The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-12-02

train was crossing the prairie country OF
! North and South Dakota. and after we
had crossed the Canadian border again
| into Saskatchewan. Hundreds of miles
were as level as the ocean, treeless, with
only an occasional house. and towns as
smtll as can be imagined, consisting
often solely of grain elevator, and I'm
| Canada) King George, or Edward, or
ROYAL Hotel. In the evening we stayed
hours on the rear platform watching
the light of burning straw-stacks on the
horizon.
At Moosejaw an observation car was
put on and we patronized 1t literally.
| One of our fellow passengers for short
distance was most interesting English
man who had served in the English army
both in India and South Africa, and who
was then engaged in what he called a
miserable substitute for fighting in the
trenches, - that is the rounding up into
detention camps of "foreign aliens" who
refuse to register and report daily to the
government. His views on the political
and military situation in the U. S. were
interesting and somewhat alarming.
Moosejaw, Medicine Hat and Calgary
were surprisingly large and prosperous
"boom" towns. Medicine Hat has natural
gas at five cents thousand for the first
five wears of residence there, and ten
cents regular price. Our train pulled
into Medicine Hat in the evening, and
until we received that information from
our omnisclenI porter we had marvelled
at the brilliant illumination.
Warned by our porter that the scenic
effects for which the Canadian Pacific is
famous would begin next morning, we
rose early and found such a change in the
scenery over night that we regretted the
time spent in the diner for breakfast. so
ate hurriedly and took our post on the
observation platform. from which we got
some splendid kodak views of the foot
hills. At nine O'Clock we reached Bantf,
where we regretfully took leave of our
fellow passengers, the tive-foot porter
and our six-foot eight-inch Pullman con-
ductor, and drove into the town, where
we took rooms at the Mt. Royal Hotel.
A carriage and driver were soon at our
disposal and we started on three-hour
drive which took US to the magnificent
C. P. hotel, unfortunately not then open,
to the Cave and Lower Sulphur Springs,
which we found very interesting. especi-
ally the Cave and the old Scotch care
taker in his native dress, who told US a
very quaint tale of its origin. The
springs are hot sulphur and the gas
arising from them is most unpleasant.
The beautiful new bath house and the
warm sulphur water tempted US greatly.
but time forbade our taking dip, so we
continued our drive over the government
roads up Tunnel Mountain, where we
got some glorious views of the village OF
Banff and of the nearby mountains. All
the mountains in sight were snow-capped,
but at any elevation we reached the roads
were dry and the air warm. The noun
tains are very different from those IN
our native New England, being rocky
and precipitous, with jagged outlines
against the sky.
| After dinner at the hotel we started
out to explore on our own account, and
walked up Sulphur Mountain, distance
of little over two miles, to the Upper
| Sulphur Spring. The water from this
spring falls down series of little ter
races and has left peculiar deposit on
the rocks, creamy white, pink, yellow,
and even greenish in color, due to its
sulphur contents. Down the mountain
az ain we left the road and followed a lit
tie footpath down through the tall, slen-
der ''lodge-pole" pines to the rapids of
the Bow River, where we fingered and
took pictures until the pangs of hunger
drove us back to civilization.
Sunday, the 18th of April, found US on
the next lap OF our journey, from Banff
to Field, trip of only about three
hours in length, but full of the most
wonderful mountain views imaginable.
Sheer rocky precipices, wooded heights.
snow capped peaks and dazzling water
falls were on every hand. The train as.
cended slowly, and at the head of the
Yoho valley dove into tunnel under a
mountain in which it circled around, COM
ing out nearly under its former track. cir
cled again, entering second spiral tun-