The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-23

would he hidden and we ccNIl !ook over
the clouds II the green and snow above
Among the iceberSs and Glaciers.
1t seems strange 10 think Of green moss.
green trees and 4 ;naSs OF dense green veg
citation in midwinter. amid the SHOWS ana
glaciers That is what we have here. me
glaciers slide down into the green. and the
snow falls ard rnel,s upon it all winter
lcug In many places the green is clear.
in others II IS snow busted. and IN others
loaded with snow masses. On the highest
peaks only il IS al snow ana ice. Even IN
the junSies Of India / have not seen so
dense growth OF trees and plants as along
the west coast OF Patagonia. We had a
chance TO ~ on shore every afternoon
when we anchored FOR The night. Pushing
our way i2to the country was. however.
impossible. The trees are eveTSreens. gem
orally small. but 50 dense that You could
walk en- their tops on snow shoes. A bed
~ moss as deep as your waist covers the
ground about them, ana great ferns, with
leaves as .ong as your arm. extend out III
every hare and rocky spot The ground IS
saturated with moisture. The mold and
rOtt,ns wood of centuries covers II, and
YOU sink in and stumble about more than
yOu would in an irish hog. 1t IS only on
the higher parts OF the mountains that
vegetation ceases. and only there that the
climate is such as 10 produce glaciers and
perpetual snow. The icebergs which we
saw in The channel came from these gla-
ciers. They are among the great glaciers
of the word, many OF them SURPRISING. II
is said. the largest glaciers Of the Alps. In
TERRA del Fuego they line the channels IN
places with walls Of ice thousand feet
high, and ships must sail carefully not TO
he struck by the iceoergS which IN chunks
OF a thousand tons and upwards break on
Of them with noise like thunder, and fail
into the sea. Icebergs often iii Smyth
channel, so that il - Impossible 10 get
through; This was the case las. year, wnen
one OF the steamers was forced 10 so back
and where the ship upon which now am
had it's bows crushed IN by the icebergs.
The glacial Ice IS not like that in our
rivers and lakes. II is as hard as rock
ana OF a crystalline green. During our
second day in the archipelago we stopped
the steamer, lassoed an iceberg anc lowed
It up 20 the ship: II was a Mite berg not
bigger than Il Washington city lot, but II
was of a beautiful opale.cent green, with
a top OF frosted silver. It had many angles
and projections. and II was with crowbars
that he steward and a boat load of sailors
attacked it and broke off enough ice TO last
for the rest Of the voyage. one or the
great log chains used for hosting heavy
cargo WAS first coupled about the corner
OF one OF these ice masses. Then lever
in the engine room was pulled and sec
ton of an iceberg was raised by steam by
means Of derrick 10 the deck or the yes
sci Some OF these blocks weighed many
tons, and altogether we must have taken
hundred tons OF ice.
Naked Savases Of the Mageflans.
During our voyage through CiSSS Stl diEe
islands we saw but few animals and birds.
Now and then we passed a small school OF
seals, which popped their heads out of the
water and took a peep at the steamer as
it went by We saw half a dozen whales
In the different days of the trip. and now
and then an alba trcss and gull. We had,
however, a number OF visits from the wild
savages Of the Magellans, the naked indi-
ans OF Pa,agonian channels, who are per
hans the least known OF the Wild men Of
tbs world. As far as l can learn. no eth
nolog.st has ever lived with them or made
a study of them They are different from
the Onas and Yaghans Of TERRA del Bue-
40. among whom missionaries have work
ed and several OF whom were carried.
years aCo, TO England. These Indians are
known as the Alaca!ufe%. There are. al
told. only about $50 Of thern They have no
chiefs or tribal relations. Each family
IA es care Of !tse,f, living in It's own canoe.
They are strictly canoe Indians, who 1--we
almost entirely upon the sea, and who are
found only in these straits and Off the
coasts of Southern Patagonia They sleep