The Republican journal., 1901-08-08

refreshments at the Country Club and |
a cruise on beautiful Lake Washington
the committee and friends returned to |
the city to start that evening ON their
four days trip ON the Sound.
They were accompanied by local
committee, who to add to the enjoy |
ment had with them several accomplish
ed musicians, vocal soloists and vio
linist. Rarely has congressional com
mittee had more enjoyable time than
on this cruise of the new steamer Ma
jestic; new furnishings throughout
every comfort, weather clear, cool and
delightful, and leisurely steaming along
the most magnificent inland body of
water on the face of the globe. Away
out on the straits of Juan de Fuca near
Cape Flattery they call at Neah Bay
Indian village, to buy baskets, and
study the needs of the harbor of refuge;
then to Port Angeles and across the
border to British Columbia, and visit
to the beautiful Parliament buildings at
Victoria
Returning they are charmed with the
fine view Of the serrated snow capped
Olympics. Cruising among the beauti
full San J Juan Islands, comparisons with
the thousand isles of the st. Lawrence
were heard, with results favoring the
western group. At times they were
startled by the apparent proximity of the
jagged Cascades to the eastward. with
the marble-like dome of Mt Baker far
up yonder to the northeast, while to the
south, and boldly outlined impressing
all with its majesty and grandeur stood
Mt. Rainier, a monarch among noun
tains.
Some trolled successfully for the
sportive salmon, and all enjoyed the
rare view of hauling in a big catch at
one of the great fish traps, and later
of seeing the process of earning. They
visited many pushing and growing
cities, backed by country the full de-
velopment of whose natural resources
will be work for generations.
Returning to Seattle they devote
half day for visit to one of the
most interesting spots in the State,
the beautiful Snoqualmie Falls and the
wonderful electric plant that furnishes
power for street cars, flour mills, fac
tories and city lights at Seattle The
river has a direct drop of 27o feet, and
the present power plant has a capacity
developed OF 1900 horse power, while
the maximum power of the river at the
falls is 100000; hence the natural
beauty of the falls is not in the least
impaired. Nearly all descended into
the depth of the power chambers, 25O
feet below the surface, where in a
white washed subterranean chamber |
2O0x40x30 are placed the water wheel |
and generators.
Among the congressman were two
Colonies, one from Georgia and the
other from Kentucky, who were crack |
fishermen and had gone up the river |
the evening before, meeting the others
of the party at the falls with two hun
dred and thirteen, by actual count, of |
large sized speckled beauties, furnishing
a fish dinner for all and material for |
many cloak and committee room
story.
The steamer Victorian was the home |
of the party for the next ten days. as
through bays and sounds, straits and
channels, they steamed along the inside
passage to Alaska, seeing for the first
time to most of the party the cleaning
icebergs, and what was probably the
most interesting scenic feature of the
voyage, the Taku and Muir glaciers.
A special train over the picturesque
White Pass and Yukon Ry. carried
them 10 miles from Skagway to White
Horse City on the mighty river of the
gold land. A most enjoyable visit to
Juneau and the great Treadwell mines,
and the tourists turned Seattleward,
loaded with Indian baskets and various
souvenirs, and with impressions of
sights never to be forgotten.
During their whole sojourn in the
nothing was more gratifying
than the cool delightful summer eli
mate of this region, and the contrast
was made more noticeable by the daily
press reports of the scorching condi-
ton of the east and middle west. "All
records broken" Suffering from fierce
heat, )" "Warm winds continue" eliot
test in many years." deaths and pros
trations," and similar headlines seemed
to be the daily news for fully month,
And as various cities would report from
100 to 1O4 and 1917 degrees, on the
same day the Seattle weather bureau
would record maximum temperature
Of from 65 to 70 degrees; the mean tenn
perature of June being only 81, and for
This month for eleven years, so. 1t GER
tainly will be low in the sixties for the
present July, and the warmest day of
The season so far was but II mean tenn
perature and So maximum.