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

mel, and finally emerged far below, headed
in its original direction. At Stephen, a
great rustic sign !ettered in the middle
Great Divide" and on one side Gal
berta," on the other, British Colum-
bia,'' informed the tourist that there was
| the line of the continental watershed,
the streams on one side flowing into the
Pacific ocean, and those on the other into
Hudson Bay and thence into the Atlantic.
The altitude there is about $500 feet.
From Stephen we coasted into Field,
around dizzy curves, on the face of rocky
cliffs.
At Field we again stopped over for a
| day and night, making our headquarters
at the C. P. Hotel, the MT. Stephen
House. The little village of Field clus-
tiers at the foot of Mt. Stephen, which
towers protectingly above, its snow-cap-
ped summit six thousand feet above the
village, which itself boasts the altitude of
four thousand. After dinner we star ted
for a carriage drive, first crossing the
bridge over the Kicking Horse River,
thence driving through the woods to
Emerald Lake. On the way we stopped
to see the Natural Bridge, where the
rapids and falls of the Kicking Horse
have worn through and under the rock
walls and the spray of the fall dashes
high in the air. Mans efforts have re-
inforced the natural" part of the bridge
so that one may cross in perfect safety
to the other side and view the falls from
the opposite shore.
Leaving the bridge we drove through
avenues of tall slender pines and spruces,
through which we caught glimpses of
the wonderful mountains: AT one point
the road was perfectly straight for
mile in length and a vista of snow-clad
mountains at either end gives it the name
of Snow Peak Avenue. At Emerald
surface of the water, but one could see
the beautiful clear green color which
gives the lake its name, and which Is
due to its glacial source. While there
we were fortunate enough to witness
several snow avalanches off the noun
tain sides. They looked like foamy
waterfalls and sounded like cannon in
the distance. A glacier, miles away, was
plainly visible, but the air was as soft and
balmy as in early June, and the stiffness
was only broken by the roar of the dis
tant avalanches and the howl of lone
cayote. Returning to Field along the
upper road we had wonderful view of
Mt. Burgess and the Van Horne Range
over the tops of the trees.
Next morning at eleven we boarded
the Imperial Limited again for the last
stage OF our journey to the coast. Once
more we were fortunate in securing
seats in the observation car, and there
we remained all day, the attractions of
the diner proving Of no avail against the
wonderful scenery. 1t was certainly
awe.inspiring beyond anything we ever
expected to see, and beggars description.
Snow-capped mountains, canyons, water
falls, beginning in brooks far up the
mountain side, rivers, now by the side of
the train, now raging torrents far below
Everything in mountain scenery was
there, many times repeated. We became
! we'll acquainted with our engineer en-
gines, for there were sometimes two-as
many times we looked off at any angle
of as degrees from the last car and could
see several cars at the head of our train,
SO sharp were the curves we we're max
ing. Finally, when we could absorb no
more scenery we left the Rockies and
crossed valley to the Selkirks ascend
ing at once over the Beaver River,
through canyon so narrow that at one
place a fallen tree completely spanned
the chasm, making natural bridge to
the other side. When we could see the
river a thousand feet below and SEEM
ingly directly under US we came into a
valley from which there was apparently
no escape. Here was glacier right be-
side us and only few minutes walk dis
tant, and we were at Glacier in Rogers
Pass of the Selkirks. More dizzy loops,
with all sense of direction lost, and we
travelled out behind another mountain.
A five mile tunnel is IN process of con-
struction here which in years to come
will lower the grade and detract from
the grandeur of the scenery, but the
m;laa If snovsheds and the startling