THE WEST 8H0RE.
157
ton Territory, the southern part of the inland passage : " Wash
ington Territory possesses a great multitude of harbors, per
haps more than any other country of equal extent on the globe.
Puget sound, which has an average width of two miles, never
lees than one nor more than four, and a depth never less than
eight fathoms, runs one hundred miles inland in a southward
direction from the fctraits of Fuca, and Hood's canal, twelve
miles farther west, with half the width, runs in the same gen
eral direc tion about sixty miles. These two great estuaries, or
,rm8 of tide water, have depth sufficient for the largest vessels,
and numerous bends and corners, where the most jierfcct pro
tection may be found againt-t the winds." Captain Wilkes, in
thereiiortof hi famous exploring exediiion, writes of Puget
sound : " I venture nothing in saying there is no other coun
try in the world that possesses waters equal to these." The
Coast range and Cascade range of mountains are plainly visi
ble from the sound. Near the Columbia river, the Coast range
is not very high, but west of Hood's canal it rises, in abrupt,
be tling ridges, seven to nine thousand feet high, called the
Olympian mountains, many of the peaks Mng snow-crow ned
throughout the year. The Cascade range fairly bristles with
snow-dad peaks, from eight thousand to over fourteen thou
sand feet in height, and in every direction, almost, may be
seen the grandei-t Alpine scenery in the distance. The difficult
thing for the tourist to do in regard to Alaska, is to describe for
the general reader what is seen. Everything is on such an im
mense and massive scale, that' words are diminutives for ex
pression, rather than as travelers have been credited with us
ing them for exaggerated descriptions. For example, eople
cross the continent to gail for an hour or two among the Thou
sand Islands of the Kt. Lawrence, and word-painting has Ui-n
exhausted in exultation of their beauties. But here is a thou
sand miles of islands, ranging in size from an acre to the pro
portions of a state, covered with evergreen forces of tropical
luxuriance, yet bo arctic in character as to be new to the eye,
and in regard to which botanical nomenclature but confuses
and dissatisfies. And in all Ibis vast extent of mountain scen
ery, with summits ranging from one thousand to fifteen thou
sand feet in height, there is not enough level land visible to
aggregate one prairie county in Western Missouri or Kansas.
Day after day there is a continuous, unbroken chain of moun
tain scenery. I can not better impress the character of the
landscape, as seen from the vessel's deck, than to ask the read
er to imagine the parks, valleys, canyons, gorges and depres
sions of the Kocky mountains to be filled with water to the bam;
of the snowy range, and then take a sail through them from
anta Fe to the northern boundary of Montana. Just about
what could be seen on tuch an imaginary voyage, is actually
passed through in the sail now completed by our party of en
thusiastic tourists for the past ten days. You may divide the
scenery into parts by ttie days, and just as it was successively
passed through, and any one of the subdivisions will furnish
more grand combination of mountain and sea than can be wen
anywhere on the globe. It is this vast profusion of mountain
scenery, this daily and hourly unrolling of the panorama, that
overwhelms and confuses the observer. It i too great to bo
serrated into details, and everything is platted on such a gi
gantic scale that all former experiences are dwarfed, and the
imagination rejects the adjectives that have heretofore served
for other scenes. To employ them here is only to mislead. As
one gentleman, a veteran traveler, remarked to me, a we were
looking north at the entrance to Glacier bay, with the M. Mia
Alp in full view, and Mount Cnllon and Fairweather over
topping the snow-covered peaks of that remarkable raw i
" You can take just what we see here, and put it dow n on ha in
land, and it will hide all there Is of mountain scenery In Ku-
rope." Then he added : M I have Mn all over the world, but
you are now looking at a scene that has not its parallel else
where on the glol." I cite this Incident, as it Is more descrip
tive and gives a Mter idea of contrast than an) thing of my
own could do, giving, as It does, to the reader, a conception of
the vastness and immensity of the topographical asect of the
shores of these Inland m. Frederick Fciiwatka.
Over tiir Hwitciiiiack. The Northern Pacific train, upon
which I was journeying, reached H. Paul February Nth, six
hours tuto. The delay was caused by an dd-fashloned Ihikota
blizzard, which fell with relentless fury, soon after the train en
tered that Inhospitable territory. The mercury, while It did not
-
fall so low as uon former occasions, readied thirty-two de
grees Mow rcro; and the cold wind wbldi moaned ami wills
tied around the train, prevented the engine from " steaming "
rapidly, and of course, ddacd our prow. Utile snow wa
encountered until Minnesota maa reached. Here the whole
face of Nature wore a covering of white, to the depth of two
feet, and the fences were almost hidden. The railroad trade,
however, was kept clear, and had not the elements conspired
against us, we would have arrived at M. Paul on time. I wish,
here, to say a deservedly good word for the train service of the
Northern Pacific. The managers of this pular transconti
nental route seem to have selected their train men with a sj
cial view to their gentlemanly qualities, and I can heartily tes
tify to the many kind attentions lcstowed Uon the passenger
in their charge. leaving M. Paul, I went east over the " Hoy
al Houte," that splendid thoroughfare of travel Mwren Chi
cago and the West, and over which T. W. Tcalah Kq., baa
a fostering care as Its general pasenger and ticket agent. 1
shall ask the reader to go back with me to the Cascade division
of the Northern l'a iflc, and bother we will cross the Cas
cade mountains, over the switchback, and as we (Male the
dizzy heights, seated In a comfortable car, contemplate with
wonder the great jower of man to overcome Homing Iuimjm
bilities. Our train left Tacoma early on the morning of Febru
ary 10th, and taking Its course through the fertile hop field of
Puyallup valley, soon commenced the ascent of the mountains.
The engine pulled us along with labored groans, ending up
great clouds of smoke, which formed Into rolling, black rings,
small at first, but enlarging as they roe, until the circle broke,
and the valorized carlwn once more returned to Mother Farth.
The railroad crwae the mountains through what Is known as
the Mamjrdo pass, a ucccsdon of deep gorge and canyons,
down which course turbulent waters, forming Own and White
rivers, and several smaller streams. Two of thr-IU and
Hunday creeks-are small streamlet In summer, but at this
season, the melting snow In the mountains has filial their
banks with dear, sparkling water, whldi rolls and tumble
over the rwka and preclphe In It ear Uu'elu read, the
sea. The road fallows up White river for several mile, crowd
ing and rwoaaln It many times, until (ireen river U read.ed;
It then takes the course of this river, rven miles west of
Own river station, tU road enters Fagle rg. a narrow de
file through which the river ha forced a channel for Itself. A
roadway of sufficient width to a commodate the imk ha been
cut In the side of the precipitous bluff, over which, In a zlg-iag
manner, the train speed along; not my rapidly, however, a
the turves are many and the grade I steep, Mug from one to
to hundred feet to the mile. A dense fret of fir and pine
covers the side of the mountain, some of tU tree atUifclng
a height of three hundred feet, tMr bran U piercing the low
ering cloud which hang ui,n tle mountain Nf