The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1899-09-16

A TRIP ON THE PACIFIC
COAST AND IN CANADA.
The Great Glacier Of the Sell
kirks-A Touch of High Life.
GRAND AND BEAUTIFUL SCENES.
The Celebrated Banfr Springs Claim
Share Of the Party's Attention
Wedn esday morning, July II brought
US to the Glacier House, at an altitude
Of 4,122 feet. The station aud hotel are
about two miles from the Great Glacier,
whose slowly receding forefoot is only
few hundred feet above the hotel.
Here we walked far enough to see the
drift which has been brought down
almost to the hotel hy glacial action,
and to have game at SNOWFALL on this
eighteenth day Of July, while some Of
the party, including the editor of the
SENTINEL, ran the risk Of being left,
and ascended to the glacier i.self. This
Is the Great Glacier OF Selkirks, and is
vast plateau of cleaning ice, extend
ing as far as the eye can reach. 1t is
as large, it is said, az all the glaciers of
Switzerland combined, the ice field of
which it is one OF a number OF outlets,
embracing an area Of more than 200
square miles. This solid mountain Of
ice is said to be eighteen hundred
feet thick and one and fve-eight miles
wide. 1t was the greatest and most
inspiring sight we witnessed during
our truly interesting and instructive
trip. A lively run down the mountain
side brought US to the train, whose
long shrill whistle had repeatedly
warned US il we were to reach our party
in time for the hour OF departure, we
must be fleet Of foot" Although
much fatigued from our hasty trip to
the glacier, we were very glad in heart,
that we had accomplished the feat in
the short time allotted for our stay, and
had actually climbed to, and stood upon
the Great Glacier Of the Selkirk
Mountains. And now for the rest OF
the everto-be e-forgOtten day, it seems
that all the subIimity and grandeur OF
all the scenery that has gone before
have met together fora elimination
which beggars description. We cross
Selkirk Summit ats an altitude Of 4,300
feet and enter Rogers Pass. This pass
valley has been reserved by the govern-
ment as a national park and was named
after Major A. B. Rogers, who dis.
covered it in 1858 and was the first man
to set foot upon the summit Of this
great central range. The pass valley
lies at an altitude Of 4, ,270 feet, between
two lines Of huge snow clad peaks,
seven or eight thousand feet in height,
on whose sides may be seen half doz-
en- glaciers, so near that their shining,
green assures are distinctly visible.
We cross Cedar Creek and little west
Of it a high bridge, spanning a charm
ing cascade, from which we have one
Of the most beautiful prospects Of the
whole journey. As we wind round and
round these rugged peaks. We count
eight stately sky.pierciug sentinels in
line with Sir Donald in the lead. A
glimpse is caught of::Hermit Mountain,
80 called by the figures Of u man with
his dog, carved by Natures hand. on
one Of its sharpest crags, and we cross
the Columbia River with which we
became familiar in Portland. And on
We speed through the lower canyon OF
the Wapta or Kicking Horse River,
the canyon deepening until the mount
ain sides become vertical, rising straight
up thousands Of feet, and within easy
stones throw from wall to wall. Down
this chssm 60 the river and railway
together a. II in a mad race for life
and supremacy, the railway crossing
from side to side on lodges cut out Of
the solid rock, twisting and turning,
dashing over bridges, around curves
and through tunnels which shut out
the light Of day, and increase by the
echoing rock an hundred fold, the
terrific labor Of the locomotives, which
seem almost to burst themselves with
the stupendous labor put upon them.
Arriving at Field we find another
chatlet hotel managed by the railway
company, not far from the foot Of Mt
Steven and facing Mt. Field. Passing
through tunuel, Mt. Stephen, 5000
feet above the valley, appears with
startling distinctness, and almost over
head, IL seen its shining green glacier,
800 feet in thickness, which is slowly
pressing forward and over q cliff Of
great height; Soon we reach the ''Great
Divide" at an altitude Of {, 5,296 feet the
summit Of the Canadian Rockies, and