The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1890-08-20
4 cloupLEss SKY.
WONDERS OF THE NORTH.
INTERESTING THINGS FOUND in
BRITISH COLUMBIA.

Curious Formations of Ice-Natural Bridges
Are Found In Many Rivers-A Shattered
Indian Tradition-Chasms Six Miles Long
Deep Gorges.
There are a 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
a 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.
There are many natural bridges on our
rivers also. In the Kicking Horse, three
miles below Field station, there is rock
bridge in a slate formation which is In
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
the Illecillewaet, but there are records
of no l,ri6 oil l. hnx- 4,
of one on the Homathco river, but of the
Stickeen a 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 heightso opposite. The Stickeen flowed
under the ice in tunnel, and at very
low water the passage was too small for
it, 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 sssweet by and
BY" They were therefore very anx-
ious to avoid the place. But once the
tribe was encamped not far above the
glacier, and there was {. very cid 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 no use, and had large appetites,
and their relatives at last consented to
part with them. They We're therefore
set adrift in q lealy 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 IL 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 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?
DEEP GORGE.
Not Iaast nrnnno, tho natural Wonders