The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1892-01-02
EXPLORING ALASKA.
THRILLING EXPERIENCES OF PARTY
OF SCIENTISTS.
The Strange Land of the Far Northwest
Has Many Interesting Features-Lux-
uriant Vegetation Where There Is No
Ice-St. Elias Not - Volcano

LII
uriant Vegetation Where There Is NJ
Hce-St. Elias Not Volcano.
Mr.. Israel c. Russell has returned e
Washington from that region Of eternal
Ace and snow in Alaska, where the high
est peak in North America rises TO an
altitude of 10000 feet from a glacier
I,OOO square miles in area and as bic as
all those Of the Alps put together.
Along the edge of the glacier. all the
way from Icy bay to Yakutat bay. there
extends strip Of green coast which is
covered with luNuriant negotiations
strawberry vines cover the ground for
miles, and the verGant fields are red
dened as far as the eye can reach with
luscious fruit, which compares favor
ably in point of size and flavor with the
nnest grown in temperate latitUdes
There are huckleherries. too. and sal
mon berries" which are something be
tween blackberrieS and raspIerrleS, but
or giant size, measuring nearly two
inches in diameter. All the lowlands
are carpeted with violets. buttercups
yellow monkey flowers and other wild
blossoms. Here and there in the midst
OF the vast ice fields. are the loveliest
gardens watered by the melting snow.
There are plenty Of grizzly bears in
the vicinity Of Mount St. Elias. bur Mr..
Russell did not find them very danger
Gus. He says that his encounters with
them reminded him Of killing pigs. OF
brown and black bears he saw and shot
q great many. The expedition met with
enough perils. however. 70 satisfy the
most adventurous geographical explor-
ers- Nearly all Of the climbing had 10
be done up steep walls Of ice and STOW
by cutting steps. AT almost any time
slip Would have precipiJaJei the party
down the frozen preciY,ceS thousands Of
feet. On one occasion they We're de-
scendlng when they found thar AZ ava
lanche had carried away tie STEPS whici!
they had made il going up. Tie i'm
prornptu staircase was DESTROYED; fo- 3o1
feet. and they had - lower MAN bv &
rope 70 chop OF another. There beng No
other Way Of getting down. Such acc;-
dents As this We're rCt r:Cco;..:uon
EAIRBREApTE ESCAPES
AyaiancAe> We're continually falling.
rushing down me slopes Wit. ch.. s;~-e,:
Of railway trains an; w:,4 4 roar Ike
thunde- ina, CO; lie heard twenty
miles away.
One night an.-:t p o'c;ock tie party
was passing ov,r : TIA: Y,acr IL Inc
AgasS.z c.;,c,--. Two ~. wrrv II IL.
lead, drawing a SLED. Suddenly they
nom sgt, having fallen
into flS>ure II tEv ice. Luckily they
were caught upon a projecting ledge AZ
the depth Of about twenty fee,. else they
xJtld never have been seen AGAIN
They We're hauled ouc with ropes. The
next day in the same ne;1Lborhonl Nj
Russell CHANGED - look behind him and
saw tina! the ice field ever which lie had
just passed was gone. leaving al enUr-
nous mole q unknown ,.e!cA. Al, 1he-
time one Of lis n.er tur.;4. led in q c.ev-
ice. and was only save! ~ - pack |
fastened 70 lis shoulder. winch i..;er-
rupted his progress th- u-;A twie, IL
the frozen tunnel that had vawueel fur
him.
The A-assiz glacier i one c. ~ four
great glaciers which. together W.T. >.;~,v.,
3 thousand s!I4A.. uneS. Il " ul.t tru.I lie !
mountains a. TN north - tie mighty |
Malasp.ua glacier, pouring th-;r streams
Of ice continually into rms vast f., zeu
yea This glacier q M;..a>piLa from
800 10 200 feet thick. IS Interesting.
but also by reason Of the fact that it is
the only one now IL existence Of the
same type as the glacier which formerly
covered ali Of this continent as far south |
IS Philadelphia and st. Louis, leaving
traces that are visible TO this day in
scratches on the rocks.
GLACIAL RIVER
Where the land in that region is bare
Of ice the vegetation artains All almost
tropical luxuriance, and the Arctic
Iungles are we'll nigh imIassable 10 the
Explorer. One Of the chief obstacles en-
eountered in threading them is plant
Known as the devils club. which grows
30 a height of ten or fifteen feet, its stems
running along the ground for some dis
Eance and then turning upward. Every
part of its surface, ever 10 the nos Of
The leaves, is thickly set with splnes,
which intict painful wounds. and break
ing off in the flesh cause fostering sores
In the Lucia glacier occurs most inter
esting feature in the shape Of glacial
river which comes out from mountain
through an archway of ice, flows for
mile and half in plain view. and then
L. lost to sight III another tunnel Where
the stream energies finally is unknown.
No explorer has as Yet been bold enough
30 enter the tunnel and drift through,
after the fashion of Allan Quatermain
and Umslopogaas- The greatest risk in
such an undertaking would be from fall
idg blocks of ice. AT the mouth OF the
Tunnel there are always confused noises
and rhythmic vibrations to be heard
from the dark recesses within. The air
ia filed with pulsations like deep organ
notes. and it requires but little imagina-