The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-08-29


Huron and fifteen miles from Lake
Superior, ON st. Marys River. Here Is
the famous ship canal, built by the
state and since enlarged by the general
government and new locks constructed.
We were here eight years ago; the
rapids, the locks, the government build
ings and the fort have undergone no
particular change; but i'm the hustling,
bustling city of to-day we could scarcely
recognize the primitive, isolated, old
fashioned town OF former years. Great
blocks, built of brick and Lake Superior
red stone, have sprung up on all sides;
hotels that accommodate 300 guests
each are constantly filled. The scene,
as witnessed from the deck of the
steamer in passing through the canal,
is most interesting; the great locks, the
mammoth ships, the river, the rapids
filed with islands, the great bridge, the
TWO towns, one on either side, Indians
shooting the rapids in their birch
canoes and taking white fish below
them, all within the view at one time,
present "a panorama of exceeding mag
nilicence and interest.
This is town OF much historical
interest. SAUL is the correct spell
ing; 800" the popular pronunciation,
meaning falls or rapids. Lake Superior
is 602 feet above the level of the sea.
From the foot of the lake, fifteen miles
above the rapids, the fall is but one
tenth of IA foot; in the half mile stretch
down the rapids, it is eighteen feet.
1t may be of interest To know that
the daily tonnage passing through this
canal exceeds that of the great Suez
canal After landing, we walked at
once to the locks where the great
steam ship, Philip Minch, was locking
down, loaded with 2,700 tons of iron
ore. The locks have sufficient capac-
ity to pass 100 vessels every twenty-four
hours; the average number passing
through is about sixty. During the
year 1887, $3.50 vessels, representing a
tonnage of A, S97, 59S, carrying 5,494, 649
tons of freight and 81, 1853 passengers,
were passed through. A portion of this
freight consisted of l,572, 735 barrels of
flour and 23,096, $50 bushels of wheat.
Every boat has to give the amount OF
its freight, the number of its passen-
gers, etc. The foregoing are the official
figures as given To us by the u. s.
agent. To give clearer estimate OF
the capacity of these great vessels, we
on board as many bushels of wheat as
can be carried on five railroad trains OF
thirty cars, each car carrying 600 bush
els. The entire crop OF 1000 acre
Dakota wheat farm went through the
canal on one of these great boats. At
the present time there are about 2,00O
American vessels engaged in the com
merce of the lakes, representing cap
ital of upwards of $50, 900, 900. The
locks are kept working night and day;
vessels are passing through almost con-
tinually. A large force of men are now
at work constructing a still larger lock,
which will be the finest in the world.
We found the workmen at the locks, as
well as the keepers of the government
records, gentlemanly, kind and oblig-
ing. They patiently answered our
almost innumerable questions until we,
ourselves, became tired of asking and
noting. thing Mrs. M. is worse than
myself in the matter of quizzing.
Passing out of the $500" into the
bay, we entered the great inland sea of
America, stretching away in north
westerly direction a distance of 450
miles. There is no purer water nor
purer atmosphere on the face of the
earth. Somebody has described Lake
Superior as a great bow, the south
shore the string, the north shore the
Bonded bow, Keweenaw point the arrow,
reaching nearly to the center of the
lake; and we were bound to the very
point of that arrow, Eagle Harbor.
The coast of the lake is rock bound,
and in many places mountain masses
rear themselves from the very shore,
rising to an elevation of several hun
dred feet. Two fathoms beneath the
surface, the waters are freezing cold,
and such fish are found i'm them; those
of the lower lakes bear no comparison
to them.
A large part of the afternoon was
foggy, the mist occasionally rising and
then closing down again; the steamers
fog horn was kept going, once every
minute, much of the afternoon. Just
as the sun was sinking beneath the
waves, the fog lifted and we found
ourselves almost abreast the famous
pictured rocks" a range of cliffs ex-
tending for fifteen miles along the
coast, and so named from the diversity
of colors to be seen. These rocks have
been worn into fantastic shapes by the
action of frost, storm and wave, and
are as variegated as though stained
with a thousand dyes. One of these
cliffs, "The Castle" resembles the
walls, towers and battlements of some
ancient castle; further on is mass
called "The Sail Rock" which, viewed
from the distance and in certain posi-
ton, resembles vessel with sails
spread to the breeze; Grand Portal
is an opening or cave several hundred
feet in length and high enough for a
vessel to enter; another is called 1.-The
Miners Castle" Gothic in feature and
rising above the water seventy feet,
with its background at a still higher
elevation. 1t is difficult to describe these
singular and unique structures; they are
Natures own work, ''houses not made
with hands"
We reached Marquette at midnight,
but we were still on deck; but, as there
was nothing to see after entering the
harbor, we retired to our berth. 4:3O
n nm found us again con dutvn heaide