The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1916-11-07

vision are the back ground of the st.
/ Elias Alps, while nearer the shore
can be seen the Fair Weather noun
tains. The great range stretches as
them by wireless They were all clean
cut gentleman and looked to be
"spaneIes."
far as the eye can reach, the peaks
ranging from 5000 to $4,000 feet
in height. Beyond lie the Chugach,
Kenai and Alaskan ranges, culminat-
ing in Mount Mckinley, towering
$4,000 feet above the sea, the highest
mountain on the North American
Continent.
! After about SO hours at sea, we
landed at Cordora, Sunday morning
July ., and celebrated, the Sabbath
by making a trip over the Copper
river and North Western railroad to
Miles and Childs glaciers These gla-
ciers lie inland about so miles and
stand out as the most wonderful
things | saw on the whole trip. Pic
ture, if you can, field of ice from
! 300 to 500 feet in height, about
three miles long and extending back
about 25 miles, with young ice bergs
and heavy particles falling off into
the river below making a sound like
big guns booming on battle field.
, These glaciers are active and contin-
ously breaking off. Their coloring is
exquisite, from a muddy brown to an
opalescent and turquoise blue, all &C
centuated by the sunlight The Cop
per River flows along side and bur-
rows beneath while mighty mountains
adjoin. Between the glaciers is the
two million dollar iron bridge over
which the rails continue inland to
Kennicott and the copper fields. This
bridge and the glaciers are the base
of Rex Beach's Iron TraiF'-
a book many of you have and all
should read. 1t fairly depicts what
the pioneers had to undergo in their
initial conquest of Alaska. l was for
tunate in getting a good picture of
the glacier which have had enlarged
5 5asut sol0red to SAST their natural
The mosquitoes, mentioned by
Beach, are still there and as hungry
as ever.
Cordora is hustling mining town.
On our return we stopped for "a
hours and looked at one half million
dollars worth of copper ore from the
Kennicott mines. Then into Valdez,
another mining point, which boasts a
glacier of its own, just back of the
little city and in plain view from the
dock, fighting in an endeavor to
force its way to the sea. LaTouche
was the next port, where is located
one of the worlds largest copper
mines, owned by the Kennicot Copper
Corporation. Went through the mill
and beyond where / saw a mountain
of copper ore with only its surface
"shaved off" We continued west
ward and spent the fourth of July at
Seward, named after the Secretary
of State, who put through the Alas
kan purchase. Seward struck me as
being a model city and the best
home town on the South West coast
1t was in gala attire with large
crowd on hand to witness the holi-
day sports. 1t was here | saw many
dog -malemutes-al loafing
now but there will be lots of work
for them when the SHOWS and long
winter nights arrive. Then we round
ed Cape Elizabeth and continued to
Anchorage, 1000 miles from Seattle,
the government town and now the
base of operations for the new gov
eminent railroad, being constructed
into the interior with Fairbanks, the
chief city of the interior, as It's des-
tination. This will open up and de
velop a great agricultural and mining
country. The growth OF Anchorage
has been remarkable. From a popu-
lation of 1000 last year it has grown
to 5000, about $500 of the people
a,,,,11o,,oI hxr ho
This completed my westward trip.
On the return voyage l stopped over
few days at Juneau and Ketchikan.
At Fort Liscom, between Valdez and
Cordora we put off the army base