Morris tribune., 1895-11-27

covered with snow but most OF the
snow we see fell last evening. My
| it looks cold and winterish.
From this on is grand, awe-insplr
ing scenery which is beyond des
cription. AT Logan we strike the
Missouri river again and follow i
quite closely to Prickly Pear, cross
inc it once at Townsend; it is very
small at first but gets larger as we
follow ii down; it is very clear and
pretty, much different than at Bis
mark. Soon we are in Helena, it is
not nearly as large or picturesque
as expected, but they say the nicer
portion is back in the mountains.
There is scarcely any ''let up" in the
magnificent scenery, SO | can hardly
find time to write
| Twenty miles or more beyond
Helena we crossed the divide of the
Rocky Mountains, we were then
little over 5000 feet high. This
point is somewhere in a tunnel a mile
and half long, it took us two min
utes to pass through it. The least
daylight did not penetrate, except
short distance at the ends; the.
steam and coal dust formed black
paint, and didn't our hands look
fine if we touched anything on the
outside Of the car after we got
through, The mountain was about
700 feet high above the tunnel.
Not long after this we crossed the
highest tresstle on the road. 1t is
$50 feet in height and across a deep
gorge between two mountains; as we
crossed it, | stood out on the plat
form, and looking down could see
far below us the tops of lofty pine
trees, and how frail the tresstle APP
peared for supporting such a load.
We have been following Clark's Fork
river for good share of the after
noon, the stream is so clear it has a
very blue appearance. There is mag
nifcent scenery along the river, it
winds gracefully around the foot of
the mountains, and its clear waters
sparkle in the bright sunlight. The
mountain woods here, they say, are
full Of bear. We just passed Thorn
son Falls, where, though we could
not see the falls, we could hear
them. At the town of Clark's Fork
we came in sight of Lake Pend
D'Oreille. It was a lovely scene in
the early twilight of northern Idaho.
1t was a narrow arm of the lake
with pine wooded mountains on eth
Ell side and two beautiful little isles
out some ways from shore, what a
grand place they would be for camp
ing. The lake is forty or fifty miles
in length and we followed it for four
or five stations. 1t was moonlight
during the evening and we caught
delightful glimpses of the lake with
mountains beyond, and the mellow
making a path upon the
water. Yves soon entered Washington.
We passed through Spokane at 10
p. m. It appeared in the moonlight |
and under the glare of electric lights
to be good sized city with some fine
to be seen from the train.
The falls cannot be seen or heard |
from the train.
SATURDAY.
We crossed the Columbia river at
Pasco before daylight this morning.
When we awoke we were passing
through very desolate country.
The soil was very sandy and dry and
nothing but sage brush was growing.
But soon we entered the Yakima
country, which has good irrigation
from the Yakima river. At station
with nothing but depot, about half
an express car load of boxes of fresh
pea ches were taken on. Yakima is
pretty town of several thousand in
habitants. Much fine fruit is grown
IN this valley. There were several
fruit vendors at the depot who sold
delicious peaches, plums, etc, at what
seemed to us Minnesota people, very
Low prices indeed Early in the
morning two huge, glistening, snow
capped peaks came into view, Mt.
Baker, from forty to fifty miles to
he south and Mt. Rainier, from sew
snty to q hundred miles to the south
vest. Not far from Yakima we en-
cred the Cascade mountains and
saw magnificent scenery again. We
crossed some hirh trosstlor h,,+ ,,o,,o