The Penn's Grove record., 1896-10-16
THROUGH CANADA AND BRITISH
COLUMBIA.


NAHcoTTA, WASHINGTON Sept. "a.
Flying ON we approach Kananaskis
where the mountains suddenly appear
close at hand and seemingly al impen-
etrable barrier, their bases deeply tinted
in purple, aud their sides flecked with
white and gold. while high above, dim.
ly outlined in the mists are distant
snow peaks. Right at this point we
cross an iron bridge and the roar Of the
Bow river a be heard as it falls down,
down over the Kananaskis falls. From
here l seeped completely engulfed and
carried away with the beauty and
grandeur OF the fast changing scenery
upon both sides of me. The mountains
now rise abruptly in great masses.
streaked and capped with Snow and ice,
and as We come to a bend in the line
just beyond Kananaskis station, the
train passes between two almost verti-
cal walls of dizzy height, and this is the
gap by which we enter the beautiful
Rocky mountains. We now are in the
enclosure and upon our right are fam
tastically broken and castellated
heights, on the left a magnificent view
is obtained of Wind Mt. and the Three
Sisters, all massive snow laden promon-
tories, rising thousands of feet, pene,
trated by enormous alcoves in which
haze and shadow of gorgeous coloriDg
lie engulfed. These mountains are
tremendous uplifts of stratified rocks,
which have been broken out of the
crust of the earth and slowly heaved
aloft. Some sections miles and miles
In breath, and thousands of feet thick,
have been pushed straight up, so that
their strata remain almost as level as
before. Others are tilted more or less
upon their edge, still other sections are
bent and crumpled under p~rodigious
side pressure, while all have been brok-
en- down and worn away until now they
are only colossal fragments of the orig
inal %uphsavals. Many ranges like these
must be traversed before the Pacific
coast is reached, and grandeur and
beauty crowds itself upon your atten.
tion without ceasiDg, as the train speeds
on through gorge and over mountain,
giving here a vast outlook, and there
an interior glimpse, all ever changing.
After leaving Anthracite 1 Glanced to
look back and each curve brought fresh
vistas of endless peaks rolling away
from our view all tinted rose, blush.
pink and silver. 1 am unable, over
after gazing upon their grandeur to de.
scribe even half the beauty they possess.
Passing quickly on, We come to Kick.
inghorse river, the scenery here is
sublime and almost terrible the line
clings to the mountain side OH the left,
and the valley on the right rapidly
deepens until the river is seen as a
cleaning thread a thousand feet below.
The canyon now rapidly deepens, the
mountain sides become vertical, rising
straight up thousands of feet, and With
in al easy stones throw from wall to
wall, while down this vast chasm go the
railway and river together, twisting
and turning in every direction, and
every minute or two plunging through
projecting angles of rock which seem to
close the way within these towering
cliffs which almost shut out the sun
light, with the roaring of the river and
the rumbling of the train, increased an
hundred fold by the echoing walls, the
passage of this terrible gorge can never
be forgotten.
AT the glacier House, altitude 4,122
it,, there is a mountain called Sir DON
aid which rises to a height of more than
a mile and Il half above the railway aud
that between two mountain peaks there
is continually a glacier of snow and ice
over 5000 IT,, through it, while the
water supply for the hotel at this sta
tion is fed by the ice cold water from
this glacier as it bounds down tile
mountain side. Passing swiftly ON /
will leave the mountains between us,
rush on down the Fraser river into
Vancouver, b. G.
l was not only amused but / laughed
at my friend and companion, Mr. Shan.
non the other day until my sides were
sore. He took a short walk away from
the hotel and stood leaning against a
large tree, which stood upon a promon-
tory beside the railroad track, sud
while standing there looking at a for.
rest fire, a large elk came bounding |
right by him and he fell of Of the little I
hillside down upon the railroad track
as If he had been shot, scrambling to
his feet starting down the track at his
best, he shouted to me, bright come
on, or it will catch y0u." III l had
been fred out of a cannon, l could not
have reached home as oon as he. When
1 did get to the hotel. he said to me, |
"what was it Bright, it nearly jumped
right on me, and 1 was SO frightened
for a minute or so that 1 really don't
know what l did," He will have some
great yarns to tell you when lie arrives
about this country.
Yours Truly,
E. E.. BRIGHT.