland toward snow tipped ranges OF
ma este height, and wide stretches of
water ar met with through the day.
hob 1olorado of its cities. railways,
AMI paople, an loot tls cams, the
gOrges, and the plains, aud there will
be created another Alaska, for here the
highways are all o water, and the
countless channels are but deep canons
bordered by tree grown ellis rising
1909 and 1000 feet above the mast
nead OF every visiting snip.
On leaving Wrangel. with tho fog
still cnyel0png that time.worn town,
our course led through Wrangel mar
rows, riv,r-like passage, full OF twists
anl turns and hidden reefs, that ex-
tends between two parallel ranges of
snow-cappei mountains, and from it
into other almost as narrow channels
which have to be encolnterel in sailing
toward the north. There was but litti.
variety in the scenery, the same features
constantly appearing as we passed froni
one canal to another, or from one lake
like incloSure 10 the others, and there
We're still no signs Of life along the
shores.
There is something depressing at first
in this lack OF civiIIzation one sigh,s
for a town to look at, for break in tn
forests, for lighting up of the un-
changing heavinesS of the coioring.
Sually in Alaska there is not the fine
weather which we were fortunately
blessed with. 1t rains the greater part
of the tima, and when it is not raining
there is a fog hanging tetween the
water and the sky which shuts ont the
sunlight and hides the hills and Sprca Is
a shroad over the country, rendering
the prospect heavier tHam ever.
1T Is Il good region to visit, said the
artist Tut heaven help those who
have to live here.
In sailing among tho islam is of
Alaska, and noticing the beauties of th9
ever present mountains, ono gains only
limi,ed conception of the greater
edarns which the interior reg ions pos
sess. 1t may be said with truth that
Alaska hal more natural grandeur than
any other state or territory, whil5 many
of its aspects are superior TO those
Offered by Norway and SwitEcrian5--
two countries hitherto supposed to pos
SeSS unriNaicd scenic attractions. Leav-
ing Juneau one day, we climbed q steep
trail leading at once into the forests AMI
up the mountain side on our way to a
valley that extends some fifteen miles
miami. A few rods from town the road
led to whore the tall trees of spruce
pine, fir, AMI hcmlock grew in rank
abundance. In every direction stretched
the som5cr forests, thick and dark ard
almost tropical with its wealth of low
growing shrubbery myriads of delicately
pattern ii ferns, AMI thick layers of
NdIl-cDlOitI HlOSS.
Gaining ridge en- Dying the euphon-
iouS name of ''Iiog Back" an opening
caused by an avalanche sweeping away
every obstruction before it revealed the
town, lying 500 feet below, and, be-
yond, the sunlit waters of the bay with
Douglas islanl looming up beyond and
forming green fore ground to white
sharp peaks that rose still farther away.
From here The trail descended 1,G09
creek that came Towing down a narrow
valley from some region far beyond.
Following the path in the windingS up
this gorge, which is formed by two high,
rows of bare steep cliffs, there was r.
vealed a section of Alaskd we'll entitled
to whatever az. .e"tives of laudation one
might have at command
Far ahead, and seen through narrow
opening let by the cliffs, a snow white
glacier, pressing toward growth OF
trees fro II a pointed cone of rock, gllSt-
ened i'll the strong sunlight, while
nearer at hand lowered the fri@htful
cliffs, deep brown and gray or tinged
with yellow, and sGreakei with long
dark stains where bowlder had Scraped
its way TO the valley below. Ii was
S'fit erland enlarSei--a vast highway
o fierce winds, Il stronghold OF nature,
snbilme in conception and filled with
exquisite colorinGs TO med by the blue
Gf distant peaks, the green OF the far
ests, the varied hues of the nearer crags
and the whiteness of the glaciers.