The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-16

tains intervening between the Chillixheck
and the skagit The situation there i.
coneissiy summed up IN the report Of the
state com missioa IS follow..
The very best that can be done ON the
line indicated oy the Law Is 20 cross Han
negan pass ~ sn elevation OF $40 feet.
wIth four niles through continuous snow
~ the present time. thea drop 2 500 feet a,
the Ehiiliwhack. in one rssIe: then 20 ten
miles from Hznneza1 pass 10 Beaver PASS
at aa elevation OF 5, so feet xifh two mile.
more Ct snos. much Of il twenty feet
deep; then drop 200 IN enins 4 so feet
horizontally, and tnen drop so feet more:
then climb another divide between the
Little snd Big Beavers. where there Is
still mile OF snow. and finally follow the
Beaver 10 the Skagst. Several glaciers are
close 70 the line and mountains : 90 70
1900 feet high are al around. Ii is DOUBT
ful II the snow ever leave. these so-cailed
passes. and any further expenditures
would De q waste Of money!
The data upon which this report was
based vas furnished 10 the commission By
NJ. c. w. Root, who, in company With
William Garrett. of the Austin party, has
crossed the mountains four times this
sumner between the Hannsgan pass and
the Upper Skaeit, and who has traversed
down Baker river TO it's mouth. Mr.. Root
Is competent mountain engineer Of many
years sxpsrieDes. Several years ago he
explored the Indian. Cascade and Ruby
passes for the Great Northern. coming
through the skagit canyon. and he has
been assistant engineer on the Northern
Pacific in the Cascades and cnur d 'Alenes.
on the Oregon A. California In the Siski-
yous, and on the San Francisco 4 Salt
Lake road In the Sierras. There is not the
slightest probability that he is mistaken
In his conclusions. Bat there is still
great deal of increduiity on the subject,
which has induced the stale commission
TO address a communication 70 the county
commissioners proposing that each board
select one man to accompany Banning
Austin through his alleged passes TO the
skagif. and Offering, In case Austin sue
ceeds IN verifying his reports, TO pay him
good wages for the trip. The commission
makes the offer only to satisfy the doubts
OF those who still insist that Austin's re-
ports must be true. In his second report
Austin states positively that he is abso-
lutely certain thar there is no pass between
Mount Baker and the boundary other
than the ones he describes and 30 far only
is his testimony corroborated by that of
Mr.. Root, who Is equally certain that
neither Of the passes mentioned leads to
Ruby creek, or within forty miles of IL.
Austin simply sat upon the mountain
crests and let his imagination play with
facts, assuming TO be true what the labori-
Gus examinations of Mr. Root have proven
TO be false. and determining positively
that there Is no practicable route for a
road or trail from Whatcom 10 Ruby
creek except by way of the south fork Of
the Nooksack to Lyman. on the Skagit,
and thence up the SkagIt forty miles 10
the mouth of Ruby creek. of which twelve
miles is through the dangerous canyon
which has been terror 10 hunters. trappers
and prospectors for many years. Above
the canyon the Skagit is a grand
stream two 10 three hundred feet
in width and swift and deep. Where it
enters the canyon at the mouth of Ruby
creek IL Is SPAWNED by bridge only sixty
feet in length, and its width varies but
little until it ernerges from the great gorge
at Goodeil's ranch. six miles above Marble
Mount. Mr.. Root traversed IL in 1890,
when he was looking for a railroad pass,
and he will go through il again with Mr..
Cryderman. of the state commission, to
examine il with reference to its practical
bility for a cattle trail or wagon road.
As previously stated the distance by this
route to Ruby creek is eighty-six miles,
or a little less than the distance over either
the Austin or Hannegan passes and the
high ranges intervening between them
and the Upper skagit The photographs
from which the published cuts OF these
two passes are made were selected from q
series of forty or more made by Mr.. b. w.
Huntoon, and represent the SUBMITS. II
should be remembered, however, that
there are still higher points beyond, which
present Insuperable obstacles to road or
trail construction and must compel the
abandonment of any further hope of
progress in that direction, though IL may
be necessary to "blow in" little more
money to fully satisfy the doubts Of those
who still pin their faith to the Austin
reports.