The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-03-25
NATURAL WONDERS.
Rivers That Run in the Wrong
Direction.
4 GORGE ALWAYS IN SHADOW
Record % Pioneer Len In vermflioB
ard Greass-Thc Changing Yukon
River.
Victoria. r. C. Times.

pttsssn SOiuinOse MYERS. EsSry BODY knows
that they fiow 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 Column
bia, Fraser and koossnay only consent TO
travel seward after going in the opposite
direction some hundreds of miles Bat
they also have very peculiar ways OF max
ing ice. quite opposite 10 that laid down in
the text books. In the Skeena have OBJ
served the ice in autumn 10 form on the
river bed among the boulders in eiohuies,
like mass OF fish spawn. this often grow
Ing until the reef actually reaches the sur
face. but more often IL breaks away in
large pieces and floats OF down stream.
bearing pebbles and even boulders for
many miles. / have seen the river in De-
cember entirely covered with this ground
ice adrift. the globnies being the size of peas
and cohering like loose snow. This is a
material help in forming of surface ice. and
Is looked upon as . presage OF the harder
frost which viii finally close the river for
the winter. Ii is q great hindrance 10
placer mining however, and one OF the
chief reasons that prevent the miners from
working IN the late autumn and winter.
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 inclined so as to present sharp
edges, very unpleasant TO walk upon.
Every ohservant passenger on the Cana
dian Pacific railroad has noticed the snow
bridge on the Illecillewset. but there are
records OF ice bridges also. think | have
heard of one on the Homathco river. but of
the Stickeen a marvellous story is teid.
There is great glacier descending out of
the high snow-fieid to the north, and this
in ancient times flowed right across the
valley, meeting lesser ice stream from
the heights opposite The Siickeen flowed
under the ice in tunnel, and at very low
water the passage was too small for it, ai-
though the water must have been banked
up into q lake at the spring ffeshet- Now.
the Sloane Indians of the upper valley
used TO regard this tunnel in the ice as
leading to the sweet bye-and-bye." They
were. therefore. very anxious to avoid the
place. But once the tribe was encamped
not far above the glacier. and there was a
very old man and his wife with them, who
were too mean to die because of the ex-
pense of giving q funeral feast. They were
very rich. and no use, and had large appe-
tites: and their relatives at last consented
to part with them. They we're therefore
set adriff in leaky 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 didn't wish they were
at the funeral feast. He looked mp 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 so
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 for the
banquet, since they had assisted 81 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
we're in ample time for the feast In fact
they lived happily ever afterwards. But
how shall we condoie with the relatives,
whose sweetest and most ploas traditions
had been shattered about the sweet bye
and-bye. How hard and cold are the facts
that break in upon the cherished faiths OF
childhood, when We deveutiy trust that
green apples do no harm. and last nights
ice viii beart
Not least among the natural wonders Of
the Coast is Mckenzie Passage, little 10
the westward of kingcome inlet. Ii is n
chasm about six miles ia length, leading TO
the base of an isolated and broken peak,
1855 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 bit
ter cold unmoyed by any wind. and no
living being enters IT'S solitude. | had bat
two records of this place having been
visited by white men.
Scarcely less wonderful IN an Inlet trsbu-
tary 20 Deans canal, and the scene of one
of the most important events in Canadian
history. IL is thus described b Vancouver;
the width of the channel did not any
where exceed three-qusrters OF mile; its
shores were bounded By precipices much
more perpendicular than any We had yet
seen during this excursion; and from the
SUBMITS OF the mountains that overlooked
IL, particularly on It's northeastern shore,
there fell several large cascades. These
were extremely grand and BY rauch the
largest and mos: tremendous OF any we
had ever beheid." In conclusion OF long
description he named the place Cascade
Channel
Two months afterwards arrived here the
greatest al Canadian explorers, having
been the FIRST man 10 cross North America
Much threatened by a large body OF Indi-
ans, be fortified himself on a rock for the
night, and the next day mixed some yer
million and grease and painted on the
enormous mountain wall the following
words: Alexander Mckenzie. from Cam
ada. hy land. the fwsnsy-seco.sd Of July.
one thousand seven hundred and ninety
three And In his record the explorer
says that as he stood on the rocks native
spoke 20 him OF Vancouver. AT some
distance froga Id land channel opened
10 as. At southwest By west. sud pointing
that way.- he made ne understand that
Maeubah came there wlth his large canoe. !"
Ia rerouse. the great French explorer.
entered iasuya bay. under the shsdow OF
the ~. ElsAs alps, and said II suppose
that this i. the most wonderful place II al
the world This bar. catered by very
narrow aperture, x2s shzpee Ike shs sssser
r, che head Of wEicA Taz fataornless
abyss. surrounded By mountains OF from
two 10 three sxises Of sergicas hsagaI