Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-03-12
New Series, Vol. 81, No II


several noble mountain ranges. Nopart
of the Rockies exhibits greater variety
of pleasing scenery than this park. AWAY
to the eastward the sharp cone Pechee
closes the view in that direction; this is
the highert mountain visible, exceeding
10000 feet. Castle Mountain station is
at the base of the great Peak whose
name it takes After passing this point
the mOutains on each side become ex-
eeedingly grand and prominent. The
gap of Vermillion Pass opens through
the range, permitting a view of many a
lofty spire and icy crest along the CONT
mental watersheds, from whose glaciers
and snow fields the Vermillion River
flows westward into the Kootenary.-
Standing supreme over this part of the
range, is the isolated, helmet-shaped
mountain named Lefray the loftiest and
grandest in this whole panorama. A
short distance beyond view is obtained
of the huge peak of Mt. Hector, and we
see the first of the great glaciers. 1t is
a broad, crescent-shaped river of ice, the
| further end concealed. Within the vel
low cliffs that hem it in, you seem to be
almost on a level with it, but it is 300
| feet above you, and dozen miles away,
and almost inaccessible, by reason of
the ravines, rocks, and forests which in
tervene. The station at the summit of
the Rocky Mountains is named Stephen,
IN honor of Sir George Stephen, former
ly President of the Canadian Pacific
R'y Co; it has an altitude OF 1926 feet.
From here the line descends rapidly,
passing the beautiful Wapta Lake, and
crossing the deep gorge of the Wapta
River just beyond. The scenery is now
sublime and almost terrible The line
clings to the mountain side at the left,
and the valley on the right deepens un-
til the river is seen, cleaning thread
thousand feet below. Soon the slope of
Mt. Stephen is reached, and on its
shoulder, almost overhead, is seen a
shining green glacier, 800 feet in thick
ness, which is slowly pressing forward
and over vertical cliff of great height.
The canyon rapidly deepens until, be-
yond Palliser, the mountain sides be-
come vertical, rising straight up thous-
ands of feet, an easy stones throw from
wall to wall. Down this vast chasm go
the railway and the river together, the
former crossing from side to side to
ledges cut out of the solid rock,
and twisting and turning in every di-
rection, and every minute or two plupg-
ing through projecting angles of rock
which seem to close the way. With the
towering cliffs almost shutting out the
sunlight, and the roar of the river and
train, increased an hundred fold by the
echoing walls, the passage of this terri
BILE gorge will never be forgotten. The
train suddenly emerges into daylight, as
Golden is reached.
The broad river ahead is the Columbia
moving northward; the supremeIy beau
tiful mountains beyond are the Selkirks,
rising from their forest clad bases and
lifting their iee-c covered heads far into
the sky. Golden is mining town upon
the banks of the Columbia, at the mouth
of the Wapta; a steamer makes weekly
trips from here up the Columbia to the
lakes at the head of the river, $50 miles
distant. The railway follows down the
Columbia on the face of the lower bench
of the Rocky Mountains. The Selkirks,
all the way in plain view opposite, the
green streaks down their sides indicat-
ing the paths of avalanehes. Donald is
a charmingly situated town in the shad-
ow of the Selkirks. Here the time goes
back one hour, to conform with the
Pacific standard. Leaving Donald, the
railway crosses the Columbia to the base
of the Selkirks. A little further down,
the Rockies and the Selkirks, crowding
force the river through a deep,
narrow gorge, the railway clinging to
the slopes high above it. Emerging from
the gorge, the line soon turns abruptly
to the left, and enters the SeIkirks
through the Gate of the Beaver River
a passage so narrow that a felled tree
serves as foot-bridge over it,just where
the water makes its final and mad plunge
down to the level of the Columbia A
little way up the Beaver the line crosses
10 the right bank, where, notehed into
,he mountain side, it rises at the rate of
ll6 feet to the mile, and the river is
soon left a thousand feet below, appear
ng as silver thread winding through
he narrow and densely forested valley.
A little further on Cedar Creek is cross
I'd by a very high bridge, spanning
foaming cascade, whence one of the
most beautiful prospects of the whole
ourney is to be had. Bear Greek station
S just beyond this. 1000 feet above the
Beaver.
The principal difficulty in construction
IN this part of the line was occaSioned
1y the torrents, many of them in splen-
lid cascades, which come down through
narrow gorges cut deep into the steep
slopes along which the railway creeps.
The greatest of all these bridges cross
Stony Creek, a noisy stream flowing in
he bottom of a narrow V-shaped
channel, 295 feet below the rails-one of
he loftiest railway bridges in the world.
All of the difficulties of the railway
rom snow in the winter, occur between
lere and the summit on the east, and
or a similar distance on the west slope
If the Selkirks, and these have been
overcome by the construct
on, at vast expense, of sheds, or more
tunnels, of massive timber work.
These are built of heavy squared cedar
imber, dove tailed, and bolted together,
,acked with rock and fitted into the
sides in such manner IS to
lid defiance to the most terrific ava
anche. Beyond this bridge, the gorge
5 compressed into vast rayine between
1t. Macdonald on the left, and The Her
nit on the right, forming anarrow por-
al to Rogers Pass, at the summit. The
Vay is between enormous preeip;ces.
It. Macdonald towers a mile and quar-
er vertically above the railway. The base
5 but a stones throw distant, so bare
nd stupendous, and yet so near that
ne is overawed by a sense of immensi-
Y and mighty grandeur. This is the
limax of mountain scenery. In pass
ng before the face of this gigantic pre-
ipice, the line clings to the base of Her
nit Mountain, and as the station at the
Pass is neared, its clustered spires ap-
,ear facing those of Macdonald, and