Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-08-26
The GREAT NORTHWEST
BY MISS BETTyE ADLER.
Portland, Ore,
Aug. 16 1905.
BY MISS BETTYE ADLER.


Dearest People:
think it's Stanton, the southern
poet, who says:
.'This world that we're Evin' in
SIS mighty hard to beat;
You get thorn with every rose,
'But amt the roses sweet"
On the train it was the heat and
dust, but principally the crowds that
proved the ever present thorn. 1T
seemed as if the whole world were fol-
lowing Horace Greeley's advice of Go
west, young man." and in addition was
bringing all of his sisters and cousins
and aunts with him. l have always
claimed to be inordinately fond of
crowds, but when you have to stand
fifteen deep in the aisle of dining
car, waiting for breakfast, 1t meits the
poetry right out Of Re situation. Our
train, coming west from Livingston,
Mont, to Seattle, had seventeen
coaches on at one time, with two en-
gines for pulling and one for pushing
up the steep grades of western Mon
tana.
All, but the scenery! That is where
the roses came in, until the thorns
were really insignificant and finally lost
sight of altogether. 1t was one long
breath of delight going through noun
tain scenery of the widest grandeur.
Our train, like huge reptile wound
Its way on circle Of foothills up the
mountains, often in horse shoe curves
and, looking from the car window,
could see Its engines putting and pull
ing their heavy load high beyond
where our coach and many others
trailed after.
Forest Fires.
It was late at night, almost mid
night, when we passed through the
forest fire district, a scene that i'm
presses itself upon my memory, as
wildly, weirdly, uncanny. Charred tree
trunks for miles and miles, stood
like grim sentinels, with patches of
fire still flaming at the top, and all
bathed in the most glorious moon
light. The following day our train
was so heavy that it was run in seve-
raj sections, and at Missoula I under
stood that they dropped coach load
of telegraphers, who had been brought
through from st. Paul on account of
the strike,
The Northern Pacific handles its I'm
mense crowds exceptionally well, for
it seems hardly possible that they
could have been prepared for such a
rush as this.
Indian Talks Back.
Right here l must tell you very
good joke, which I enjoyed none the
less because 1t was on me. Indeed, it
proved an amusing anecdote for many
mile for those in our coach. At some
little village along the route, / don't
just remember which, the rrain
stopped and many Of the passengers
descended to the platform to get a
breath of air. Here the lniians came
to the train to sell their wares. One
big, imposing looking fellow, wrapped
picturesquely in a bright green blan.
ket, strutted down the platform, as I
sprang off the steps of the coach. The
spirit of inforrnality that pervades
throughout Yellowstone park is re.
sponsible for my habit of addressing
everyone now without the formality
OF an introduction-or maybe it is
these western breezes"-at any rate
hailed him with the query, "What
tribe do you belong to-" Quick as a
flash he answered me in English as
good as my own, and there was a
touch OF resentment in his tones,
What tribe do you belong top
At Seattle.
We arrived at Seattle Friday night,
a live, bustling western town that
climbs straight up high hills. Every
thing in Seattle seems to be on the
climb. One of my surprises was the
first glimpse of the hotel, 'The Wash
jngton," which stands at the summit
OF steep bluff, and a tramway car
runs from the street below to the very
entrance OF the hotel. 1t is on slant
Ing grade but fairly perpendicular, and
l held my breath until really felt that
/ was on top. The view from there
over the city is wonderfully pictur-
esque.
Seattle claims floating population
of $4,000 people. This makes it's bust
ness streets seem like a metropolis,
and l could think of nothing else than
of its being an infant Chicago" 1t
is the Jumping off place" to and from
Alaska, and boasts of some fine
stores and shops. Sunday afternoon
we saw Seattle" which means that
W. UOoh tuS SpSCldl Gar LOT tourists
on three-hour ride around the city.
An interesting but tiresome trip. A
popularity worth noting here was that
of several lakes, Union and Green
lakes, both in the city limits, and
Washington lake as well.
Seattle impresses one as having
sprung up in a night Street on street
prettily laid out, with cozy cottages
and handsome homes, date back only
three years. In the heart of the bus
mess district the streets climb steep
hills, much as your Washington street
between Fifth and Court streets. This
seems very odd to strangers, but then
everything seems to be going up
here. In one of the principal squares
of the city stands magnificent totem
pele. A totem pole, for the benefit OF
those who have never seen one, is a
tall column, done in ugly and fantas
tic Indian head designs, said to repre-
sent sort of family tree or history
of certain tribe This pole, l under