Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-08-17
CHANGING AT ALASKA.
On BOARD THE IDAHO,
THURSDAY. July 2S, 1883.

My dear Sir:-I have a long story to
tell. 1t can be but poorly told by any
one Imagine everything that is novel
in travel and situations, everything that
is beautiful and grand; then board an
Alaska steamer and for once disprove for
yourself that realization is less than the
coloring of an imagined country of
mountains, rivers and islands.
Prof. Eggleston of Columbia college
yale '53) hit it as he said to me the
other morning as we were running along
in the presence of monstrous ranges
within touch almost: 81 have always
intended to go to the North cape in Nor
way to see the so-called finest scenery in
the world. | have no curiosity to do so
now" But panegyrics are out of place.
Let me try to put before you the events
of N trip. We boarded the Idaho at
Victoria, B. c., at 8 p. m. two weeks ago
tonight. Her first appearance was not
enc ouraging. She seemed uncouth-
cramped but staupch. Her 225 feet did
not show up to advantage because of a
sawed-off stern which suggested a large
transatlantic boat cut amidships and
patched up In the rear. If she smiled at
our comments, it was because "a years
of service had taught her that she is
really a most comfortable and seaworthy
boat, with a high proportion of deck
room, and manned by a pair of compe-
tent weather-beaten pilots, veterans in
the complicated navigation of these wind
ing, tide-swept channels. We shall leave
her tonight at Seattle, w. r., with regret
and with a real interest in her tough
ribbed old sides. OF course w scanned
our co-passengers with interest. Fortu-
nately the owners company had been
most shiftless about the sale of state
rooms and had turned off many appli-
cants through a misunderstanding caused
by the sale of half the boat twice over.
They therefore thought her full when
she was only half full, 65 first-class pas
sengers turning up for breakfast. Fri
day forenoon saw us running at half
speed with Vancouver island at our left
"a succession of low islands at our right
over whose low heads the high mainland
looked c%omposedly down. Our speed
was slow that we might reach Seymour
narrows at slack tide-about 6 p. m.
These narrows are the Scylla of this
country. But a few hundred yards wide,
they are called on to let pass through
them all the water that piles up north
with every tide. The result is "A verita-
BILE maelstrom which defies navigation
save at slack tide, when the eddies and
currents rest themselves briefly before
the next six hours of CONFUSION and
churning. The water runs about ID
miles an hour and plays with a steamer
as a bear might play with a kitten. Once
through this, old sawed-off ambled OIL
more rapidly and the 1900 miles panorama
began to spread itself for the many eyes
aboard her. With the evening there
came u first experience with Alaska's
specialty-a prolonged rainstorm. How
expert these possessions of ours are
in getting up Il successful rain
storm you will realize when | tel
you that 275 days of the year are
stormy. Saturday hardly dawned al
day. 1t drizzled constantly and vapol
yelled everything. Yet this made ac.
quaintance-making easy and rapid. Any
tourist collection is a patchwork of char
a%cters, | suppose. Ours certainly is
We have the man who has been every
where, knows everything and has seer
something like this or that on the othel
side of the world, and of course he tell;
his everything to everybody. This MAJ
was sOOn understood. An O
Seattle also demanded an early inspec
tion-an Eastern man, he came here year,
ago, has grown up with the country, il
typically Western, smart, open, talka
tive, large-hearted and intensely loyal
He turned out ii first-rate companion anC
supplied IA world of information abOu
this growing country. There are numer
Gus m n strong, masculine kline
of woman, Miss McGill, doomed up will
her camera soon after starting. She i
working in the interests of the Harpert
and expects to publish an ccoun of thi
trip. If the sailors made fun of he
at first and the Others were inclined to d,
likewise, she soon outlived ridicule. Sh,
had a large stock of recitations on whicl
to draw and was willing to entertain tn
boat when called on of an evening
Young blood was not very abundant
several young fellows besides our Val
men; on the other side there were a fey
very pleasant young ladies. | would de
scribe them with some minuteness were
not supervised in this writing by one o
them, and | am afraid she would tel
what | said. l will tell you all about he
when | see you.