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

risingsrsbt from the plateau. white heads
from purple Gdes. Then the bridge over
Cut Esnk river IL crossed. the stream
rushiTg swiftly along and cutting cham
mel through gravel and thin lodges Of rock
The rad still goes on easily climbing.
passing the eass-bound train at Seville.
lie psogrsss impsded By . high wind
svesrsng down from the summit. At
Black loot 10 pile OF white buffalo bones.
sole rsiics Of the departed lords Of the
p!ainfr while two Indian tepees tell Of the
fass-dssappeasing race whose chief delight
was u hunt them. A clear stream fed
by this mountain SHOWS flows beside the
road, and few miles beyond the first
snow 10 seen-s drife sheltered from
the sun on tbs north bank OF .
ravint. The meadows now wear . richer
green and yellow flowers abound. The
great grounded forms Of the mountains be-
come moro distinct in outline, some OF
them entirely clothed With snow while on
Others IL only fills the deep hollows and
gulchsss In their rocky aides: others are
halt aidden by clouds and mist. Then. ~
the Rad turns . few points to the south.
the rYngs appears more TO the right and
left t3an la 'front.' Two Medicine creek IS
crosstd by high trestle and the side Of
wave:of land il followed into the valley OF
tiny stream, whose high bat by no means
steep.bank il Rugged for a mile or two.
Patches Of snow are more frequent on the
norts;w ard slope Of the ravines and as the
mountains are approached more closely
the great gateway through which the road
passes opens in front. Up above . deep
canyon. lined with trees and over the great
2siit,ot bridge across Two Medicine creek.
the road runs to Midvsie station on the
plateau above the creek, where . lonely
fanc5 10 right under the shadow OF the
peak3. Then On over another small bridge
and siong the edge OF . Yavine through
dens; cottonwood and scrubby pine the
train. runs at high speed, with no helping
engine or any heavier one than has hauled
IL over the prairie, the train runs into
meadows frightened by flowers and flow
erinG shrubs. 1t crosses the Two Medicine
twice. roars through . great rock cut and
dives into forest Of pines, half Of which
are dead. tho gloomy hue Of their foliage
enhs;acing the briiliancy Of the green In this
occasionai meadows. The mountains rise
higher on both sides. the submits great
cragy clothed in white, their feet strewn
with:dead timber carried down by the re-
sis,sss rush OF the avalanches. A good.
sizet: lake lies to the left. fed by the snow.
Now; the road passes through a natural
gateway between walls rising 5000 or 1000
feet INTO q meadow encrc!ed by forest
climbing tho mountain side to the snow
line Then it crseps along the fores;-clad
side Of canyon, which it crosses again
and again. Patches Of snow lie among
the trees and In the gullies and deserted
log cabins stand on the narrow level space
~ the bottom, remnants of tho days Of
construction. Coming nearer the summit
. graat wall of rock covered with snow
rises skyward to the right. while 100 feet
below to the left tho stream rushss be-
TWEEN steep. wooded banks. the tote road
useG in construction winding along the
bed Now the timber II all dead. some of
tying where the snowslides had tossed it
like chips. At last the summit 10 reached
in meadow between two great walls Of
mo, :nssins. On the right 10 . pond from
WHICH two small streams flow. one to the
east the other to the west. On the north
Is q neat white fence inc.osing q square of
ro,,nd-the grave Of gambler who was
killed in . row during the construction OF
the soad-and near IL arc several ruined
log cabins.
the great backbone Of the continent be.
gine and. while the scenery on the eastern
eide; Of the range is imposing, that now
encountered is grand in the extreme. The
train plungcs into narrow detile between
pre:iipitous mountains. in whose sides
rocks peep out among tho earth and
gra eel. while Bear creek rushes along its
bed Of rock, fed by cascades ieaping from
h. hnn
widsns until 1t leaves level patch Of bot
tons land between ito walls. but the creek
falls swiftly until 1t looks like q silver
thread far below the road. Then comes
ths:wide strip Of bottom land hundreds of
feet below. on which stands all that is
!ef.;of McCartyvillc, the notorious town
which sprang up In construction days. but
which Is now being torn down by tho
original settler on the land. Near 1t Is o
but:ying ground Of nearly 100 graves.
abe ut ninety Of which arc occupied by the
remains OF men who met violent deaths in
the saloons and gambling hells which
have now vanished. The road sweers
clevr around the town with q horseshoe.
which throws in the shade the famous
horseshoc on thct Pennsylvania railroad.
In making this carve it crosses the can
W.
which . beaver dam inhabited by five
besver can be seen in the creek. Bear also
swsrm in these mountains. and one
huater who lives in the canyon has
twenty skins as trophies Of the chase.
TIL. creek also Is full of trout. From here
one can look 900 feet up the canyon wall.
clo4hed with thick forest and the next
sce$ne which entrances the eye is an amphi-
thaater OF white peaks rising almost
straight UP from the water which bolts in
the abyss below. cascades dashing down
III! tracks Of snow slides. s;rewn>with
dead trees swept away in the rush. In
ons place opposite the road is deep snow
bel. ali that is left Of = slide which came
dean 100 feet wide aud spread on: to a
width o: 30 feet and = depth o. 50 feet.
The road. however. runs along the ends of
thv mountain spurs and thus avoids dan
&c: of being blocked by slides. Mex. the
road crosses Fear creek on curve far
above the water and thus enters the valley
OF the Fla.head. tuli-!edgcd river At
i!o,od tide. II runs Oh between heavily
titabered mountains Of gradually dimin-
isJins height. across one boiling creek
after another. aud pas, an occasional log
canin. Thus Essex, eighteen miles below
the summit. - reached, righ, IN the hear,
o:,the canyon. The valley is thieklv GOV.
cred with rne rine timber o: Younger
g',,Sth than that on the mountain sides.
xaich now become bare AMI rocky. Two
r';sie short tunuets are passed through
sf-srs IN the mounta nS. and great masses
o.: rock tossed down =; ali sorts OF angles
ssc lesI 20 right and ie.t, 50 close that
Il seems AZ II the train would barely