The Cecil Whig., 1885-07-11
LIFE IN ALASKA.
From Washington Territory to Alaska
Nurrr nnnn Of, NJ

miles of scenery lying between here ant
the northern limit of the United States
On the morning of the 7th of May th,
steamship Idaho, passing out of Por
Townsend, took her course north alt
was soon steaming along through tht
the dark green, fir clad mountains o
British Columbia; to the west, out ant
away beyond Cape Flattery, rolled an(
| surged the restless billows of the Pacif,
Ocean, whose white caps broke in snowy
foam on the rocks of the cape, then roll
ing out, on and on, their outliner grow
ing more and more indistinct, until water
and sky close together in a misty hori
Zon.
In few hours old ocean was shut out
from our gaze by Vancouver Island. Al
o'clock in the evening we were enter
ing the Narrows, the most dar gerous
place Oh the route. The channel here is
narrow and hemmed in on either side by
rocky walls; through this pass the water
rushes and swirls, driven first one way
and then another, as the tide rises and
falls, making dangerous place for a
ship to turn; and once in, she must 90
ahead.
At midnight l was awakened by the
clatter Of the heavy anchor cable as it
went over the side of the ship. 1t had
scarcely reached bottom when the order
was given, 'Let go the stern anchor" ?"
and the Idaho was fast stern and bow.
Persons who went on deck came back
with the news that the fog was so thick
one could almost shovel it off the deck.
We lay there until morning, when we
raised anchor and were soon clear of the
Narrows.
Twelve hours later we had passed Van
couver Island, and again had the waters
of the Pacific on our left. The next
morning when we came on deck we
found the ship sailing among the Queen
Charlotte Islands. On every side we
were shut IN by the green forest-covered
islands, making it seem as though we
were on a lake in some mountainous
region. Judging from appearances,
mile farther and our ship would have to
take to land, when suddenly she would
round point and another lake would
stretch out before us, surrounded by
snow capped islands. In some places
the shores of these islands rise almost
perpendicular to the height of from one
to one thousand feet. These bluffs are
covered with brush and shrub fir, and
down their sides, scarcely hundred feet
apart in some places, cascades of white
water can be seen falling straight, then
reaching some rocky basin on the cliffs,
it spreads out in smooth sheet only to
fall again over tie ragged rocks, reach
ing the beach at last in a cloud of snowy
spray.
Dense fog clouds form around the high
snow crowned ranges Of the coast, drift
out and settle down over the smaller
island peaks, leaving their timbered
submits above, visible in the sunlight,
giving the effect of floating islands
among the clouds. Then, where the
slope of the shore is more gradual and
the timber much more dense, the track
of the sweeping avalanche may be seen;
starting from point far up the noun
tain side, it gathers weight and force as
it descends, sweeping the rocks beneath
of every vestage of soil and vegetation,
and opening broad path from summit
to beach.
Leaving behind us the Queen Charlotte
Islands, we sailed along among Alaskas
thousand isles. The lakes appearance
here gives place to grand placid rivers,
owing to the channels being straight.
For miles the steamer moves along with
tine shores scarce half mile distant on
either side. Ahead, as far as the eye
can reach, the same broad, calm river
winds its way among the islands. When
we reached the Straits we could see on
every hand that terror of northern sail
ors-icebergs, cleaning white and cold
in the sunlight, drifting here and there
with grim majesty all their own; these,
however, are small and harmless. They
have come far from their frozen home,
and the waters of the warm cure nts are
slowly but surely consuming them.
Our first stopping place was the Gus
tom House, very lonely port at the
most southerly point Of Alaska; the next
was Fort Wrangle, originally occupied
by the Hudson Bay Company; it after.
wards became supply station when the
Stickeen Mine excitement began. Dur
ing the winter it is quite lively little
place, but at this season is merely an
Indian encampment, being the home
camp of the Stickeen tribe. Two hur-
dred miles forth Of Fort Wrangle, at the
head of little bay surrounded by snow
covered mountains, lies Juneau City
pronounced you know. The inhab-
itants consist of Indians and miners.
The weather for the last ten days has
been as near perfect as | have ever seen
it in any country. One or two days were
a trifle hot, the thermometer rising to so
degrees in the shade, and what good,
honest days these are, too! Fancy, if
you can, sitting out on the porch al 12
o'clock at night reading the newspapers,
while the last rays of the setting sun
smile goodnight from the summit of
some lofty mountain, and scarcely has
the sunset deepened into twilight when
the twilight is merged into dawn.
Juneau City! You would consider it
misnomer could you sit here and look
out over the collection of cabins which,
when taken together, are called city.
Every style, every size and every shape
can be seen. Here is log cabin, with
its fireplace of sticks and mud, built
evidently by some "old- timer who has
not forgotten the style of the old cabin
home, in some grassy gulch among the
sunny Sierras of far-away California
Side by side stand the rough cabin of
split boards and the pretentious building
of lumber, shipped from Oregon. Each |
man has built where fancy or convent
ence located, with a disregard for streets
of even among the small Pueblo
Ranches of Old Mexico. The Indian
town is separated from the city by the |
wharf, and the architecture of their
town is even more startling than that of |
Juneau.