Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1897-01-28
OVER THE OLYMPICS.
THE ALMOST INACCESSIBLE
MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON.
HOW A PARTY OF EASTERN SPORTSMEN
ARE ROUGHING IT IN THE
FAR WEST.
RY RAYMOND GOULD HOPPER.

one travel to find them nowadays. The
ruthless march of an inevitable civiliza-
ton is sweeping away the old forests and
all that in them is contained.
Come to Maine, go elsewhere in New
England, or even well to west ward and the
despoiling woodsmen and saw mills will
have been there in advance. Once the
tall trees stood as Nature made them, and
there noble moose, graceful deer, and all
the smaller of life abounded. Then
could have been heard splashing trout,
and many were the mysterious voices ris-
ing from wood and lake. Now all
is fast changing. The wilds are
magically being transformed into farms
and villages, and westward the course
OF empire takes it's way. The once
famous hunting grounds are being
pressed into narrower confines soon to
pass away forever.
1t may generally be regarded as the
highest order of progress, but with all
the vast waste domain already opened up
throughout our country, this sweeping
demolition cannot inspire nature-lovers.
Railroads have fast pushed into the dark
recesses Of the wilderness tempted alone
by future revenues from mining and lum-
bering interests.
"Oh! for myself, | prefer the quiet of
the cuuo.ry, a ramble along rivers or
brooks; ar, better STILL some wild forest
dell. whore the birds are merry all the
day, urI where no uuseemly revelry
breaks The stiffness of the night
THE oLYMPics.
The child is not yet born who will live
long ough to see transition in Amer
icn's Wlide-t section-the Olympic noun
tains in Washington. Admittedly, there
Is les known of those snow clad noun
tain, out on the Pacific coast, than OF
au' other portion OF the United States.
Covering an area of 30,0oo square miles in
the northwestern part OF that new state,
tee Olympics are bounded On the west by
lne Pacific ocean, north by the straits of
Juan de fuca, and MORT beast, cast and
southeast by Puget sound the worlds
greatest inland hsrbor.
a DISTINGUISHING feature of the Olym-
pics is their almost preeipiteus rise from
the nearly encrcling Underwater. The
summit of Mount Constance is fully
1000 feet above the sound, yet its base
is kissed by Puget's s-aWe-inspir-
ing sentines tossing their heads in
solemn grandeur to the clouds, on whose
SUBMITS the mists of heaven rest, and
along whose sides gigantic shadows chase
each other as the light clouds fit before
the sun.
Ap-like, the Olympics are impossible
except well along in the summer months.
They We're never crossed prior to $780,
when the government sent over an eXpe-
dition under command of Lieutenant
O'Neil. There We're twenty to make the
dangerous trip, and their experiences
would fill goodsized book; yet, for
reasons unknown, ONeiPs report has
never been published, though it is said
some OF the party did do some newspaper
work. A number OF their horses were
lost over mountain CULTS, and the men
themselves, only by rare good fortune,
came back alive.
The party entered from the southeast at
Hoodsport-a place of fifty inhabitants on
Puget sound-and pushed over a rough
woodro8d to Lake Cushman ten miles
inland. This mirrored gem is three miles
long, and nestles beneath great noun
river is the largest on the eastern side of
the region, rises on the grand divide and
empties into Puget sound near Hoodsport.
1t is far from being navigable, because Of
rocky distractions and its mad swiftness.
O'Neil's men made slow progress in cut
ting out trail, for the jungle was almost
lmpenetrable. Aided by river and compass,
they in time reached the timber line, and
soon thereafter were in the open country
on the divides. While encamped on
these remarkable plateaus, O'Nei sent
part of his men down the Quinault river
short distance.
While O'Nei's military record is high,
1t cannot be said that his Olympan ex-
petition was systematic or thorough. 1t
has remained for few sportsmen to give
out the best idea Of this region. a sec
tion containing SO much of possible value
to science, involving such degree of
mystery and wild order of animal life,
could not but entice daring, courageous
and ardent sportsmen; but Drawn and
muscle must be possessed for such an I'M
dertaking, that is certain.
EASTERN BOYS ROUGHING IT.
Around Lake Cushman are Il number of
fine eastern felIows-gentlemen sports
men all. They have settled down on gov
eminent lands, and acquired 100 acres
each under the Homestead act They are:
Roland Inslee Hopper, Stanley IL. Hopper
and Edward Mum, of East Orange, Nj; |
Fred Church, son of Church, the famous
artist; Frank Reid, of Buffalo, n. Y;
William Putnam, of Jersey City, n. j.;
Russell Holman, Of New York. All Of
them come from excellent families, are
mostly college graduates, have more or
less independent means, and love the
lives they lead. 1t is healthy life, and
gives the very widest scope for hunting,