Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The news-herald. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1909-1911 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1909)
1 f A- , F "Seward's Folly" wero jiitlilidl in PD other way than by tti" purchase of this territory as u pre a serve of scenic grandeur, our far-sighted secretary of state would be wholly exonerated. After a visit to southeastern Alas la one author of note has written: "Combine all that is beet in the beau ties of the Hudson and the Rhine, of Lakes Ceorgo and Killarney. of the ."Yosemito aud all of Switzerland, and you have a slight conception of the beauties of this green archipelago." aiuch of all this grandeur is to be found in Alaska's mountains. Because of the comparative inac cessibility, except at great cost and much expenditure of time, the moun tain districts have been visited by only a favored few. Hut the ac- counts and descriptions of these, for Filled by photographs of the regions! are such as to awaken a keen desire! In all lovers of nature to see them for themselves. The steamers running to Juneau j. (J and Skagway traverse a course which V X Is yearly pronounced by hundreds: who take this trip as the most scenic ( upon the globe. For a thousand miles the steamer winds Its way through tortuous and narrow passages, the waters of which are as smooth as a mill pond, while snow-capped peaks, ice fields, waterfalls and green slopes pass in panoramic view before the eye. The Coast Range of Dritlsh Co lumbia nnd southeastern Alaska Is an Irregular mass of mountains with no definite crest line. These moun tains may be considered a general northern extension of the highlands which parallel the Pacific seaboard of the United States. Along the entire coast from Seattle to Skagway the sculpturing and general physiograhplc features of these moun tains are such as to make them of particular Interest. The broad, smooth-sided, ice-carved valleys, which subsequently were filled with water, duo to the sinking of tho entire region, make a very Irregular coast-line, marked by numberless fiords, mauy of which extend far Inland. An archipelago of numberless Islands, the relief of which is nearly equal to that of the mainland, fringes this entire const line. The passages between these Islands aro deep, each being remarkably uniform throughout Its en tire length. The mountains of both the Islands and mainland rise, bold and precipi tous, from the water's edge to heights of from 5,000 to 10,000 feet. Many of the side valleys exhibit to a marked degree that physiographic characteris tic of glacial sculpturing the hanging valley. Often Is seen, some hundreds of feet above tidewater, the broad, symmetrically carved, U-shaped shelf, which, colored by the ever greens, makes a wonderful frame about the picture formed In the background by the cold, gray mountains, with their snow-capped peaks, and in the foreground the stream fed by the melting snow and glaciers of the mnln range, plunging, roaring, often cascading down tho precipitous face of the mountains for hundreds of feet. As the steamer glides past the entrance of a fiord one catches a glimpse of a group of white buildings nestled at tho" base of the mountains, where tho sparkling, mirror-like waters of the Inlet meet the precipitous evergreen slopes. An exclamation of amaze- ment at tho beauty of the picture Is well nigh Irrepressible. These buildings are simply one group of which there are scores nlong the southern coast, making one of the greatest of Alaska's Industries, the canning of salmon. There are approximately 200,000,000 cans f talmon sent from Alaska each season. Route Through the Mountains. 6kagway, at the head of salt water uavlga- it", j2, JJr!J.t?t- "',... castle iiWI iLSXX Mi SMDRS PSAK-ffUGGED AMGULAR AHD Hon of southeastern Alaska, Is the southern terminus of the White Pass & Yukon rail road, which is the connecting link between the Pacific ocean and the Yukon river, the great artery of central Alaska. This railroad is one of the Interesting engineering accom plishments of the age. Starting at tidewater, it follows the valley bottom of the Skagway river for about three miles, and then gradu ally climbs the precipitous sides, winding In and out of tho smaller side valleys and can yons, frequently crossing them, until 13 miles in a direct line from the starting point it crosses the Coast Range at the White Tass, 2,888 feet above the sea. On the northern side the range slopes gently to the great In terior plateau, thus making the grade of the road from the pass to Whltehorse, the north ern terminus, very slight, the