Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-11-10

with their rocks and huge powders
ground into fantastic shapes, and theii
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, filled 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 torrent of rapids against
which the little steamer throws her
self valiantly.
AT Chelan Falls the Chelan river
comes tumbling down It's cavernous
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-horse stage the
Journey to the foot of Lake Chelan Is
made through five miles of wild seen
cry, queerly mingled with domesticity
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-
veloping more than 10000 horse
power, which the glaciers of the Cas-.
cades VIII 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 II 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 decayed 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 level.
The Yellowstone has it's wonder
lake more than 1000 feet above sea
level, but here are waters whose levels
are more than LOO feet above sea
level and which also extend from 800
to possibly 1.400 feet below sea level.
So clear are the waters OF the lake
that the picture above and below their
surface is the same. Look at the real
picture, then turn the eyes into the
depths, and there 1t is mirrored with
a faithfulness and vividness that first
startles, then 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 shivering 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
glacier-cut 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 it is in cultivation, 1900 acres be.
ing in fruit. In the mountains also
are rich storehouses of mineral that
are awaiting transportation.
To the sentimentalist, however. the
coming of the iron horse" is fraught
with regret. Buried in natures scenic
galleries around Lake Chelan, go miles
distant from the nearest telephone or
telegraph, alone with nature in all her
moods. it is possible to forget that
such a thing as a stock market or a
counting house exists. With the ad.
vent of the railroad the solitude will
ia a measure be gone, but the compen-
sating fact is that beauty and gran.
deur unsurpassed will be brought
within the reach of thousands instead
of hundreds. S. GLEN ANDRyS.