The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1890-08-05
wondars Of the Nortn.
A brilliant writer in the Victoria

4 +
A brilliant writer in the Victoria
Times says
There are q few very curious things
about British Columbis rivers. Every
body knows that they fow in the wrong
direction while they are young. For
instance, 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
seward after going In the opposite dl-
recticn 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
I have observed the ice in autumn to
form on the river bed among the bowl
ders in globules, Like mass OF fish
spawn. this often growing until the reef
actually reaches the surface, but more
often it breaks away in large pieces and
tioats off down stream, bearing pebbles
and even powders for many miles.
There are many natural bridges on
our rivers also. In the Kicking Horse,
three miles below Field station, there
is rock bridge in q slate formation
winch is inclined so as to present sharp
edges unpleasant to walk upon.
Every observant passenger on the Ca
madam Pacific railroad has noticed the
snow bridge on the luecillewaet, but
there are records of ice bridges also.
I think I have heard Of one on the
Homathco river, but of the Stickeen a
marvellous story is told. There is a
great glscier descending out OF the
high snowfeld to the north, and this In
anciert times flowed right across the
valley, meeting lesser ice stream from
the heights opposite. The Stickeen
flowed under the ice in q tunnel, and at
very low water the passage was too
email for it. although the water must
have been banked up into lake at the
spring freshet.
SHATTERED TRADITION.
Now, the Sloane Indians Of the up
per valley used to regard this tunnel IN
the ice as leading to the 'ssweet by and
by" They were therefore very anx-
Sous 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 expense of
giving funeral feast. They were very
rich and of no use, and had large ap-
petites, and their relatives at last con-
sented to part with them. They were
therefore set adrift in leaky canoe and
consigned to the current, and all the
people, conscious of self sacrifice, stood
On the bank and watched the canoe van
Ssh in 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 In
dams, and behaved accordingly. Pres
emily the old lady thought it was get
ting Light, and became curious and
looked about her. Then she kicked
the old man and asked if he didn't wish
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 paddlesand poles,
ard 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
determined to get home Tor the banquet,
since they had assisted at the funeral.
Well, by dint fmakingthe 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 ever asterward. But
how. shall ne caudole With the relatives
whose sweetest and most plons tradl-
aons had been shattered about the
sweet by and by.
A DEEP GORGE.
Not least among the natural wonders
of the coast is Mckenzie passage, a lit
tie to the westward of Kingcome inlet.
It is chasm about six miles in length,
leading to the base OF an isolated and
broken peak, 5.6s5 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 the wind, and no hv-
ing being enters its solitude. I 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 in
lets. They are explained by the exist
ence behind them of large basins filed
by the food 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
miniature 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 q cupful to be distinguished.
Cravings rise readily to the fly above
no fishing without nets is possible be-
low. 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.
The Berlin 1ocksmiths have petition
ed the prince to accept the honorary
membership of their guild and he has
granted their request. The diploma
contains the following passage: s'You1
L: L. ha