The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-07-03

the east and Vancouver lsland on
our west. Late in the afternoon we
passed through Seymour Narrows, a
most picturesque passageWay and a
most dangerous one as well, as many
vessels have been wrecked in these
narrows. There are certain times
when the waters rush through these
narrows at a IA knot rate and at
such times even the largest and
strongest vessels are in danger. The
swift periodic rush OF waters
through this pass is caused by the
meeting of the tide waters from
Queen Charlotte Sound with those
from the strait of Juan de Fuca
leading in from the open ocean on
the south of Vancouver Island. The
name of this pass is know in Indian
speech as Yaculta. Yaculta, accord
ing to the myth, is a wicked spirit
and lives down in those deep, clear
waters and is on the watch to entice
unwary sailors to destruction. At
slack tide Yaculta sleeps and their
boats may steal by her in safety, but
if boat tries to go through at any
other stage of the tide, Yaculta stlrs
the whole pass into fearful rushing
seas which have wrecked many YES
sells and destroyed many lives.
On Tuesday night our boat passed
out from under the protection OF
Vancouver Island into the Queen
| Charlotte Sound, where we could
| feel the full swell of the open Pacific
ocean. But we did not get sea sick
and we have wondered if the remedy
suggested by one of the Leon ladies
| prevented it. We were told by her
| if one should wear zinc plate under
one foot and copper plate under
! the other, one would not become sea
sick. Whether this battery saved me
from sickness or not cannot tell,
but the fact remains that l did not
lose single meal while some others
did.
On Wednesday evening the Mari
posa anchored at Ketchikan, the first
port of call and the first city of Alas
IA. The residence section clings to
a hillside while the business district
is along the level of the sea shore.
Copper mining and fishing interests
are the chief industries of the town.
The streets are paved with boards
and the residence streets are con-
nected with long stairways OF boar q
steps. We noticed many nice homes
there clinging to the steep hillside.
| We had hoped our vessel would PASS
Metlakatla, a model Indian village,
built up under the leadership OF
Rev. William Duncan, who has Civ.
en- all his life to labor among the
people of this village, but We passed
along the east side of Anneth Island
while Duncan's village is on the west
side. From Ketchikan we sailed Up
through Clarence strait with Prince
of Wales Island to the west, on
| through Sumner, strait to avoid
Wrongell Narrows, on to the west
through Christiana Sound into the
open ocean round Cape Decision, the
southwest point of Kuiu Island, then
northWard again through Chotham
strait, Frederic Sound, and Stipens
Passage, arriving at Juneau about
midnight Thursday, March 10.
Juneau is the capital of Alaska and
is very attractively situated at the
foot of a towering mountain. Doug
las and Treadwell are in close prox-
unity to juneau. From Juneau our
vessel cautiously picked it's way out
into the open ocean through Icy
Strait, where huge ice foes and
bergs broken off from the Muir
Glacier surrounded us on all sides.
1t was Ia wonderful sight standing
on deck and watching our vessel
thread it's way round these huge
monsters that proudly defy the
strongest vessels that sail the seas.
No greater skill in navigation is re-
quired anywhere than that required
in safely guiding a vessel along the
inside passage to Alaska, and we
often though of the daring of those
early explorers such as Vancouver,
who first sailed these seas. After
rounding Cape Spencer we were out
into the open ocean to remain there
till we steamed into the beautiful
harbor at Gordon. Some distance
north of Cape Spencer we got fine
view of the La Perouse Glacier, a
giant monster crawling down from
the far away snow covered noun
tains unto the sea and sending forth
huge foes of ice to float with the
tide back and forth in the deep yiO-
let sea. One sees glacier after
glacier, some large, some smaller,
all proclaiming the mightiness of the
forces of nature, and the all might
ness of God the Creator
The ship p1oughs on through wat
ers of varied and everchanging hue,
on past. heights whittier that the whit
est pearl. Way to the north you see
the mountain ranges of Alaska, prop
er, white with snow looking cold, 81
lent, and forbidding but as you APP
proach nearer they take on a more
friendly aspect and give cordial
invitation and somehow one feels a
longing to get out close to them.
They seem SO pure and true. Late
Saturday afternoon we entered
Prince William Sound and turning
eastward our vessel anchored at Cor
doom at about 8 p. m. The pier is
about a mile from the town and as
we landed everything seemed SO
strange and primitive but SO much
like what we expected that it did
not take us long to realize that we
were in Alaska proper. Dr.. Koonce
of the Presbyterian church was at
the boat to meet me but in the rush
of passengers he did not find me, SO
/ put up at the Windsor hotel where
the rates we're as reasonable as those
L. A rao oh