Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-07
TIC Glaciers of Alaska

Eliza RuhamGh Sci1moTe in Wide Awake for March
When the Davidson Glacier takes its last turn
in Its course and pushes out through grand
gateway in the mountains, it spreads out in
fan-Shapc and sweeps down in q long graceful
slope to its terminal moraine. The mOraine
has been built W. from the water by the deposit
of rocks. pebbles and sand ground up and car
red down from the mountains by the glacier.
until Il long stripof dry land formed in front of
the melting ice. The moraine before the David
son Glacier was made so long ago that dense
forest OF ancient and lofty pines has stretched
like hedge across the three miles of the gla-
cicr's front.
or around four or five times that distance by
water to the other side OF the mountainous pen
lh>ula, Is the famous Glacier bay, the great
natural show-piace of Alaska. Seven immense
glaciers flow into the waters of the bay. coming
down twenty, forty and even sixty miles from
great Snow-iicidS in the White mountain and
fairwcathcr APPS range. one of the largest of
these iCc-riVerS is named the Muir glacier in
honor of Prof. John-AIufr, of California who was
the first white man to tell the world of its eXiS-
t'''ca no further back than 1879. He went
au iouSiy UP an inlet of the bay in an Indian
an Q: but large ocean steamers ride up within
"a .u2rt@r OF Il mile of the ice front now each
summer, and are received with thunders and
cannOnadcS from the ice spirits ut every visits 1
SAILING up that long inlet filled with bergS
and floating ice, one sees broad gray river of
ice pouring down great valley between two
m2untain ranges with tributary streams of ice
=
around every jutting point.
Inc frozen flood, with its tossed and broken
waves, stretches ten miles across from noun
tain wall To mountain wall: and the long tongue
OF Ice running down to the inlet presents a
Watcr-waShcd, ragged, crystalline clif three
miles long, and from two to four hundred feet
in height. slowly creeping down the valley.
and tbruSting itself into the water, the ice is
hOney-cOmbed by the washing OF the tides, and
huge pieces Of the front, and avalancheS OF ice,
are sliding down into the water with a cOntinu-
Gus crash and roar ut low tide. The spray and
waves dash far up the glittering front after one
OF these great icc-SlideS, and there is Il magniti-
cent play of prismatic colors on the fretted and
fantastic ice-Wall when the sunlight falls full
on its western front.
The largest glaciers of Switzerland could
be put away iii corner of the Muir Glacier
and lost: and except on the coast of Greenland
Ii is claimed that there is nothing that sur
of southern Alaska. \ great river boils up
from under the middle of the glacier where
q long cape, or point, of ice runs out into
the water; and either side of the glacier
streams emerge from the sides OF the ice. and
course over the long sides. lateral moraineS
larger. and by a long climb over stones and
powders, and along crGmbling banks. the dark
grottO in the glacier Is reached, from which the
muddy river PUSHES to the sunlight after its
long course in the heart of the glacier.
Climbing the icy hillside, the vast sea of bill
lowy broken ice lies before one, ice piled tossed
and ground into wild and fantastic array mar
feet and giving glimpSes far down into a
wonderland filled with pale blue and indigo
shadows With the nightleSS days of summer
the surface ice melts rapidly. and in the sun
shine every inch is sparkling and glistening
with the trickling drops.