elevation of the latter place being 2,084 feet. A trip to the westward from Skagway may take one either by Sitka or through Icy strait and Cross sound. If the former is taken, an opportunity Is given for viewing Mount Kdgecnmbe, tho only recognized volcnno in southeastern Alaska. Situated as It Is, Just off the coast, Its dome-shaped summit covered with snow, It adds much to the beauty of the surroundings of Sitka, which is one of the most picturesque spots on the globe. If the more frequented route through Cross sound is taken, the progress of the steamer will undoubtedly be greatly hampered by winding its way through the waters thickly strewn with floating cakes of ice. These Ice bergs are supplied by the large glaciers in tho vicinity; the Johns Hopkins, Mulr and Brady glaciers and many others, each being largo ice-sheets covering hundreds of squnre miles, discharge into (Jlacier bay, which opens to the sound. St. Ellas Mountains. From Cross sound westward the mountains Increase in height and grandeur. The Fair weather mountains rise abruptly from the ocean to heights of over 15,000 feet, while farther to the westward the range increases in elevation until, at Mouut St. Ellas and a . it nounrfliti i, Mount Logan, altitudes of IS, coo feet and l'J.i'OO feet, respectively, are touched. Mount St. Kllas, howev er, tins figured in Alaskan exploration from the ear liest accounts. In fact, it Is the first point of the ter ritory which was sighted by llerlng in 1741. lie dis covered It on St. Kilns' day and accordingly gave it the name. Singularly, It Is a cornerstone of the Interna tional boundary, since It lies practically In longitude 141 degrees and Is on the crest of the range. Hero the boundary, which fol lows the one hundred and forty-first meridian, bends abruptly to the east, fol- 1 X-.TJ. i . .u lowing the crest of then mountains. St. Ellas, while not the ; highest In the group, has - become the most widely known because of the numerous attempts to climb it. I. C. Russell, of the United States ge ological survey, mado two attempts to reach the top. One of the ex peditions of which he was the leader was financed by tho National Geographic society. Ilia narrative of one of these expeditions was printed FORblDA&Ll in the National (!co grnphlc Magazine In May, 1891. Tho harrowing experience is related of two days alone on tho snow-clad sides of the mountain at an elevation of 14,000 feet, while a fierce blizzard raged nnd many feet of nwe snow were added to the old. Russell wa unsuccessful in his attempts to reach the summit, but his suggestions as to the advisable route in an ascent gave such accurate nnd valuable information to those who followed that the Duke of Abruzzl, ac companied by guides, prollting by his advice, succeeded In reaching the summit in 18'J7. While but 18,000 feet in height, Mount St. Ellas, as well as McKlnley nnd many other Alaskan mountnins. presents dllliculties to the mountaineer not usually encountered. Unlike the majority of ditlicult peaks which have been conquered, where the first few thousand feet of altitude are traversed over roads or trails, the entire lS.ooo feet demand extreme exertion and present mnny obstacles to be overcome. The Journey throughout Its entire length being over glaciers, the unique problem of combining arctic exploration with mountain climbing is experienced. Glaciers and Snow Fields. The eastern part, especially the coastal slope of the St. Klias nnd Fairweather ranges, is the only portion of Alaska which bears out the popular belief that the territory is cov ered with ice and snow. Here in the high mountains, there are many Alpine glaciers and snow fields, but the Mnlasplnn glacier is the largest single ice field and, indeed, the most extensive on the North American continent. This great piedmont glacier spreads out over tho coastal plain, presenting a front of 85 miles to the sea nnd, including the novo fields which feed It, cover an area of 3,000 square miles. This Ice field Is most vividly described by Russell, who viewed it from the upper slopes of Mount St. Ellas, as "a vast, snow-covered region, limitless in expanse, through which hundreds and probably thousands of barren, angular peaks project. There was not a stream, not a lake, not a vestige of vegetation la sight. A more desolate or more utterly mount ORun-n ooo n high ilfeless land one never beheld." The view of this Ice field and the adja cent mountains as seen from the ocean Is superb In the extreme. This southern chain of tnountninn continues to the westward, where It Is known as the Chugach mountains, passing around the head of Prince William