The west shore., July 01, 1885, Page 201, Image 7

THE WEST SHORE.
201
SPALLUMOHEEN RIVER, B. C.
QPALLUMCHEEN RIVER is one of the intorior
VJ fitroonu ol British Columbia, tiowing down from the
Gold Mountains in a general northwesterly oouraa a dis
tance of seventy miles, and discharging into Shuswap
Lake. For a large portion of its course it is navigable
for small steamers, and boats ply regularly between the
head of navigation and Kamloops, a distance of 125 miles,
following the river, the Shuswap lakes and Thompson
River. Below Kamloops the waters flow through Kanl
loops Lake, the main Thompson River, and finally, by
way of Fraser River, to the ocean. Spallumohoon Vallev
lies along the river and extends westward to the hoad of
Lake Okanagan, being some thirty miles in leugtli. This
is one of the largest and best agricultural districts in the
Province of British Columbia. Crops yield enormously
without irrigation, and natural grasses grow luxuriantly.
A little further west lie the valleys of Pleasant and Salmon
rivers, where the most extensive farming in the Provinoe
is carried on. A wagon road leads from Kamloops to
Spallumoheen, a distance of sixty-five miles. Lake Oka
nagan extends southward seventy-five miles, the Okana
gan River issuing from the lower end, and continuing in
general southerly direction through a series of small
lakes to its junction with the Columbia, in Washington
Territory, 175 miles from the head of Lake Okanagan.
With the exception of a fall of eight feet at one point,
there is no obstaole to steamer navigation the entire dis
tance. A canal from Lake Okanagan to Spallumoheen
River, whioh is one of the improvements ooutumplated
for the future, would opon the lake to the steamers ply
ing on Thompson and Spallumoheen rivers, and but for
the obstruction mentioned would give them open water to
the Columbia. Such a canal would be a direct union of
the waters of the Fraser and Columbia. It would open
to steamer trafflo the great Okanagan Valley, one of the
most important agricultural districts in British Columbia,
extending in a successive series along the lake and river
to iU junction with the Columbia, sixty miles south of
the international line. The construction of the Canadian
Pacifio will give easier access to this region for emigrants
in another year. The line runs along the southern side
of Shuswap Lake, where it will be tapped by the steam
ers plying np the Spallumcheen. The population in that
region is already quite considerable. Several stores, post
oflioes, schools and flouring mills are to be found there,
especially in Mission Valley, where the Catholics have
long maintained a mission, and beyond question hun
dreds of families will ere long be settled in this region,
which is in many respects one of the most desirable por
tions of British Columbia. The climate is singularly
sirreeable: not excessively oold in winter nor oppressively
warm in summer. The rainfall is ample to ensure abun
dant crops, without creating tliat continued moist atuios
ohere peculiar to the region lying along the ooast With
settlements and greater production will ootne better trans
portation facilities. The scenery is grand and inspiring,
a -. .a a
as is indicated by our engraving ol uiani s issue, ana
the sportsman it offers attractions unsurpassed.
THE ISLANDS OF PUOET SOUND. :
TO the early explorers Fugot Sound, with its multitude
of bays, inlets and islands, was a watery labyrinth.
Vanoouver, who first entered and named it in Ma, 1702,
spent two months in exploring it with the crews of two
vessels, his labors being much inoreaaod by the number
of false inlets created by the numerous islands. He waa
in particular search of a pawmgo inland, and it must have
been aggravating to I 1ml long distances by apparent
inlet which proved only to be narrow passageways be
tween two islands or between some large island and the
mainland. The islands of Pugot Sound vary from small
timber-crowned bluffs rising abruptly above the surface
of the water to tracts of land many square miles in area.
They are in special abundauce near the foot of the Sound
proper, opposite the Straits o? Fuoa, and extending
northward between Vanoouver Island and the mainland
of Washington Territory. Though originally christened
the " Qulf of Georgia," this island region is now spoken
of as a portion of Pugot Sound, a name applied by Vau
oouvor only to that arm of this great inland sea extending
southward from Admiralty Iulet Two counties Island
and San Juan have been created among these islands,
while many others belong to the counties of the adjaceut
mainland. The San Juan islauds were those which
threatened to precipitate hostilities between England and
the United States in 1873, Uie last rello of the long inter,
national boundary dispute. They consist of a group
yiug between Rosario Straits, claimed by England to be
the main passage, and the Canal de llaro, the passage
for which the Uuited States successfully oontoudod.
Lumbering and fishing, dairying, stock raising, and to
some extent general agriculture, are the leading indus
tries on the larger of those numerous islands. On some
of thorn, especially those among the San Juan group, are
vast beds of limestone, and there is produced the greater
portion of the lime used in the Northwest Our artist
has given a sketch of a group of small islands in this
region, whioh he has christened the " Island Sea," in the
background of which rise the white dome and lesser
peaks of Mount Baker. It is amid such scenes as this
the traveler on Pugot Sound finds himself continually
sailing, scenes from whioh he departs with regret, and
which long linger vividly in his memory.
i
In France and Spain ordinary brick-dust made from
hard-burued, finely pulverised bricks, and mixed with
oommon Hue, is universally used as a substitute for hy
draulic oeiueut It is in some respects even superior to
the best Rosendale hydraulic oemout for pulverU, drains,
tanks or cisterns, and even for roofing purposes. It is
regularly known in tliose oouutries as an article of ooin
meroe, and is sold in barrels by dealers at the same price
as oemeut A block of this substance one inch thick,
without sand, after immersion in water for four months,
bore, without crushing or splitting, a pressure of 1,500
pounds per square inch. The mixture of a small quau
tity of brick-dust to ordinary mortar will, it has been
said, prevent disintegration. , .,