The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-05
ALASKAN SCENERY.
-,,oss OF THE PASSAGE FROM
l@N, a,.sulNeToN NoRTHwAao.


r,. Magniicence OF mount '''
Giant sentinel of the Rockies
hing the voyage 'northward
,.om Seattle one has scarcely ,oiS sne
iro% Of Puget sound pe,ore si cav
waters % snow are perceptible on the
pa'cness neaks of the colossal range OF
higness s;rs bordering the inland pas
mou"'S these gradually grow larger ana
sage tho steamer wends her way TO
large n.h and soon the loftiest peaks,
,ne H. ~ inland and toward the sea- are
po'n rohod in glistening garments OF
scon ,yhite. Two days travel brings
pules. o,I into Alaskan waters, and by
one W." ";d Of a good glass and not infre-
inc o." ~, With the naked eye close OBJ
quenn ,,ill discern the blue ice OF gla-
s s;srs creeping from under the lower
e osaos Of the snow banks. Lower ana
,ue these descend as the steamer
wis WI onward, until the northernmost
ora .'. ON the route is reached, where
poin' oono down to the ocean level.
'nt 2oro in beautiful little bay, dotted
~ 600 ;cebercs. some Of them high
W. than the topmost mast OF tDe SNIP
.root walls of deep blue Ice form the
- 60 long arms of this ice break from
.Lo mother lode, as it were, and stretch
a.. hock into the mountains, where at
.Lo crest Of the range they reunite, ana,
.nuniro northward, form into contin-
mons chain cf glaciers that line that
nortiou of Alaska's coast for many nun
dred miles. ~, c,,..;o
.or and the most attractive feature is
tbe Muir glacier, the grandest OF all the
ororn named in honor of Mr.. John
Muir, who upon the last excursion OF
the Oueen again visited the bay and be-
hold the mountain of ice which will
nornotuate his name while time lasts.
II matcbless beauty, unparalleled
orordeur and colossal structure 1t sur
masses anything Of its kind on the
American continent. This great mass Is
constantly moving, and as 1t debouches
into the sea huge pieces break from the
front. and, as thunderbolts from heaven,
tbey drop into the waters, rolling up
great waves and making a noise like
the booming of heavy artillery. THESE
nieces 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, DOC
feet high; Mount Crillon, 10000 feet
Mount Fairweather, IA, 70S feet; thence
farther north sublime Mount st. Elias,
the giant sentinel of the Rockies, towers
nearly 20, 900 feet above the ocean thai
thunders at its base. How ineXpresslbly
grand is this hoary headed monster, FOL
every foot of his sides is in mountain
slope! He bathes his brow in the clouds
and washes his feet in the sea. No hu
man being has ever planted foot ON TIT
summit of this mountain, although va
rious attempts have been made by hard.
explorers. Lying between the sea an'
the base Of the mountain, perhaps three
quarters Of mile in width, is q leve
and thickly timbered piece of land
IIOlu lUlN ItUNu liit AAOulA0ih t'hN
gradually to the timber line, approx
mately /, 600 feet. Here the line of per
petual snow begins and the slope grow
gradually sleeper. Soon the blue ice
seen under the snow, and a little farthe
up the entire face of the mountain is
glistening mass. This ice extends t
within 3, 900 feet of the summit, wher
the browning peak rises nearly perper
dicular and assumes the form Of loft
watch tower upon the walls Of an al
cient castle. Snow and ice do not lie o
the peak, except on the extreme top, fC
the reason that the sides are too steep.
Probably only by aerial means coul
the summit be reached, and, even
that were possible, it is doubtful if an
human being could survive the terribl
cold which would be encountered
that great altitude. This mountain
held in great esteem and awe by the n;
tive Indian tribes. 1t is their gre;
weather prophet, and by certain clou
signs they know when they can wit
safety undertake the journey along Il
"ironbound coast" a dangerous stret(
OF water running from Cape Spenc
northward to Yakutat bay, along whit
distance the mountains break sheer in
the sea.
The entire length of the inland pa
sage, l, 100 miles, is heavily timber'
with spruce, hemlock, pine and DO
yellow and red cedar. Great avalanch
OF snow have swept down the mountai
here and there, and in their track Iol
streaks of timber have been now
down as sickle would so much ri
grain. At intervals Indian villages d
the shores, resting most picturesque
upon narrow shelves just at the edge
Underwater. These nomads of the mort
west spend two-thirds of their lives O
OF doors in their canoes, which are the
only means of travel, and with viii
they obtain their livelihood from
sea- Throughout the entire stretch
country travel by land is almost imp'
sible, owing to the dense timber a
underbrush that cover the entire s,
face
10 the disciples of Izaak Walt