sound and terminating in thn Kt uai peninsula, where it. forms little more than highlands. Just north of I'rince William sound the range Is a mass of snow clad peaks. In the val leys of which are hundreds of stfuavo in lion of Ice, almost entirely unex plorel. Alaska'! Highest Volcanoes. About 130 miloH to tlm northwest of Mount St. Kilns are tho wonderfully Impressive peaks of the Wrnngell group, which owe their origin largely to vulcanism. There are many peaks in this group, but four, because of excessive altitude, grandeur or activity, demand special attention. Mount Sanford, the highest, reaches an elevation of 16,200 ftet, while lUackhurn Is a close second at 16,140 feet. Uoth of these, mountains are extinct volcanoes. Mount Wrnngell Is a great, Hat dome 14.000 feet high and about 23 miles in diameter at its base. It Is the only active volcano of Inland Alaska. Its summit Is snow-covered, but sur rounding the vent is a coating of ash renewed Intermittently by rolling clouds of smoke and vapor which are sent up from tho crater. Mount Drum, also a volcanic cone, but now deeply dissected, though but. 12.000 feet high is the most Impressive one of the group. Situ ntcd as it is, well out In tho Copper rivet MOUNT plain, with nothing to detract from Its grandeur, its Isolation commands the observer's undivided attention. Much of the Wrangell range Is covered ."vltn 'CB an(l perennial snow, forming long, lillKcr.nko AIplne K,aclcrs 0n tho north wegt and BOulh B,(log of lhe cr01p the mcltng Bnow and lce of the Rla. , f tributArlnn nf fhn fnnncr river. which flows southward through the Copper river basin nnd brenks through the Chugach mountains nt about longitude 143 degrees, for the most part in a narrow canyon. Though the Copper river in stretches Is very swift and dangerous, it serves as a route of approach to the Inland gold nnd copper fields. Tho can yons and rapids of the lower river, though serious obstacles to navigation, have not pre vented tho use of this route. The Advent of Railways. The onward march of civilization and de velopment, which has opened tip our western states so wonderfully, is steadily nt work In Alaska. Already the screech of the locomo tive has broken tho silence of the mountain fastnesses, stnrtling tho mountain gonts and sheep from their haunt3 among the Jagged spurs along the canyons. Tho Copper river railroad Is being steadily advanced against the most difficult of engineering obstacles. It fol lows the valley of tho river, crossing it twice to the present point of Its construction, and another crossing will be made. If the present ruto of progresss continues the road will soon reach the base of the Wrangell mountains and thus make it possible to develop the cop per deposits of that field. About 200 miles to the west of tho Copper river from Resur rection bay northward through a low pass In the Kenal mountains the Alaska Central rail road company has commenced to build a line to the coal fields of the Matanuska valley and Is contemplating an extension up the valley of the Susltna across a low pass in the Alaska range to Fairbanks, on the Tanana river, and the center of a large placer district. Tho Alaska range stretches from a little explored region In tho vicinity of Lake Clark, west of Cook Inlet, northward for 100 miles or more, then trends gradually eastward, increas ing In altitude until in Mount McKlnley It attains the remarkable height of 20,3oO foet. It is broken by gaps 2,400 feet and 3,000 feet above sea level. The eastern end of the r:iiif;e rises again until at Mount. Hayes an elevation of 13.800 feet is readied. Words fail to express one's impression of tho Alaska range when viewed under favor able circumstances. In Wo, while making a trip through the Talkeetna mountains, the writer had such nn opportunity as is rarely experienced. Ills view was from an elevation of about 2,300 feet on the foothills on the western slope of tho Talkeetna group. The day was perfect; not a cloud could bo seen in the heavens. Uelow lay the broad, level val ley of the Susitna river, beautifully carpeted In the deep green of the conlferae, whilo here and there a shining patch of light, outlining a lake, broke the monotony and through the center of it all the Susitna wound like a silver trail. ' ' ft.