The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1888-10-11

w 41N01S011Ny LII 1ONO1Asl
ing, roaring river together for about
seven miles. The road crosses and
lrecrosses every few minutes in many
| places. The road is cut in the solid
rock with tunnel occasionally for a
change. The roar Of the river and
| the rattle Of the train increased by
THE echoing walls make it all the
more grand; we suddenly came out
into small valley along the Colum-
bia river This valley is about 20
miles wide and the divide between
the Rockies and the Selkirks noun
tains, a branch of the Rockies.
I Got to Donald, division on the
railroad, the most northern point on
the railroad. It is about go miles
north Of the boundary line. Left
Donald about noon; here we got
another monstrous engine Went
along the Columbia for short dis
lance and then turned and entered
the Selkirk through the gates Of the
Beaver rivera passage SO narrow that
fallen trees serve as..footpaths over it.
The river is a series Of falls and rap
ids SO the water is white with foam.
After passing up a ways we crossed
} over and commenced to climb the
mountain side at the rate of II6 feet
to the mile until we got 1000 feet
above the river. The mountain sides
are covered with a dense forest of
gigantic ceder and pines 200 and $50
feet high and as straight as a reed.
| Occasionally we could see the river
through the trees; it looked like sill
yer thread winding its way along.
There was a great deal of fire in the
forests along here, SO we could bare
~ see the mountains on the other
| side, but as we got up higher the
smoke cleared away. We passed
over several high wooden bridges;
the highest is over Stony Creek; the
water hurries on its way 2o5 feet
beneath us. At Bear Creek we
leave the Beaver River far beneath
US and go over divide, but contin-
ue our upward course along the
Bear Creek until we reach Selkirk
Summit 1890 feet high. Here the
snow becomes more plenty, great
white banks lie on the side of the
mountains on the opposite side of the
canyon, in some places as low as the
track. They have great deal of
snow here, sometimes it is IS feet
deep, so the r. r. Co. have built
snow sheds over the track; they have
been to a great expense to build
them on the upper side; they build
up tlmbers 12xI2 strongly anchored
in the bank and fill it with rocks and
timbers the same size for the top
and sides strongly braced, about
feet apart and covered with inch
plank. There are about miles in
all cf these snow sheds. After pass
ing Selkirk Summit we commenced
to 60 down grade, and as we hurried
on our course the scenery was grow
ing grander all the time until we
reached the Glacier House at I4:Io
for dinner, station and hotel, the
scenery caps the climax. There are
several peaks nearly covered with
snow and ice, but within half mile
of the hotel the great glacier COM
menceS, a vast mountain of clear,
| glaring ice over mile wide and Il
miles long and no knowing how
! thick, by some supposed al, 900 feet.
/ It has been measured in the crevices
to 100 feet; only part of it can be
seen from the train. AS the train
moved on we all watched it until the
train turned arounds'a mountain. 1t
was the most sublime spectacle we
will ever see. We passed on and
soon came to the double loop where
the road makes some great turns SO
as to make the steep grades. 1t
seems as if the mountains were full
of rivers. At the glacier we came to
the Illicilliwate river, small at first,
but growing larger. AS we pass down
at Albert Canyon it goes foaming
and roaring through a fssure scarce
ly 20 feet wide, 800 feet below the
track.
Lakes are numerous; we passed
near several large and small. The wa
ter was so clear it was blue. Just
before night we got to the great
Shuswap lake named after tribe of
Indians that live on its shore); it
| lies among the mountain ridges and
extends its long, narrow arms into
the intervening valleys, some of them
miles in length, and varies from a
few hundred yards to three miles in
width. The road runs along the
shore for nearly 50 miles. It is con-
sidered the finest lake in the country.
The next morning we got to Lyt-
ton, a small, hard looking town at
the junction Of the Thompson and