Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-08-17

& eANNAS1Nee 111o1
4 raIr 10 TlsE IlXNDsi d )
.I THE SlfDNiaHTs 90 =.
i SeSH1S&eSe 11eN1eNoSsS!
!. William II. Seward was neil hb6r IN
i the home city OF our glrlhood. ana
! everything said ana done ~ this ennis
lnent statesman was OF interest to the
4 q people Of Auburn. NJ. Y. There was 80
much said about the purchase OF Alas
q ka and Stewards optimistic views OF
Its future that We always longed TO
J visit the settled portions Of this great
! northland that yields such fine furs and
fish and is so marvelously rich in for
ests even9yet Inaccessible. The area of
3 Alaska is nine times greater than all
New England and two and a half
q times larger than the great state Of
: Texas. 1t is believed to be one great
q treasure-trove OF gold, copper and coal.
and these treasure lands are sentineled
= }by towering mountains and washed by
8 mighty waters. We can readily believe
& with the most optimistic that long be-
S fore another half century rolls away
Alaska will be wearing her robe OF
statehood, for people are focking to
! this land Of promise by the thousands.
= and in spite of the sufrerings and hard
ships, all have words Of praise for this
u country go wild and beautiful; and as
{ for ourselves we shall look forward to
= Ianother trip and a longer stay in Its
! linvigorating air and sunshine.
I After many days of rain and fog with
Edelight, on the Sabbath morning Of
June "a, we found ourselves nicely To-
Icated on the hurricane deck OF the
& steamer Queen, :" Alaska bound Every
) berth was taken and added to the
pleasure OF the outing wes that of
meeting people from all parts of the
world. OF course We found many from
Iowa on board. Actually we have met
) so many Iowa people that we begin to
wonder what is the matter with our
state that SO many are away from 1t.
All claim to love Iowa, but say no one
. can ever go back after living on the
| coast. There was one young man
among them still loyal to his home
state. We CHANGED to call him an Alas
kan and he jumped to his feet saying.
i Don't call me an Alaskan! am Iowa,
/ all Iowa.
After leaving Tacoma the first stop
!. Twas made at Seattle. Shortly after
leaving Port Townsend, Vancouver
Island, the largest island on the Pacific
q coast, is reached, and we follow its
{ deeply indented shores for 300 miles on
Jour way. 1t is densely- CODED.
mountainous island. with many peaks
from six to eight thousand feet high.
. Settlements, we are told, have advanced
livery slowly along the shores of this
lisland in spite of its beauty and fishing
advantages Victoria, its largest city,
j, lis a quaint old English town.
This trip to Alaska is called the in
!. Hand trip. It's course is thru the many
straits and channels between the
islands and the mainland. 1t is not as
rough as the outside, or ocean. voyage.
but is nevertheless considered a no less
dangerous way.
From Victoria the steamer glides thru
! narrow passages, among many little
= ltree-covered islands into the broader
{ is DArey's island, the home Of lepers
placed there by. the British govern
!. ment.
On the Vancouver side were the
snow capped peaks of the Crown
mountains, and on the mainland the
: beautiful Cascade range. Islands in al
4 shapes and sizes some times rocky, ant
? again tree-coyered, dot the waters. In
: dian villages and totem poles are seer
: at long intervals, lighthouses CLEAN
!, along the shores. sea gulis and looms fly
labout in search Of food, black whales
:. are always to be seen spouting and
! Efrolicking in the water, and schools OF
porpoise swim along bobbing up thei.
:, black heads
IL A very narrow passage, twenty-three
miles in length, connecting the Gull Of
!, Georgia with Johnston's Strait anG
then into Queen Charlotte's Sound
ii called Discovery Pass, lis one of the
dangerous parts Of this inland voyage
: MIDWAY In this pass is spot called
2 Semours Narrows. The Indians call i!
Yaculta, the home of an evil spirit who
2 delights in destroying canoes and peo-
{ i PIE. The narroWss are less than one
!. half mile in width and the ebbing tide
i rushes thru at terrific speed The
waters whirl and seethe and boil in q
most threatening manner, and many
] vessels We're wrecked before thu pas
( sage was rightly known to navigators
"a A United States gunboat of eleven
guns Was lostsin this trea charous5 pas
, sage in 1875. Boats are nov timed to
reach this place during the favorable
! moments of slack water. II was a
, beautiful ride thru this narrow and
dangerous way. the water so dark and
restless, the rocky shores 50 near that
eagles could be seen flying about and
!, the call Of birds distinctly heard For
tnnateiy all were safely in bed as the
. boat sped thru Queen Charlotte's
Sound and over forty mile gap be-
tween Islands, where for the first time
we are on the open sea. 1t was rough
e enough so that there We're many va
i cant chairs at the breakfast tables;
!, | Vet it is not always rough on this oper
expanse. at times the spirit OF peace
/ broods over the sea and mists and fogs
r hang low about the vessels.
i We turn aside here to say boats ars
7 daily passed on our way and the ex-
element of the exchange of steam
whistles and shouts of greeting is en-
tered into with a zest. This voyage il
not the lonely voyage that it must once
have been. and many thousands OF dol
lars have we passed. carried down in
> these boats hailinr# rs SO chaariiy