El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-06-17
Copyright, 1915. by Frank
G. Carpenter.l

k,otber curiosity was the air plants. I
have always thought OF orchids as con-
fined to the tropics There are polar orchids
in this part OF the world. great punches o.
Zen thai hang high up in the trees. They
are OF hue different from that OF the
branches
,-s1f onward. Now our way was across a
ealing pIain. now the road climbed the hills
4afns- AT one break in the hills We could
saa the hex range with its peaks capped
WITH perpetual snow and glaciers marking
'h9 otSsr plsees the mountains were a.
-, ss me hills o. the AlleEhenies. and
they had the same royal mantle OF purple.
9broprh a valley walled with mountains
from which the earth had been torn by a
nils was spotted with clay colored hlotches,
rising out Of the green II looked a.
some mighty plague
Over Much Glacial Clay.
We crossed one little glacial river after
another. and rode through valleys which
are covered with ice IN the winter. ana be
come a souplike slough in the spring A
prest part OF the way was over what Il
i[novVn as glacial clay. q kind OF earth that
Will have much 70 30 with the rallroad
r--crs Sar, fs now building This clay is
solid when dry. but when moist II assumes
ths consistency Of shoemakers wax and
IKE a ouicBsand. sucks IN anything that
--oez over IL II a railroad trick is built
On II and not well protected by drainage, u
NAV disappear during a long rainy season
or where the water or a creek OF river mas
seeped its way through.
The whole OF the soil here, and this Is
fr,,e also OF q great part Of Alaska. rests
49,, : nd Of ice or frozen earth which has
heen in that state for thousands OF years.
The moss on the top OF the sci acts as an
insulator and keeps the ice from melting
except on the surface. Indeed you can dig
down almost anywhere and strike the ice
bed There are places where the sol Is 50
thin that you can scratch away the moss
with your fingers and come 70 the ice-
where the earth below IS glacial clay Il Is
sound while the moss covers H. buL Nneh
mai Is taken away and water runs in. tbs
CLAW will uphold neither man nor horse
The Overland tran crosses glacial cay
here and there. and the labor OF keeping Il
in order reminds one OF that OF Hercules In
cleaning the Augesn stables The track has
had TO be filled in and remade again ana
again The route is changed from year 70
vesr Every now and then we passed an
cd roadbed which was so filled with boul-
ders that a man could hardly crawl over ~
A. places We motored over glacial spots
where the roadbed rose and fell under the
weight Of the machine The country pa
had no rain for three months. and during
The dav previous enough. rain had fallen 70
change the whole face Of nature Il nad AZ
fected this glacial clay and turned parts OF
II to the consistency OF putty OuE alloino-
bile weighed over two tons and we had 10
20 carefully where there was any question
as TO the character Of the clay
some Overland Mud
At one wet spot we found ourselves down
On the axles with the wheels tied fast IN
the mud. We had 10 dig out the Wheels
and make a place 70 JACK VI the car Ne
lad an axe and a long handled shovel vTith
n with a view TO such accidents, and We
Ont down trees and made a bed OF branches
in front OF the car We put a pine track
under the wheels and used pine tree as =
lever 10 aid the jack in getting the car out
OF the mud
II took Us about two hours 20 dig the ma
chins out OF the clay and start u on tho
firm roadbed After that We turned OUT
and sought new roads tnrouen the So,
and rushed over the vet spots TO prevent
the car sinking. In some places the move
ment Of the road as We went over Il vas
a. though we were riding over a blanket
or rubber sheet Those places were under
laid vita glacial mud
The only salvation for a road o. tnH kin1
Is 10 keep II well drained That ts what
viii have to be done with the track OF our