The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-17

one rocky point In the canyon .s...
other. each turn revealing to VIM -
grand ana snowy heights beyond.
Up TO the Tunnels Mouth.
The bed Of the canyon now widen. :.
IS tnickiy Clothed with timber -.
some oFnsn- soon after this the 49,
crosses the creek opposite a fine 49, q
the bettcrn and leaves it to ths. ,sss -
comes 20 Chiwaakum station. ! -
further III. lo
The road follows through A lang s,.-...
OF bottom land covered with haav. 80
Der some OF which Is being loswasss -. -
! mountains rise In towering ridges n - -
SIDE. their sides being covered with -
ers. but Tor time they are much 49,
anu ieoh tame IN comparison with sh.s.
southern slope until the valley II -. - u
low and a great white~browed vssga g
comes visible directly Ia the right -
then along bench TO Mason creeh -
ton. This IS On the level bottom, 49,
the creek, where IL flows hefwean -
towering ridges that on the north 49,
sheer ascent of fully 1900 feet u,ssns !
crown OF deep snow. Another turn go
the creek is Drawing between hiwh 49,.
from which great piles or rock have ~.
then the train leaves the main uhs,.*
crowned range on the right and &C., +
close on the left. where beds of sno-r -
down the deep gullies from ineipaant -
eaers in the hoilews az the SUBMITS 4
cascade leaps from a height OF 500, -
fato great Snewhank in the canyon--sss B
remnant of an avalanche-and thu ans.
eion ~ distracted from il by the plash v
another close to the car window ~. ~.
opposite side. Mason creek il now !. e. a.
cession OF waterfalls, leaping from -. I
ledge TO another, and the canyon wsns
draw closer TO one another tina 49,
creeping along them until ii is far 80.
the creek. At last the canyon -
abruptly In a. mountain wall. frr~
whose whitened sides the sfr.s-
issues. while the newly fallen &c.
on the summit furnishes 1t frea
food. Thus. mounting the ,eft -
of the canyon. the east mouth of ira 49,
posed tunnel is reached and a stop is us.s.
preliminary to the ascent of the ~wffes-
BACK, with fhs aid of two big hog enstn1e
Beauties of the Switchhack.
From the time the Northern Pacific -.
completed to the Coast until its t1nrss
through the Cascade range was f'risk1s
the line was operated across the naonrz
aims by means OF a switchhack whteh -. II
constructed on exceptionally steep srnass
causing the public to associate the wess
switchhack with danger. ard thoss ~
veiing that way were consequently xISa
to hail the completion OF the tunnel s,-s q
the abandonment of the swiichback IN
this is not the case with reference ia r.
crossing of the Great Northern over mr.
same range. for there Is not a safer ~
ton of track between st. Paul and e1at
tie than the switchback which windr n 8
way over the Cascades. The grades n
this line across the range are much east
than the grades of the main lines az sosne
nf al
switches are laid almost entirely on An
ground. The browning feature Of this
grand feat OF engineering is the absolpia
safety with which the tracks ara rnn-
structed. while TO add to the general il
terest of trip over this line. Is the m
surpassed scenery. Canyons and :urr.A
cliffs of tremendous proportions are Il
the foreground while In the distances u
snow-caped peaks, tinted with all H.
colors OF the rainbow and ucl1s
tilating in the suns rays like great =
OF diamonds. Below. n roaring mouus1
stream tears down the rock ribbed cnn
yon. while giants of the forest--cesiar b
and hemlock--form a covering of ever.
green. scene that once seen can ney4f
be forgotten. and on each succeeding wish
presents new features.
There is some talk of building tunnel
through the mountains for the purpox&
Of facilitating traffic, the switchhaek he
ing thirteen miles long and requiring
trains an hours time to cross the divide
by means of the tunnel only
fifteen or twenty minutes would be nec-
essary to cross from Western to Eastern
1t Is to be hoped that II
the tunnel is built IL Will be used solely
for freight and the switchback mAintaan-
I'd for the benefit of the travelling public.
From an engineering point of view the
is of itself an interesting
study. At the termination of each des~
lending leg of the switchhack there Ii an
abrupt rise of the track so that even were
he brakes not applied the train could
lot by any possible means leave tho
rack. but would come to a dead stop
When the summit of the mountain
reached the range OF vision Is only clo6td
by the curvature of the globe--whers III
Instant mountain ranges fade into 6el-
Hills and the snow-capped peaks kiM ~
blue horizon. Nowhere on this mun11oe
sphere can such scene be exceiied. Co
barring the magnificent view which PSI
sngers now enjoy i'm going over thto
Mountains by means of the switchhAck
With the trip over other lines thrOHEh
tunnels. the contrast would be as great
rs that between a vast panorama and
dungeon.
Down the skykomfsh Valley.
y
Is reached at Wellington, the helping m
gines leave the train and 1t starts down
along the Skykomish river, witt. y
formed of the many cascades from th9
summit The river flows far below rs the
road skirts the side OF the mountain h
Its descent. the opposite range showing
In dim outline In the mist. The valley
gradually spreads wide--a dense forest
from summit 10 summitsof the confnfne
ridges. The road turns up the east bank
of Martin creek. whose waters lash thes1-
selves to Wilderness IN their hurried Jour-
ney through canyon from the north. -
that they can be plainly seen through The
darkness. AS the train swings round :
point dividing the north and soiith forks
of the Skykomish North Index comes into
sight, rising 5000 feet from the very CEN
ter Of this wall of mountain between thS
two rivers. Its summit is a mass of rock,
In which the strata are outlined like veins,
and Ii has an inclination TO the nOrfh
which suggests the resemblance 10 gfanx
finger and inspired the naming of II. A.
the road runs on under the side OF fhe
walls of natures fortress streams O.
snow water serve TO water the engine.
At the forks the trail to the Silver creek
mines runs off to the north from Gums
ferry, and Wallace il another settlemem
born of the prospector's energy TheA i
still running down the united stream
Sultan City Is reached, the supply POM
for the piacers on the Sultan river ara
for the other mining districts Ia the v1cans
ity, as well as for the numerous settiefy
who have occupied the valley In the a.
two years and for the logging camp
which are thinning out the vast rsaA
forests. The road Is now almost on tae
water level as II comes 20 the more opea
he 4uh