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About The illustrated west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1891-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1891)
254 bridge Port. A good broad trail, four feet wide, is now in course of con struction from a point norih of the city of Pasadena, which will reach Mount Wilson, by a very easy grade, in about nine and a half miles. In addition to this the construciion of a mountain railway to Mount Wilson at an early day, is also talked of. It may be two years, perl taps more, before this grand proposition is fully carried out, but the common belief is to the effect that that length of time will see the greatest telescope in the world on the summit of Mount Wilson. W. H. Storms. SPOKANK FALLS. Up to the glory of the summer heaven, Tliro' the deep en vis (he ice gnome's jxwer enthralls, Sounds, thro' alt dm and night and times unci seasons, The thundrous di,ixison of the falls. Drowning the clamorous din of man's endeavor Kuch white wave plunges swiftly, crest on crest. Mingling, in one wild song, the gathered fragments I'oured by the ages on the river's lireast, A turbulent muni licence of music, With sot ibing under well and tender trills, The tremor of the ocean's awful p.ission, The tinkling happiness of bloom -lipix'd rills. THE ILLUSTRATED WEST SIIORK. HENRY LAKE, IDAHO. IIKNKV I.AKK. IDAHO. 'I'lir ii)itin lainhtiT heard in mini' enchanted. The gruaiii that Iwrak the ore-veined mutintiiin'a hnirl, The haunting voice uf the unt.iintd fnrwl, The ruth uf the Imld nigle'i Umunl dirt; The .meet, thrill trrhlr uf the liul lark love Mintf, 'lire curlew 'i call, (he wrinl, km inunulone iM the I'hltiuok u'er plain and ciinvon &uitiii)g. The pine'i nufturrus and the uwlet'i moan; The hrick of lavage minlatiKhl mid the jingle llf k-lcta uilrift front emu tin hih. 'Hie ik-il.lliiij( crash of avalanche., The cougar', yell, the covotc't tnmirnful cry; The nuihk-n uirtMr uf vuk'anic age. .V.on iigone, the chum, uf the iiherev Anil the iimtcrkiuti, werrl dmitm uf nature, Still uninter(ireteil, the liM'ner hearn, 1. h.iiiy city, thrilling with the echoes (if the tlt I Thy proiihecie. elite Are Nnchurerl in the torrcnl'i .urging tilf ntkv, Whine fuamtli hilkmi drive the wheel, uf fate. KiiMiTTA l.i sr Si mis. II K (proudly, but bliishingly) Here is my latest poem. What do you think of it? I consider it my finest effort. Ills Fkiknii (trailing) lly Jove I Thry illustrated it beautifully, didn't theyr Situated high up in the main Rocky mountain divide in the eastern part of Idaho, just south of the boundary line between that state and Montana and a few miles west of the Yellowstone National Park, is .Henry lake, a, beautiful sheet of crystal water, having an area of about forty square miles. The contour of the late is oval, and the wooded banks bear a luxuriant growth of mountain grass. On a casual examination there appears to be no outlet to this lake, but closer observation discovers a small creek issuing from the southwestern side, which is the beginning of the north fork of that mighty artery of the northwe-t, Snake river. On Henry lake, sonctiines on the north side and sometimes to the southward, or wherever the brecies chance to bear it, is a curious floating island, which appears in the engraving on this page. It is about three hun dred feet in diameter and has for its bais a mat of roots, so dense as to sup port large trees ucd a heavy thicket of undergrowth. Decayed vegetation adds to the thickness of the mat and forms a mold several feet in thickness. On the edge of the floating forest, in summer time, may be seen a luxuriant growth of bluejoint grass, the roots of which form so compact a mass as to support the weight ol a horse. Any number of men have no difficulty in walking about on it. Farther back among the trees one might build a large house and make a garden and do whatever he pleases. He would be just as solid and safe as though there were not one hundred or two hundred feet of water underneath. There is a willow thicket near the center of the island, and scattered among these willows and contiguous to them are a number of aspens and dwarf pines. These catch the breeies which pass over the lake and act like sails on a boat and move the nearly two acres of land hither and thither over the forty square miles of water. This shows why one may one day see the island on one side and the next day on the other side of the lake. Henry lake is exceedingly pictur esque. Around it rise snow-capped peaks, among which are some of the highest of the continent's back-bone, partly covered with a verdure of forest and grass, and showing here and there formations of granite and unique basal tic columns. During the hunting season the waters swarm with wild fowl. There are beaver, too, and plenty of large game may be had in the adjoin ing mountains. In local marine circles all has been activity for three days, the rumor that Italy was preparing to dispatch a fleet to scour our waters and bombard our coast having incited our vessel owners to precautionary steps. A large num ber of merchantmen have been put upon a war footing and others are being overhauled and plated as fast as possible. At the admiralty office, in south Water street, it was stated yesterday that 300 schooners, twenty-eight propel ers, eighty-tive scows, 260 barges, 168 fishing smacks and 913 skiffs and wherries were already prepared to defend our waters and our coast against the Latin fleet. The Lmy rat ion, loaded with shingles, arrived from Saginaw last evening. Her captain, the dauntless Cyrus J. Moody, reports that when off Dead Horse point late night before last, the foretopsail watch descried a craft bearing down upon (he schooner. It was a long, low, rakish-looking craft. At once all hands were piped on deck and preparations were made for action. It was believed that the approaching vessel was an Italian gunboat, and the gallant crew of the Lmy Paxhm were determined to go to Davy Jones' locker rather than capitulate to the hated foreign foe. Presently, however, it was discovered that the forbidding stranger was the Bridgttort Btllt. the well known mudscow from South Chicago. The Lucy Paxton continued in her course and reached our port on schedule time. In latitude 19 deg. 43 min., longitude 53 deg. 14 min., yesterday morning the one-gun tin-plate cruiser Prairtt Warbler came upon what was at first supposed to be a torpedo set by the Mafia for the demolition of our merchant marine, lhe object proved, however, to be a dead horse, which had un doubteilly washed 1 by the combined violence of wind and wave from the Michigan coast. Chicago AVtcr.