The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-26

down. over which the trail leads up the
mountain on the south 10 Wenatchss lake.
The bed Of the canyon now widens and is
thickiy clothed with timber and some
brush. Soon after this the road crosses
the creek opposite 6ne ranch IN the bot
tom and leaves il to the left and comes to
Chiwaukum station. mile further up.
The road now runs through . long
stretch Of bottom land covered With heavy
timber, some Of winch 10 being logged.
The mountains rise IN towering ridges on
each side, their sides being covered with
flowers, but for . time they are much
lower and look tame in comparison with
those left behind. The track runs up on
the southern slops until the valley is far
below and great white-browed ridge be-
comes visible directly to the right. and
then along . bench to Mason creek sta
ton. This is on the level bottom beside
the creek. where it flows between two
towering ridges. that on the north being q
sheer ascent Of fully 400 feet. with
crown OF deep snow. The clouds came
down upon it and dropped q new covering
on il as the train whiried past. Another
turn and the creek is brawling between
high walls, from which great piles of rock
have slid; then We leave the main white
crowned range on the right and come close
on the left, where beds of snow run down the
deep gullies from incipient glaciers in the
hollows at the summit. A cascade leaps
from a height of 5000 feet into a great
an avalanche-and the attention is dis.
close to the car window on the opposite
AZ 81 = e
Of rock and the fragments hurled into the
gorge form waterfall as the starting
point of q rapid. Then We climb an easier
slope into which = cascade things itself
from the flank Of soaring cone-shaped
peak. but curving around this We find
that it is only the shoulder Of o long
ridge. Still following the left side of the
gorge. We SEQ on the dizzy heights small
glaciers and in the gorses scanning their
sides masses Of sodden snow brought
down with avalanches. while tho valley is
st.ewn with trees stripped Of their boughs
and flung around in confusion. like so
many toothpicks. Mason creek 10 now q
succession Of waterfalls leaping from ono
ledge to another, and the canyon
walls draw closer to one another. tho
road creeping along them until it
is far above the creek. Here lateral can
yon between two ridges OF mountains runs
into the main one. Still hundreds of feet
below the creek can be seen. a white
streak among the dark trees. and a. We
still mount higher patches of snow are
dim!y visible lying among the trees, but
the raging water is now so creamy white
that it cannot be distinguished from the
snow in the now gathering dusk. Of eve
ming. At last the canyon ends abruptly
in mountain wall. from whose whitened
sides the stream issues, while the newly
fallen snow on the summit furnishes it
fresh food. Thus, mounting the left side
Of the canyon, tho east mouth of the pro-
posed tunnel is reached and a stop is made
preliminary to the ascent Of the switchback
with the aid of two big hog engines.
Snow was falling heavily and there were
several inches on the ground as the train
started up the switchback, BY which the
main ridge of the range is crossed. As
one looked upward the bright light of the
three headlights brought into strong re-
lief the dark trunks Of the trees against
the white earth, and innumerable cascades
rushed with swish from under the snow
banks and beneath the many trestles,
almost drowning the hiss of the steam. As
each switch was reached, and the train
backed through it, the next leg Of tho
switch could be seen stretching upward,
until at last one became aware that the
train was going down instead Of up, and
that the great backbone was crossed. Now
one could look down into . dark abyss
which seemed all the darker out OF range
Of the rays Of the headlights by contrast
with the glare which they cast on
the declivity close at hand. One
high tres;le after another spanned
great gulches, where the roar of the cata-
racts among the trees mown down by the
avalanches almost deafened one. and the
hand took tighter grip on the hand rail
as the eye vainiy sought to pierce the
depths OF the black and apparently bot
tomless abyss. The streams had bored
tunnels in the snowbanks just above and
dashed over the upturned roots Of fallen
monarchs Of the forest. while the tops of
those still left standing were whitened
with the feathery and steadily falling
flakes. The roar of the falling water. the
hiss of the steam and the toots of the en-
gines signaling to one another made
weird chorus BETTING the scene.
Finally, about midnight, the west foot
of the switchback is reached at yelling.
ton. the helping engines leave the train
and 1t starts down along the Skykomish
river, which is formed of the many cas-
cades from the summit. The river flows
far below as the road skirts the side Of the
mountain in its descent. the opposite |
range showing in dim outline in the mist |
The valley gradually spreads wide-a |
dense forest from summit to summit Of |
the combining ridges. The road turns up |
the east bank OF Martin creek, whose wa |
tiers LASH themselves to whiteness in their |
hurried journey through a canyon from |
the north, SO that they can DO plainly seen |
through the darkness. The creek is |
crossed and the train dives into a tunnel |
on the opposite bank. in which it doubles |
on itself and then again crosses Martin |
creek nearer its mouth over a still higher |
bridge. II now runs up the Skykomish |
several miles, steadily descending towards |
the river in parallel line with the |
course it has just traversed until |
il crosses the SkykomIsh and con- |
tinues its course westward on the south |
bank. The valley broadens until the |
river is borderea By wide bottoms of rich |
alluviai soil covered with dense forest OF |
giant cedar and hemiock and an impene- |
trable jungle of underbrush. 1t alter
nately widens and narrows, the river at /
one time flowing through rich stretches of |
bottom land and At another iashlng itsel. |
against the foot of ridge whose head is
among the clouds, its bed filled with
bouiderS of all sizes and shapes over which |
IL washes in white caps. /, is swollen by |
tributaries coming with a |
sxif; current from the lateral ridges and |
iea b. ia r. =.