Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-14

Fairbanks would have boon eighteen
miles shorter than the road now being
constructed. and II would have had the
advantage Of u terminus 200 miles
nearer Seattle. AS II is now tho
steamers going to Seward call at Cor
dova on the way.
ONE or MOST PICTURESQUE
ROUTES OF THE WORLD
Tho Copper River and Northwestern
Railway is one OF the picturesque
routes OF the world. 1t is the only
railroad that carries YOU right to the
foot of magnificent glaciers and allows
you TO examine these greatest wonders
OF nature while the train stops. With
in an hour Of our arrival at Cordova
an excursion train started out from
the wharf, and the tourists on board
were carried distance OF about fifty
miles ur tho Copper River Valley to
the Miles and Childs Glaciers. two
mighty rivers OF ice that stand almost
facing each other on opposite sides
of the track.
Leaving Cordova the road winds
around the hills high over the water.
l; hangs to rocky cliffs. which are
covered with Il donse vegetation. a
little later II enters the mouth OF the
Cooper River Valley and skirts Eyak
Lake. which fills n depression scooped
on; by some prehistoric glacier. Tho
lake is star shaped and is almost en-
tirely shut in by high wooded noun
tains. which rise abruptly from the
waters edge. The road goes for four
miles along the winding shores OF this
lake. and then crosses the Eyak River.
Al IT.. Il
lake out TO the sea II is by this river
that the boats from Cordova go into
aud out from the lake, and during the
summer months the stream is gay with
canoes. roweoats and power crafts of
every description. The lake teens with
fish and 1t has excellent trout. During
the winter It is sometimes frozen over,
and is then used for skating and
slefghinG. There Ia some fishing done
ut that time through holes in tho ice.
Leaving the lake we passed through
4 dense forest of spruce, some OF the
meter. We then wound our way over
the Copper River delta, crossing stream
after stream. which come from the
great glaciers of the interior. The fats
extend for distance Of sixteen miles
level land, half swamps. with water
here and thore showing out Of the
green. There are ducks and geese on
the ponds. They fly up and away as
the train comes We could often see
walls of green Ice from the train. Tho
glaciers reached the clouds that dark.
rainy day. There was a dense forest
between US and Thorn. The ice seemed
to be looked at US over the trees.
We rode by several fox farms. COM
posed OF cages OF wire netting. with
red and black foxes within; and further
on at one side we snw the graves OF
some miners who tried in vain to get
through by this way to tho Klondike
in tho gold rush OF 1898.
Some parts OF tho fats arc hooded
by the ocean at high tide. There are
many bridges. At Mile l6 the bridges
seem to go from island TO island. We
are crossing tho mouths OF tho stream
AS we left Round Island we passed
through snowsheds on tho flats. 1t Is
an unusual thing to build snowsheds
on the level. A little further on we
| crossed Long Island. and at Mile "a
| came to tho Hot Cake Channel Bridge.
IT Is so called because party Of en-
gineers were shut UP here during the
railway construction and for weeks
had nothing TO eat but hot cakes They
called the place Hot Cake Channel.
! and SO 1t is known to this day.
RUNS BETWEEN MILES
AND CHILD GLACIERS
| The road goes over fats like these
MI the way to tho foot OF tho noun
| tains. 1t winds about through the
delta. crossing tho channels. The enEi-
neers had to wade through the mud to
lay out the route. and 1t was hard
to find solid roadbed. AT Mile %
we We're only thirty-two miles from
the Bering River coal field, and TWEEN
ty miles further on came to the mar
row passage through which the road
runs between the Miles and Childs
Glaciers. Here the road crosses the
Miles Glacier Bridge. which cost more
than Sl.5oo,0oo to build, and then goes
| on Its way up the mountains.
Think of riding on railroad for
two hours or more with glaciers in
sight almost all the way. Tho Con
per River Valley is great glacial
garden. Just east OF Eyak Lake is
Scott Glacier, which is a mile wide
|
seven miles from the track, but is OF
so little account that it Is seldom
placed OH the map. Sheridan Glacier
Is about fifteen miles from Cordova
and within two miles OF the railway
| This glacier rises in snow fields about
a mile above sea level and ends in
Il great bulb shaped tongue, which is
only four miles in length and three
miles in width. The terminus is a
mighty pear OF ice 100 feet above sea
level.
little east OF Sheridan Glacier is
Sherman Glacier, which flows south.
westward for length Of over seven
miles and not farm from the railway
! is Pickett Glacier. an ice tongue more
ihan four miles In length. And then
there are SaddlebaG Glacier, which is
south OF Pickett, and Goodwin Glacier
three miles in width where i, enters
the valley. The Mcpherson Glacier
which cnn also be seen from the rail.
road !s seven miles long. while Good
M