The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-10-28

later, that the waters of Disenchant
ment Bay were disturbed by the prov
of another vessel. In August of tina
year the United States revenue CUTIE
"Corwin, having on board Prof. L. G
Russell of the United States Geologic
al Survey, steamed up the Bay to III
head, and it was ascertained to be {
fishhook-shaped extension of Yakutat
Bay extending about thirty miles intt
the st. Elias Alps.
During July of the present year the
steam launch of the Hassler worked
its way through the ice foe up to the
Hubbard glacier and by pufings and
tOOtings scared the hundreds of seals
and myriads of water fowl out of q
years growth. But on this occasion
the ice pack coming down with the
ebb tide made us get out in hurry.
I saw enough of Disenchantment Bay
on this trip to be anxious for further
acquaintance and at once made prepsr-
alton for two weeks stay. A tent, Q
goodly store of provisions, shot gun
and two rifles, and the outfit necessary
for my botanical work were loaded in
to two twelve-foot canoes, and a start
made early on the morning of August
.. In one of the canoes was the man
White, who was with me on the canoe
trip to Cape Manly, while in the 9TH
er, besides myself, was a mentally di-
luted Norwegian whose chief charac-
teristic was a tendency to do every
thing at the wrong time and spend as
much time as possible in doing it.
The start was made at a. IN. and
the course lay almost due north to the
head of Yakutat Bay, distance of
twenty-five miles. The sky was per-
fectly clear, and good breeze coming
from the south, but not enough to
make heavy sea. Each canoe car
ried light mast with a sprit-sail Of
forty-eight square feet of canvas. With
the wind fairly behind us, it can be
imagined that we did no padding ON
this trip, but depended entirely on
sails. Altogether, it was the most en-
jOyable canoe trip 1 have ever taken,
and was not marred by mishap of
any kind. We kept up the bay about
five miles off shore, and ten hours after
leaving camp entered Disenchant-
ment Bay, and three hours later land
ed about six miles from the entrance,
directly opposite tho great Dalton
glacier. We had sighted great many
icebergs since noon and found Disen-
chantment Bay veritable nest of
them, but by hugging the shore and
using our wits to good advantage
avoided them and skirted along the
edge of the ice field for several miles
without collision.
The place selected for a camp was at |
the mouth of one of the wide canons
opening back into the st. Elias Alps,
and as there is no surf here the land
ing was an exceedingly tame affair,
and in an hour the tent had been
pitched and a good warm supper
slowed away. We were in what SEEM
ed to me the jumping-off place of the
world away in the heart of the st.
Elias Alps. Before our camp lay the
blue CLASSY waters of the bay. SEEM
ing more like great river than an
arm of the sea. Everywhere almost
straight up from the beach rose the
granite mountains, steep and rugged
beyond comprehension. No trees
were to be seen but some stunted will
ows and alders grew in the sheltered
;anons, and on these we depended for
fuel. Directly across the bay from our
amp, distance of some three miles,
vas the Dalton glacier, having 'front.'
Ige on the water Of two miles, and o
ew miles farther up the Hubbard
glacier, with a frontage of five miles.
Both these glaciers extend back into
he mountains about fifteen miles,
his being only an estimate, as they
lave never been explored. The ice of
which they are composed is about five '
feet thick. From these gla-
iers come the hundreds of icebergs.
arge and small, that crowd Disen-
hantment Bay and line the western
hore of Yakutat Bay as far as Cape
Ianby. Just beyond the Hubbard '
lacier is Mt. Seattle, which, like the
laciers, was named last year by Prof.
russell. This is something of a noun 6
ain in its weak way, rising to q
eight of nearly 10000 feet above the (
Taters of the bay. 1
A few days after our arrival climb
d a mountain about 1900 feet high /
ltuated just back of our camp, and (
ct good general view of the noun i
lin range and of Yakutat and Disen- ,
hantment Bays. From here could be q
zen unbroken snow fields miles q
cross, and glaciers without number.