Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-01-27
PERILs OF THE
MAGELLAN STRAIT,
Channel Where Admiral Evans
seamanship win Be Tested.
TRACT OF WIDEST GRANDEUR

No feature Of the projected cruise Of
&bo Atlantic feet to the Pacific Is more
Interesting than the announced inten-
+lon of sending the armada through
tha waters Of the Magellan strait
Sovs the New York Times. The call
snq of this winding waterway strait
IS regarded by those mariners who
have made their tortuous way through |
Its intricate passages as one of the
gr,mmest Jokes in the nomenclature
~ geography. Bleak beyond descrip-
tion and sinister as the pit itself, the
raoion Is one of Widest grandeur, the
channel In places winding through |
CANYONS whose towering cliff-like walls
AFFORD as picturesque view as any
over seen In Switzerland.
With less able navigators and less
competent seamen the nation might
feel some apprehension in knowing
that the vastly greater part Of its en-
tire naval force is to thread its way
through channel which is ever en-
.compassed with the many dangers of
shoal and snow and gale and fog. But
the country need feel no uneasiness
on that score. Rear Admiral Evans,
who Is to lead the great armada
through In his flagship Connecticut is
not only one Of the most skillful of
seamen, but he is familiar with the
route, having traversed 1t before, the
last time being when he hurried the
Yorktown through the strait, hasten
ing to the support of the Baltimore,
which was then at Valparaiso, with
part of her crew murdered by Chilean
mobs and the nations on the verge Of
war.
In those intensely interesting rem
iniscences, which he compiled under
the title of "a Sailors Log copy
righted by D. Appleton & Coz, Rear
Admiral Evans gives graphic &C
count Of his voyage through, the strait.
Nearing Cape Virgin" the admiral,
then a commander, wrote in his log,
1--WE found a magnificent great iron
ship smashed to pieces and turned
upon her beam ends. 1t was pain
full sight as we came by-some poor
fellow, no doubt running in gale and
thick weather. and 200 yards more
would have taken him clear. So
Eat early daylight again under way
( standing for Sandy point, where an
chored at 4 p. M. thoroughly worn out
and nearly frozen TO death by gafe
from such awful snow clad mountains
that was nearly CONCEALED and unfit
for work. could zee the great gIa'
ciers forty miles away giihting IN the
sun. Our recent run through the trop
1cs had united us for this sort I'd
weather, and our suffering was verJ
considerable. I remained at SANDY
point from SHUTDOWN one. day until, I
a. m. Of the next, when again drove
ahead at 10 knots speed.
The scenery was grand beyond any
thing had ayertseeu. but It was fear
fully cold anu blowing stich bowling
gale that could not entoys itsas
would have II had not been, com
PEELED to face It all the time. Tha
night we found an anchorage in a snui
little hole In 6myth's channel and hat
a comfortable night. surrounded b.
such mountains OF snow and Ice a
Switzerland never dreamed Of. Di
mountain, as large as oil Switzerland
and pure. clean white to the yer!
top, where the outline was as sharl
as broken glass, and in the front, fac
Ing US, glacier thirty miles long. Al
the sun set the light on the blue crys
tai Ice was sight to be remembered
and the silence most delicious-on
could have cut It with knife It wa
80 dense.
I'm the early morning. a. M. day
ught-we were under way and agail
driving north through Smyth's chan
mel, which was much more beautiful
Than the Magellan strait. There wa
hardly moment when we were on
OF sight OF a glacier as we twiste
and turned through this tortuous char
y mel, but always the same biting. bite
cold.
Our second and last night in thi
inland sea we found a most beautifr
spot for the night. about sixty mile
south Of the English narrows, whic
are the terror of all navigators. Whe
our anchor was down we could Jus
swing clear Of the rocks. which ros
!'oOO to 8.OO0 feet straight up an
Gown all around us, with a magnif
cent waterfall almost on our stern.
was as If we had been dropped into
well, only our surroundings were pei
feet
AT each Of our stopping places tn
men landed and put up our headboart
wearing the name Of the ship, dat
eec' This is a custom that has Away
prevailed, and some Of the anchorage
a the strait of Magellan looked lik
ssaveyards. We found the Trenton
uurk at our place. wish coul
Saye had some photographs Of til
scenery, for no one can ever compr,
nehu the utter wildness and magnii
nCe OF 1t from mere description.
rom this last anchorage we g,
under way at a. m. and before
were approaching the narrows. AS v