The Wrangell sentinel., 1928-02-16

kline river. I found it studded with
innumerable islands. plenty of cot
tonwood balm Of Gilead) and
around the banks much alder, aspen
and willow.
On the banks We're trees of the Sit
Ia pine. black spruce, hemloek and
some red cedar. Near junction of
Alaska and B. c. boundary we saw a
dereliet York boat. and headed for
shore. thinking a trapper had met
with an accident. We found the boat
was a B. c. government gasoline
launch. and put "a prize crew of one
aboard. It had been abandoned on ac-
count of the breaking of the engine.
Aboard the craft vas a considerable
supply for the Canadian border Gus
toms and a small yawl We towed the
boat to the boundary and handed her
over to the boundary official
On we went. passing Kate Nee
dies" a unique double pinnaeIed
mountain, then through a tortuous
channel. making a double bow-knot
twice inside of half an hour We had
to travel six and one-eighth miles to
make what would amount to one
mile in a straight line.
The river at the boundary turned
from east to north. water flowing
swift and muddy. with many snags
and floating trees. the flow of the
stream being about eight miles per
hour
We soon reached the mouth of the
Iskut river, a fine stream up which
many hunters go for grizzlies. moose
and big horn.
Captain Darlington showed me
clipping from an old Olympia
CWashD Journal, dated 1856, with
an item about his father I read as
follows
Captain E. Darlington wish
es to say that his sloop, the
Eclipse, will sail for the North
at the full of each moon. We do
not depend on sails alone, as we
have oars on this boat"
The hardy pioneers of the early
days went in anything that could
float Our trusty boat. with its 100
h.p. engine, plowed swiftly through
the current. throwing up a spray on
our bow. 1t was 10 o'clock at night
and We were rushing up the river in
broad daylight, the slanting rays of
sun sparkling and glistening on the
distant glaciers
The stikine was flowing in a
brownish-yellow hue. the color of
the water caused from the mud. The
captain said the flow of water was
the highest ever known.
stayed up the greater part of the
night (Which should really be called
part of the daylight, viewing in
Vulnerable glaciers. It was won
drous sight. Pity that more tourists
do not go up the Stikine and see that
beautiful country.
My greatest sensation was when
we reached the Great Glacier, one of
the worlds greatest living rivers
of ice,-a solid three mile front of an
ice wall. I had only been asleep about
two hours when we arrived at the
Great Glacier. but I tumbled out of
my bunk in quick order SO as not to
miss anything of the scene that early
explorers rayed over. 1t is a glorious
sight, and some day that country
will be mecca for sightseeing tour
lists from all over the world. It is
one of the largest and most magnifi-
cent glaciers in the world.
should not forget "our crew."
My host, Sid Darlington, beside
being the first owner of a power boat
on the Yukon. was the first on the
Stikine to make regular trips In the
days of''Dan McGrew and the girl
named Lou. in those stormy Klon-
dixie days Captain Sid ran his craft
between Whitehorse, on the Upper
Yukon, to Dawson.
Our pilot was Dan" a very good
natured fellow. who had put in seven
years on the Stikine as pilot for
harrington. Before this he had been a
quarter of a century with the Hud-
sons Bay Company on their river
boats.
ben" Yamatoyo. Jap cook, kept
us living on nice leafs" that were
really delightful. The balance of the