The Savannah morning news., 1903-09-27
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 81 1908

one thing you never find, a straight
une along the horizon. Nor do they
march in ranks but rise up and shoot
IKE regiment on skirmish drill. But
when we look out the western side of
the observation car, the scene changes
Here runs long line of even peaks,
With straight line running uubroken
against the horiZon-peaksj just as high
and higher, glaciers just as large and
larger, than on the east, but
every mountain side is dressed,
like the men in Robin Hood,
in velvet green and grass and
shrub and giant Douglas frs,
through which verdant mantle no re-
pellent rock shoots out its ugly head.
But our destination, like the star Of
empire, is westward, and yet the train
is running north, clinging to the breast
of the Rockies; as we head the valley
to the north it looks as if the train
would soon be squeezed to death, for
the Rockies and the Selkirks come
crowding so close together that the
river is forced into a narrow gorge,
1000 feet below, and the train wanders
high above it on the slopes. And then
it spies a narrow opening-so narrow
that "a felled tree serves as a footbridge
over it'-and dashes into the Selkirks.
but west it cannot go, so the train
turns upon its heels, running south be-
tween two Selkirk ranges, hunting,
hunting, for an opening that it may go
in the direction where the star of en-
pire has already gone! Once in the
new range it has to begin all over and
again climb to the summit, and then
descend: but at last the locomotive.
WORKOUT and weary as we judge from
its quick, impatient puffs, dnds the
wished-for opening to the west; but
alas! as we look out upon the scene, so
dramatic and terrifying, and realize
that we are at the climax of all our
journey, our view is suddenly cut off
and we are plunging through darkened
tunnels with only an occasional glimpse
of the world without.
The c. l.. II. Winter SnOw-Sheds.
These are the winter snowsheds.
Most of the difficulty in winter with
snow and ice occur to the railroad on
the ascent and descent of the Selkirk
range. On level the snow rises above
the first story of the hotel; this serves
to keep the inmates warm, thus sur
rounded with snow. 1t also makes an
effectual barrier to the admission of
sunlight, but as there is very little sun
to be admitted during the short win
ter days, this makes no great hardship.
1t is forever showing on the peaks, and
in spring when this snow comes down
the side of the mountain it brings
along with it avalancheS of rock and
trees, and woe betide any obstacle in
the line of it's path. No railroad track
could exist, if it were not for the
snow sheds. They are built in three
or four different forms to suit varying
conditions. The most common form
is to bulwark up the mountain with a
wall, built of huge, 16x16, squared ce-
dar timber, and the other side, with
heavy triangulation of the same sized
beams, doye-tailed and bolted togeth-
err; the wall, being backed with stone.
holds back the downpour of rock and
ice and trees, and the heavy triangles
on other side of the track act as a
mans legs, in bracing up his back.
Massive as is the construction, it yet
gives the appearance of a modern at
las, with legs braced, holding up the
mountain on his back. This costly
structure, over miles of track, is capa-
BILE and competent to bid defiance to