Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-05-05

J nj frequent intervals, which Is broken
into iccbergs. These float slowly Off
| with the tide currents aud very slow.
ly melt away The melting of Ice
| bergs In these waters is slow as the
temperature of the water is only
slightly above freezing Whether
! icebergs are met with In abundance
far away from the place where they
! first reach the water depends much
upon the occurrence Of strong winds.
favorable to drive them into the cur
rents OF the deeper waters. When an
/ Iceberg Is drawn into deep channels
1t Is Carried TO and fro with consid.
cradle speed. due TO the great tidal
currents which move in and out Of
these Southeast Alaskan waters. So
srent is this speed that | have seen
/ the front of n moving iceberg part
| the water rs 1t is seen mt the bow
uf II steamer This can be under.
: stood when 1t Is remembered that
nine.tenths of the iceberg is below
The surface. These masses of float.
Ing Ice, moving with swiftness and
great force, are n menace to nariga-
| ton.
While the Burnside" was opposite
the lnConte glacier, violent and
long continued wind from off the gla.
cier carried the icebergs away IN
mammoth floating professions and
they appeared in all possible fantastic
shapes. OFTEN the lower parts would
/ apparently touch bottom and the i'm.
mensc chunk of ice would roll over
and assume an entirely new shape.
| After the storm many were seen
stranded along the shore and when
| the low tide, which ranges about "a
feet, left the coast line exposed. the
| real magnitude of the icebergs could
! he realizeda The deep blue or green
I. color of great Ice masses seen In the
clcfts of these icebergs is not found
! in ice ordinarily seen. These melting
iceberss and glaciers together with
the tidal action. keep the tempera.
! lures of the water quite uniform
throughout the year and thus contri.
! butte TO the consistency of the climate
| in this region. 1t also has an influ-
( ence upon vegetable and animal life
and the occupancy OF the country ly
man.
| The background Of scenic Southeast
Alaska Is not always mountainous.
/ hut often broken wooded hills. They
stretch upward and away like green
rolling waves MS far as the eye can
see. The valleys are thanked by
hillsides Mt close range Where the
Iaku winds sweep over these hills
they are. but for shrubbery, bare OF
| trees except in the ravines and lower
edges: places the north winds can
not reach These treeless surfaces
are most picturesque and, in summer
the rendezvous Of deer and other
zane. as Wild animals appear to shun
the solitude of the dense, dark for.
! ests.
The sides Of the canals" and wa.
terways are usually PERCEPTIONS bluffs
covered with thick evergreens, and
their Dropping. dripping limbs, in
winter weighted with snow, present
! a sight too varied ever to become
| tiresome. 1t is said the weight of
snow upon the Outspreading branches
give them downward incline from
the trunk. A winter picture of these
!. eversreens, carrying upon their
Donshs load of snow. lends a charm
to the contrast of green and white.
walk into these forests is most
| difficult. The ground is covered with
lailen timber, lying in confused crisis
cross piles, upon which green cush-
ION OF moss has grown. To see what
these forests really are visit to the
mines ut Ketchikan or the pnrk at
vancouver gives fine illustration.
| rms park is on denselv wooded
island. through which wide walks
nave Teen cut. They are shaded ar.
Dors OF green. fringed with fern and
+; lestooned with vines. The seeds that
(; spronted. what are now great trees.
began to grow In the moss upon the
] layer of fallen trees and the roots
growing and spreading downward
now support immense trunks. When
me deep layer of decayed vegetation
Under the moss is cleared to the
ground yon can often walk between
Inc legs of a multiped of roots that
support the trunk above the point
where its seed began TO grow.
1t VIII be readily seen that these
mountain slopes from the line of per-
nefhal snow to the edge of the sea
include different climates, and conse.
quently varied vegetation from Arc
tic to almost tropical. The interest
this face presents, affords crafty
ing study. An autumn visit to South.
east Alaska is al time when the
| vegetation from snow line TO sea
level has taken on the glory of the
leaves and life. With the rapid pro.
sress of the winter the irosts first
begin to color the leaves of the
growths near the snow line and from
day to day descends. showing strips
Of color from the white. then brown.
| then red. then yellow to the green.
| As the season advances white snow
descends till 1t covers all The view
OF this extensive timber covered
broken country at any season is al.
ways wild, solitary and pleasing, hut
In winter its sublimity seems nj its