The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1906-10-20

with their rocks and huge powders
ground into fantastic shapes, and their
many Colors of soil and rock washed
| and mingled in natures paint pot and
then by the forces of nature scattered
over the face of the landscape.
The little boats of shallow draught
and powerful boilers have battle
royal with winding and twisting
stream of narrow channel, filed with
! dangerous rocks, eddies and mael-
| stromS rivaling the whirlpool of the
| Niagara gorge. With an average cur
rent of eight miles an hour the river
frequently breaks into a turgid, roar
ing, racing torrentN of rapids against
which the little steamer throws her
| self valiantly.
! At Chelan Falls the Chelan river
comes tumbling down its cavcrnous
| bed into the Columbia, making the
| connection between the snowfed gla-
| ciers of the Cascades and the great
river highway to the waters OF the
| Pacific. In four-horsc stage the
| journey to the foot of Lake Chelau is
made through five miles of wild seen.
| cry. Queerly mingled with domcstiCity
| and agriculture.
In its jOprney of less than four miles
| the Chelan river falls almost 400 feet,
and carries stored within the rocky
walls of its imprisoning canyon one
of the greatest water possibilities in
the northwest. 1t is capable of de.
/ vol
power which the glaciers of the Cas-
cades will go on feeding through
countless ages to come. Thine Is not
far distant when this water power will
be utilized to dig from the Cascades
their wealth Of mineral deposit, to re-
duce their ores, to transport them to
mill and railroad to turn the wheels
of mill and factory, to saw the lumber
of the Cascades, to transform 1t into
articles OF commerce and to make
wealth and happiness for thousands
where now not even tens are benefited.
At the lower end of Lake Chelan
there is very little promise Of the
| grandeurs that begin TO unfold them.
| selves soon after the first turn in the
! lake is reached. Around the foot OF
the lake and adjacent to the two little
| towns pOcketed away there from the
| outside world are many beautiful
| farms nesting among the foothills and
producing their agricultural wealth
only to receive most of it back in the
| way Of decaycd products. wasted be.
cause Of the lack of adequate trans
| portation and Of the excessive cost Of
the present wagon and river trans.
| portation.
The first wonderful fact about the
| lake is that its waters are the Only
ones, in this continent at least, which
are both above and below sea lcvcL
| The Yellowstone has its wonderful
! lake more than 1000 feet above sea
| level but here are waters whose levels
are more than 100 feet above sea
| level and which also extend from 300
| to possibly ! 400 feet below sea level
So clear are the waters of the lake
| that the picture above and below their
| surface is the same. Look al the real
| picture, then turn the eyes into the
| depths, and there it IS mirrOrcd with
! a faithfulness and yivldness that first
! startles, thcn charms. Regarding the
| cOlors OF the waters of Lake Chelan
artists are ever raVing. The blending
| Of many colors is ever changing with
! the whims Of the winds, Of the clouds
with the shiyering OF the trees and
with every mood of nature herself
! Cold and clear, they are often swept
! By huge waves, which are beaten by a
wind that comes roaring down the
| z aciercut gorge, gathering strength
and fury with every mile Of canyon
! travelled and with every effort to reach
the world outside the granite walls
/ In storm or IN calm the grandeur
| and the beauty are ever there, and are
ever changing.
In the immediate vicinity of all this
scenic wealth are fully $4,000 acres Of
! fertile soil, and only about 5000 acres
/ Of il is in cultivation, 800 acres -.
ing in fruit. In the mountains also
are rich storehOuses Of mineral that
! are awaiting transportation.
! To the sentimentalist. however, the
i coming OF the iron horse" is fraught
/ with regret Buried In natures scenic
galleries around Lake Chelan, 60 miles
/ distant from the nearest telephone or
telegraph, alone with nature in all her
| moods, II is possible to forget that
/ such thing as a stock market or a
counting house exists With the al.
vent Of the railroad the solitude win
In a measure be gone bur the cOnpen-
eating fact IS that beauty and gran
deu- unsurpassed vii! be brought
within the reach Of thousands Instead
iae hnnlreds. S. GLEN ANpRU3