The Press., 1896-12-03
ALASKAN SCENERY.
FEATURES OF THE PASSAGE FROM
 WASHINGTON NORTHWARD.

Grandest of All Being Muir Glacier. The Magnifcence of Mount St. Elias, Giant Sentinel of the Rockies.
 In making the voyage northward from Seattle one has scarcely left the waters of Puget sound before great patches of snow are perceptible on the highest peaks of the colossal range of mountains bordering the inland pas sage. These gradually grow larger and larger as the steamer wends her way to the north, and soon the loftiest peaks, both inland and toward the sea, are seen robed in glistening garments of purest white. Two days travel brings one well into Alaskan waters, and by the aid of good glass and not infre- quently with the naked eye close ob- server will discern the blue ice of gla- oiers creeping from under the lower edges of the snow banks. Lower and lower these descend as the steamer Erawls onward, until the northernmost point on the route is reached, where they come down to the ocean level.
 Here, in beautiful little bay, dotted with 1000 icebergs, some of them high CT than the topmost mast of the ship, great walls of deep blue ice form the shores, long arms of this ice break from the mother lode, as it were, and stretch far back into the mountains, where at the crest of the range they reunite, and, running northward, form into a cOntin- uous chain of glaciers that line that portion of Alaska's coast for many hun dred miles.
 This little fairyland is called Glacier bay, and the most attractive feature is the Muir glacier, the grandest of all the group, named in honor of MT. John Muir, who upon the last excursion of the Queen again visited the bay and be- held the mountain of ice which will perpetuate his name while time lasts In matchless beauty, unparalleled grandeur and colossal structure it sur passes anything of its kind on the American continent. This great mass is constantly moving, and as it debouches into the sea huge pieces break from the front, and, as thunderbolts from heayen, they drop into the waters, rolling up great waves and making noise like the booming of heavy artillery. These pieces float away as icebergs and are carried many miles to sea before they finally are ground and melted into their original fluid state.
 Visible to the north and west, front ing on the sea, are among the grandest peaks on the globe-Lituya peak, 10, 900 feet high; Mount Crillon, 300 feet; Mount Fairweather, IA, 7O8 feet; thence farther north sublime Mount St. Elias, the giant sentinel of the Rockies, towers nearly 20, 900 feet above the ocean that thunders at it's base. How inexpressibly grand is this hoary headed monster, for every foot of his sides is in mountain slopeI He bathes his brow in the clouds and washes his feet in the sea. No hu- man being has ever planted foot on the summit of this mountain, althOug h va rious attempts have been made by hardy explorers. Lying between the sea and the base of the mountain, perhaps three quarters of a mile in width, is @ level and thickly timbered piece of land. From this beach the mountain rises gradually to the timber line, approxi- mately 1, ,OOO feet. Here the line of per petual snow begins and the slope grows gradually sleeper. Soon the blue ice is seen under the snow, and a little farther up the entire face of the mountain is 8 glistening mass This ice extends to within 5, 900 feet of the summit. Auahere the crowning peak rises nearly perpen- dicular and assumes the form of a lofty watch tower upon the walls of an an- oient castle. Snow and ice do not lie on the peak, except on the extreme top, for the reason that the sides are too steep.
 Probably only by aerial means could the summit be reached, and, even if that were possible, it is doubtful if any human being could survive the terrible cold which would be encountered in that great altitude. This mountain is held in great esteem and awe by the na- tive Indian tribes It is their great weather prophet, and by certain cloud signs they know when they can with safety undertake the journey along the "ironbound coast," a dangerous stretch of water running from Cape Spencer northward to Yakutat bay, along which distance the mountains break sheer into the sea.
 The entire length of the inland pas sage, 1, 100 miles, is heavily timbered with spruce, hemlock, pine and both yellow and red cedar. Great avalanches of snow have swept down the mountains here and there, and in their track long streaks of timber have been moved down as sickle would so much ripe grain. At intervals Indian villages dot the shores, resting most picturesquely upon narrow shelves just at the edge of tidewater. These nomads of the north } west spend twO-thirds of their lives out |; of doors in their canoes, which are their only means of travel, and with which they obtain their livelihood from the sea. Throughout the entire stretch of country travel by land is almost impos- sible, owing to the dense timber and underbrush that cover the entire sur ! face.
 To the disciples of Izaak Walton these inland waters and their tribu- taries offer everything from the small oolichans and herring to monster hali- but, sharks and whales. The shores of innumerable bays will be found by the hunter to contain myriads of ducks, geese and other water fowl. In the for ests he will meet moose, caribou and bears in sufficient numbers to satisfy the most ardent, and the Alpine climber who has ascended the Matterhorn can here find mountain peaks whose sum- mits have never yet felt the touch of an alpenstock.- News.
 Plants That Eat Insects.
 Francis Darwin, a son of the great naturalist, has been Investigating the effect on insectivorous plants of supply ing them with and withholding from them animal food. He grew ten of these carnivorous plants under similar condi tions. One plant of the lot he fed with roast meat, one-f1ftieth of grain being placed on the seoreting glands of the plant each hour, while from all the