New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
EXPLORING THE FAR NORTHWEST


CAMPING IN THE CANADIAN AZ W K0SHiPP Parts Of
the Canadian Rocky Mountains Tog game LAKE ~se
y Description OF the Region About ~ pf Eariy Ex
sSsi asd iseS Sss We ssa X %H
TEX lq sp 1i as IRON F. PUnams Sons
THROUGH THE sUBARSTIC Pq FSri Wrange eet to
ne PeS Srir xa sea a BY Warburton pike Author
Of The Barren Grounds Oh C xu aS5 Edward
lustrations and Maps PIP xV'' "' '''""'N
Arnold.
These two authors are like JACK Spra't anu "s
wife. Mr.. Wilcox will not stay on level ground
~ he can help It, and Mr.. Pike will climb nil
only when there is no way around Its base. The
one has the Alpine fever In Its most contagious
form: the other has the Canadian affection 1or
q good canoe and the conquest of foamins
rapids Both have the advantage OF 1resh
theme The height Of the British Columbian
mountains is not startling to a reader or DOCKS
on climbing A peak Of 10000 or 12.OOO feet Is
dlminutive beside the famous heights or the
Aims. and trihe in comparison with the tower
ing submits of the Himalayas or the Andes. But
the shortness of the season in the far North ana
the difference in temperature make a low noun
tain top as good a test Of endurance as the nsh-
est summit under the equator. the wanderer Is
always finding something new. Mr. WILCOX mas
no map of the region which he explored ana ne
writes that there is none In existence tha' "a"
be called complete This state OF things Is no,
like what Is known Of the Alps where aii the
streams and rockfalls are marked. In these
Canadian Alps every cascade Is a novelty 10 each
newcomer AS vet there is no such thing as a
body Of mountain guides. The perils OF solitary
climbing and of unprofessional rashness can be
enjoyed to the fullest extent.
Apparently the greatest of these dangers Is
due to the constant fall Of stones. The slopes OF
the mountains have been little disturbed that
masses Of rock are poised at every turn waning
for a breath touch to dislodge them. Inc
avalanches fall distant inaccessible clffs.
but the unsteady stones are found just where
the climber must 60 Another difhcut feature
Of this Northwestern mountain climbing was
found In the burned and PROSTATE forests at the
bottom. Struggling through miles OF fallen TIM
Der was not an agreeable introduction to the
glaciers On the mountain side. after sucn an
adventure. the traveller was usually the blacklist
thing In sight The living forest. also, with Its
dense underground of plants. figures in Mr.. Will
coxs book to an extent not usual in narratives
Of mountaineering. Comparing the mountain
other regions. it would seem that even Mount
Temple which Mr.. Wilcox and his companions
were the first to ascend. peak more than 1000
feet above the sea. fairly easy conquest.
This, he thinks. is the highest altitude yet
reached In America. north of the United States
boundary What makes his book particularly at
tractive is it's array of vivid pictures OF lake and
mountain.
Mr. Pixies journey was undertaken for the
Alaska Commercial Company but there Is little
color of trade in it. His description of the vari-
Gus gold fields is anything but enthusiastic.
There was no prospect Of rich discoveries. while
the cost of living heavy and the privations
vexatous. He made important corrections in the
map of the region through which the Pelly River
runs to the Yukon. His chart changes the posi-
ton of the Pelly lakes and extends the river far
to the eastward. making it the main branch of
the Yukon His account of the hunting will at
tract sportsmen. In the country south of the
Lizard River he declares that moose have in
creased greatly in the last few years. Through
out his journey. until he came 10 the outposts of
civilization on the Yukon River. he found game
and fish abundant. There is hardly hint Of
hunger anywhere in his volume though his
trusty Winchester rifle was damaged early. and
afterward could not be depended on Grouse
simply waited to be shot. and ptarmigan and
geese and innumerable ducks were easy TO find.
Bears were common. too. in varied sizes and
colors. But the broken Winchester betrayed
him the only time he got within killing distance
Of grizzly bear. Mr.. Pike is little sarcastic
at the expense of bear experts. and he frankly
admits that the confusion among the various
supposed species in the far North is beyond his
skill as zoologist. He made some collections
Of plants and rocks. and kept sharp lookout
for quartz lodges without finding any that would
repay working under present conditions. An
other opinion he formed that the Alaskan
natives were rapidly disappearing; and he
makes. as to this pretty plain charge Of neg
lect against the Government Of the United
States