The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1890-05-07
WONDERS OF THE NORTH.
INTERESTING THINGS FOUND IN
BRITISH COLUMBIA.

BRITISH COLUMBIA.
Curious Formations of Ice Natural HI adges
Are Found In Many Riyers--A Shattered
Indian Tradition ChasIns SIX Miles Long.
Deep Gorges.
There are few very curious things
about British Columbia rivers. Every
body knows that they flow in the wrong
direction while they are young. For in
stance, the Peace and Lizard persist in
going To the Arctic ocean, in defiance of
the Rocky mountains and the laws of
nature, while the Columbia, Fraser and
Kootenay only consent to travel seaward
after going in the opposite direction some
hundreds of miles. But they also have
very peculiar ways of making ice, quite
opposite to that laid down in the text
books. In the Skeena have observed
the ice in autumn to form ON the river
bed among the powders in globules, like
mass of fish spawn, this often growing
until the reef actually reaches the sur
face, but more often it breaks away in
large pieces and floats off down stream,
bearing pebbles and even powders for
many miles. r.
There are many natural bridges on our
rivers also In the Kicking Horse, three
miles below Field station, there is rock
bridge in slate formation which is inr
clined SO as to present sharp edges-very
unpleasant to walk upon. Every observ-
ant passenger on the Canadian Pacific
railroad has noticed the snow bridge on
of ice bridges also. think have heard
of one on the Homathco river, but of the
Stickeen n marvellous story is told. There
is great glacier descending out of the
high snowfield to the north, and this in
ancient times flowed right across the
valley, meeting lesser ice stream from
the heights opposite. The Stickeen flowed
under the ice in tunnel, and at very
low water the passage was too small for
1t, although the water must have been
banked up into lake at the spring
freshet.
A SHATTERED TRADITION.
Now, the Sloane Indians of the upper
valley used to regard this tunnel in the
ice as leading to the "sweet by and
by" They We're therefore very anx-
iotis to avoid the place. But once the
tribe was encamped not far above the
glacier, and there was very old man
and his wife with them who were too
mean to die because of the expose of Civ
ing funeral feast. They were very rich
and of mouse, and had large appetites,
and their relatives at last consented TO
part with them. They were therefore
set adrift in lealfy canoe and consigned
TO the current, and all the people, con-
scious Of self sacrifice, stood ON the bank
and watched the canoe vanish into the
tunnel, and felt good. Now, the old
people were very frightened and squealed
good deal, but when the blue shadows
of the ice closed over them they thought
they were dead Indians, and behaved
accordingly. Presently the old lady
thought it was getting light, and became
curious and looked about her. Then she
kicked the old man and asked If he
didntwish they were at the funeral feast.
He looked up and found the canoe out in
the open again, the glacier behind them,
and the world pretty much as usual.
They got ashore, cut paddles and poles,
and prepared TO go home again. The old
man began to be hungry for the grease
boxes; the old lady set her heart on
grease and berries, and they both deter
mined to get home for the banquet, since
they had assisted at the funeral Well,
by dint of making the old lady work,
while he steered and gave good advice,
they succeeded in making their way up
through the tunnel and home, and were
in ample time for the feast In fact they
lived happily every afterward. But how
shall we condole with the relatives, whose
sweetest and most pious traditions had
been shattered about the sweet by
and by?
A DEEP GORGE.
Not least among the natural wonders
Of the coast is Mckenzie passage, little
to the westward of Kingcome inlet. It Is
a chasm about six miles in length, lead
ing to the base of an isolated and broken
peak, 5,665 feet high. The walls are very
close together, vertical and snow crowned.
The sun never shines in this awful gorge;
the vapor from its waters hangs dark and
bitter cold, unmoved by any wind, and
no living being enters its solitude. ]
find but two records Of this place having
been visited by white men. Scarcely less
wonderful is an inlet tributary to Deans
canal.
Some of the tide sluices are very dan
gerous, and many lives have been lost in
them. A great puzzle they were to early
travellers, who found cataracts of sea
water pouring into many of the inlets.
They are explained by the existence be-
hind them of large basins filled by the
flood, tide, the outlets being too small for
its ready escape at the ebb. Some Of
these salt water cataracts are as much
as twelve feet high. There is a minia-
ture example at the gorge, near this city.
On the Yukon river the upper waters
are rendered quite clear by the deposit
of all their silt in chain of lakes, but
lower down stream called White river
enters from the south, so charged with
glacier mud that the Yukon from thence
TO the sea is too dirty for even the bot
tom Of enpful to be distinguished.
Cravings rise readily to the fly above.
no fishing without nets is possible below.
Moreover, where the great river crosses
the Arctic circle the tributaries from the
tundra lands are like. rivers OF tea, SO
deep is the stain of vegetable matter
from the moss swamps of the far south.
Victoria Times.