The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-05-20

IN - II s0FADIs uuaDans -
H uo0LD.

IL v00AD.
S~asiy . musassA Pest MigAsr tAan
Nlaensa--A aeens - InassesiAehse
0snnAsor-xhe Js1sney.
Especial Correspcnd<nce-l
sssaraIuIk, Nay i6-
OF the many noble rivers which find
their source in the Cascade mountains
the most notable for natural teasfies
h the snoqualmie. Its beginnings are
IN the depths of Tie great range mid-
way between the northern aad south |
ern limits Of Washington Territory.
and for many miles il winds among
the higher peaks, . river amid the
cioada- In is earlier career its gen-
erai course lies near the summit line
10 the norsh- II turns first to the east
and then 10 The vest. - il undecided
which inviting route - choose for The
journey 70 the ses--vhekber 20 the
east. through the treeaess uplAnds TO
join the great Columbia. or tothe west.
through The funereal forests 70 Puget
Sound. Il turas Gnaliy - the IVES.
through the pass whtr6 has taken iss
name. and after leaving the noun
tains behind, flows In . deep, swift
stream 70 the northwes1 until eneoun-
tering the snoh0mish Il joins that
rissr and sweeps in company with i
All tho facinafions that have made
The River favorite symbol Of sacred
and poetic expression, have fullest
| illustration In the swift flowing and
beautiful SnoquAlmie. The purity Of
| its waters, their GOODNESS and depth OF
color, the alienation In its banks Of
frowning precipAe and smiling plain,
the depths Of its forest shades, the fra
grsnce OF iss bordering meadows. the
gnyety OF light and color in their play,
along its winding course-theSe with. |
st intervals, the swift rush OF its
broken waters and the roar Of its
mighty cataract, make il q stream
with all the charms that nature and |
literature have bestowed upon tradi-
tional River.
THE FALLS.
But il is of the snoqualmie. Falls of |
which | write-not indeed with the |
hope Of describing IL. The poverty Of
language Is too severe for that. West |
ward from the Cascade Range the |
country falls in q succession Of |
| benches 70 the level Of the Sound |
and at least two OF the benches break |
of In abrupt precipices- At the first Of |
these sudden breaks in the surface |
level there Il in the Snoqualmie river |
a cascade and q fall which is de- |
scribed as very fine, but these. as yet, |
have not seen. At the second or larger |
break Of the country. in descending |
from . higher to . lower level, the |
river pours its whole volume massed |
| in . single deep and narrow stream |
over q steep precipice 25s feet high. |
In this decent there Is no interruption |
the whole river rsishes in a mighty |
leap into wide chasm which opens TO |
receive t.
II has not been given to man TO por-
tray in words the majestic scenes Of |
nature. Mere words and certainly !
pen and paper have no power 10 ex-
press color. light and proportion. OF
what use Is il to attempt TO describe |
that which must be seen to be under |
stood? OF what use is IL to say that |
a river i25 feet wide and 70 feet deep |
rushes in a swift stream over n preci- |
piee 25s feet high? OF what use 70 |
say that the basin into which this |
plung is made is six hundred feet |
across, and that its rims are upon the /
upper level Of the stream? OF what /
use to describe the swaying pillar. of
white and broken water, the clouds of /
spray and the bright raidbow which |
spans the gorge? What use to tell of the |
forests above and below with the null /
titude Of circumstances which unite /
the picturesque with the majestic ? |
As well might one attempt To describe !
the charms of a beautiful woman by |
giving the figures of her hight, weight |
the length OF her nose and the number /
of her shoes. As well attempt to im- |
press q man horn blind with the spien- |
dors OF the rainbow, as to describe this |
wonderful waterfall 10 one who has
never seen IL.
had heard Of the Snoqualmie Fall |
read what assumed To be descriptions |
of it; had seen its pictured representa-
tion in numberless forms. but | was |
no more prepared for the reality than il !
| had never heard of the scene before
even less, for IL Is belittled by every |
attempt thus made to portray il. |
There il nothing on the continent like /
| H. Ii Is higher by nearly hundred |
| feet than Niagara and while lacking by !
comparison in volume and power, more |
than makes up in the charms OF pictur
esque form and surroundings. 1t is |
certainly the most noble and striking |
natural wonder Of the Pacific Coast.
Through the countless years that |
this stream has poured its flood over |
the precipice. IL has eaten iis way back |
from the brink many hundreds of feet |
leaving on either side abrupt bluffs |
which overlook the seefhing whirlpool |
in the basin below. The visitor may |
walk along the brink of these bluffs |
and look from the higher level OF the |
river into the face OF the fall or he |
may descend by steep path into the |
basin and view the noble scene from |
the lower level. This is the finer view |
hut il involves tolls which only persons |
OF sound endurance should attempt
The facination Of the Fall is irresiti |
BILE. II claims the attention by a |
charm which never wearies. The |
more familiar the scene becomes the
morc IL attracts. Those who come to |
stay an hour find il difficult to tear
themselves away at the end of half a |
day and nobody turns from his last |
look without sigh OF regret.
To TIE FALLS.
There are two ways of going to sno- |
aualmie Falls from Seattle. Take the
Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern road ts |
Gilman two hours riiel and from
there either by stage or horse il is SIX
teen miles. 20 the Hop Ranch Hotel"
where all visitors step. Another way
is 10 go hy the Seattle 4 Columbia
River road tcoai resdl 30 Newcastle |
and from there by horse 60 the hop
ranch Is twenty two miles. The form |
er Is the shorter and and more con-
yenient road, although in avoiding the
ride from Newcastle 10 Gilman the
visitor misses view worth doxen
such rides. From Gilman 10 the Hop
Ranch the road is undenistiy rough.
II Is uphill and down-hill, but for |
nearly the whole distance through
magnificent forests. Fos threc-fourths
of the way the overhauging branches
from each side meet above the road |
streams are numerous and settlements
are frequent. Incidentally ore has
the opportunity TO see that in the tim
hcred wilderness east of Paret Sound |
there l. really great deal ct land sus- |
eerfihle 90 cultivation. There y no
where a valley more beautiful OF fer
tile tha; that OF the Squsk and along
the whole route. including the valley
OF the Snoqualnie. there are stretches
of yerv fne country. For the most
mart the fertile land IS Of the sort
adapted to hops and ether crops upon
which large amounts of labor can te
rrofitaily mas-ed uron small tracts,