- JUDGE SEDGWICK A3 LAWYER AND JURIST. It is said of Judge Sedgwick, oso of th republican nominees for tho su premo bench, that, in his thirty-one years' praetUe In Nebraska, exclusive; )f hi service on the bench, he has been so successful In prosecuting cases ugalnst corporations that hU services have been sought in nearly every case of this kind that has been brought in York county. lie believes in compelling all per sons and corporations to obey the law. and thom more familiar with hi services on the bench unito in saylns that he Is entirely free from prejudlco or fear, nnd that his decisions aro not ffected by the personnel, either of tlm parties or the attorneys. He Is not afraid to decide a case upon Its merits, nnd for this reason he is popu lar as a Judge with the best lawyers In the state, and all who are familiar with the work of the courts. The decision of the Supremo Court, sustaining tho present railway com mission, was wrlttfli by Judgo Sedg wick, and his reasoning Is so clear nnd conclusive that It was accepted at once by tho bar of tho state, nnd tho Interested parties. It la to this deci sion that Nebrnska owes the exist 'iico of the railway commission and that tho public is enabled to exer clso control over common carriers and all public service corporations through the commission system. Case of Polo-Myelitis. Tecuniseh. There Is a case of pojrv myelitis In this vlclnty. (iladys Irvln, the Oyenr-old daughter of Mr. nnd Mrs. Porter Irvln, who lives west of Tecnniseh, Is tho sufferer. Dr. Wilson of Tawnee City, secretary of the stata board of health, says this Is the only case reported from Southeastern Ne braska. Protest Against Ferrer Execution. Lincoln. Circulars wero scattered about Lincoln announcing that a pro test meeting will be held at which protests will bo entered against the recent execution of Prof. Francisco Ferrer at Modelo, Spain. Good Yield of Wheat. Pannebrog The recent heavy frosts hnvo ripened tho corn, and husking will soon bo In full blast. Corn Is of good quality and will averngo some thing like forty bushels to the acre. The threshing season Is nearly over and farmers in general are rejoicing over the good yield of wheat, which has averaged about twenty-five bush els per acre. The ncrenge of wheat sown this fall will somewhat exceed thnt of last year. At the National Corn Show. Kansas, tho habitat of alfalfa and the "hogs' Idea of heaven" will show the results of some interesting ex periments with alfalfa, the plant which has not only given hogs the best feed they have, but hns at onco solved the problem of soil fertility and mainten ance. A Singing Candidate. Aurora. Political Interest Is now running hlfih In this county. Tho Wood brothers' qunrtct Is holding singing and speaking meetings In every part of the county. One of th brothera is running for office. Beaver City Corn Show. Beaver City. One of the most In teresting events occurlng in Furnaa county during the year was the boys' and girls' corn show and cooking con tests held at Heaver City October 20. Over 300 people were In attendance, and 125 entries wero made In the con tests. Quick Trip to Save Child's Life. Lyons. Ed. Rurdlck's 4-year-old child got hold of a bottle of strychnlna and swallowed a quantity of It. Dr. Keetel was at once called py phone and reached the place in his automo bile In Just thirty minutes a distance of eleven miles and saved tho child's life by the use of a stomach pump. This certainly shows the value of the telephone and the automobile to tho farmers. Beet Sugar Factory Starts Up. Grand Island. The factory of the Americnn Beet Sugar company of this city Is now In full swing on the 1909 crop of beets. The roots are testing about 15 per cent on tho average and a profitable campaign, though prob ably not quite as long as some have been, is expected. Applications are coining in more rapidly than In former years for contracts for the growing of beets next year, the result of the more favorable price of $5 per ton flat. Land Sales In Kansas. Washington Public land sales In Kansas aggregated 1163,229 during the last fiscal year and that state will receive $7,382 of thnt amount for educational purposes. The balance goes into the United States treasury to tho credit of tho fund for recla mation projects In Kansas. News and Notes. The Chilean government has decided upon naval expenditures to the amount of $20,000,000. The program Includes tho building of a Dread nought. Ismael Montes, the ex-president of riollvla, has accepted the post of min ister to Great Rrltain. Another of the nlleged fraudulent notes handled by John T. Lumbnrd, treasurer of the town of Framlngham, Mass. came to light. The general education board an nounced that It had mado a condition al appropriation of $123,000 to Ohio Wesleyan university at Delawaro, O. With an Imposing military cere mony the Royal Edward Institute, from which the fight against the white plague In Montreal will in future be conducted, was formally opened.