Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-08-23
IN ALASKA.
INTERESTING EXTRACTS FROM LETTER
FROM GOV. KNAPP.
DISTRICT OF ALASKA.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE,
SITKA ,July %. 1889,
In ALASKA.

SlTkA, July ~, lSc3.
Dear -: Your welcome letter came
by the last steamer, July "a, after a
journey of twenty-five days; for, while
we do not expect to hear startling news
of the old place. we always feel interest
ed in its happenings and to learn what
changes have taken place in connection
with its local institutions. We seem to
be in another world from the dear old
New England. more than four thousand
miles away, and have only occasional
glimpses of the old life. The change
of scenery, of climate, of work and of
conditions generally is certainly radical
enough to satisfy the most ultra-pro-
gressionist, whether he desires to pro-
gress upward or downward, backward or
forward. But we are rapidly adapting
ourselves to changed conditions, and now
scarcely realize that we are not "old
settlers"
The scenery through which we passed
in coming here is beautiful and grand.
The choice of route was happy one.
Passing north from Minneapolis, where
we spent two days most pleasantly with
friends, through Fergus Falls, Fargo and
Grand Forks to Winnipeg, we took the
Canadian Pacific westward through the
most varied and beautiful scenes, across
magnificent prairies, with their wilder
ness of beautiful wild flowers and charm
ing lakes, through seemingly impossible
gaps in the mountains whose bases were
deeply tinted in purple and green and
their sides flecked with white and gray
and gold, while their tops, dimly out
lined in the mists, were capped with
fleecy snOw-thence on and on, climbing
the steep sides of the mountains, over
deep, yawning chasms and trestles that,
when seen in the distance, seemed like
curiously-wrought spiders webs upon
dewy morning, past huge piles of rocks
that almost seemed ready to topple over
upon the train as it wound its sinuous
way around the compound curves, dashed
into the tunnels through the bowels of
the mountain and emerged from the in
tense darkness only to thread its way
over the tops of tall trees, disturbing
the great eagles in their eyries, in its lab
arynthine journey, until. at Stephen. it
reached an altitude of 1896 feet, about
thousand feet higher than the summit of
the highest peak of the Green Mountain
range. Then we came into the most sub
lime mountain scenery-even more grand
and beautiful than thai seen in the Rock
les, as we passed down into the valley of
the Columbia, wound along its banks, on
the other side of which were the enchant-
ing Selkirks rising like great castellated
wall. matchless in form and beauty and
unbrOken for many mile, until finally
the Columbia breaks through the noun
tain range and turns southerly on its
way to Washington Territory and the
sea. After leaving the Columbia we
climb again, repeating our former ex-
periences, with variations. until we cross
the Selkirk range at a high altitude, and
in this region of SHOWS and storms we
are constantly passing through tunnels
and snow-sheds and over high trestles
when ones hair almost stands on end
because of the frightful yawning chasms
below. The scenery coming down Frazer
river is especially grand and awe-inspr-
ing-almost frightful. But amid the eX-
citement of these grand scenes our atten-
tion is frequently called to the Indian
wigwams, the Chinese shanties and the
white gold-hunters' cabins in impossible
places along the banks of the swift-fow-
ing river. Then, occasionally, can be
recognized the scene of placer gold min
ing operations, where small patches of
soil have been washed away. Most of
these indications show the lapse of time
since active operations, but some were
new.
But the details of our observations are
too numerous and call for too much rep
etition for enumeration here. At length
we reached Vancouver, a beautifully To-
Gated city of 10000 people, which has
sprung up, like magic, since the Canadian
Pacific adopted it as its western term-
nus. Here we parted company with our
pleasant travelling companions and steam
ed across the sound to Victoria, but look
ing back, from time to time, to get one
more view of old Mount Baker which,
rising up.a beautiful isolated cone, l3, 900
feet above the railroad level. has kept us
company for more than hundred miles.
though itself from 60 to 100 miles away
to our left.
Victoria, the capital of British Coum-
bin, is fine old town of $4,000 people,
quaint. staid, essentially English, you
know" Here we remained four days.
While there we met many charming peo-
pie, among Others Chicago lady, d Con-
necticut lady, Mrs. Webster, who said
she had met you and Governor and Mrs.
Stewart; the members of Senator Hoar's
senatorial committed the American con-
sui and others. On our first day out
from Victoria our steamer stopped and
picked up wrecked British sailor who
had been in the water for seven hours.
He became unconscious before they got
him on board, and companion had per-
ished before he was seen. The delight
full sail from Victoria to Sitka, and the
beautiful scenery which was presented
to our view in an ever-changing panor-
anna, was so graphically and truthfully
described to you by Phil. Stewart last
year that description by me would only
be repetition, in less attractive form,
and l forbear; though to us 1t was a
wonderland of beauty and grandeur and
delight. The long stops made by our
steamer gave us extra facilities to become
acquainted with the territory and its peo-
pie before settling down to official duties
at the capital.
We were the recipients of the most
cordial demonstrations and expressions
of welcome at every stopping place. On
our arrival here we were met by the Of
ficials and principal citizens, in body,
and escorted to the executive residence
nv Soma Of Them There wa found oar