Travels in Alaska 



tured by local residual glaciers. All have approxi- 

 mately the form of greatest strength with reference 

 to the overflow of an ice-sheet, excepting those men- 

 tioned above, which have been more or less eroded 

 by local residual glaciers. Every channel also has 

 the form of greatest strength with reference to ice- 

 action. Islands, as we have seen, are still being born 

 in Glacier Bay and elsewhere to the northward. 



I found many pleasant people aboard, but strangely 

 ignorant on the subject of earth-sculpture and land- 

 scape-making. Professor Niles, of the Boston In- 

 stitute of Technology, is aboard; also Mr. Russell and 

 Mr. Kerr of the Geological Survey, who are now on 

 their way to Mt. St. Elias, hoping to reach the sum- 

 mit; and a granddaughter of Peter Burnett, the first 

 governor of California. 



We arrived at Wrangell in the rain at 10.30 P.M. 

 There was a grand rush on shore to buy curiosities 

 and see totem poles. The shops were jammed and 

 mobbed, high prices paid for shabby stuff manufac- 

 tured expressly for tourist trade. Silver bracelets 

 hammered out of dollars and half dollars by Indian 

 smiths are the most popular articles, then baskets, 

 yellow cedar toy canoes, paddles, etc. Most people 

 who travel look only at what they are directed to 

 look at. Great is the power of the guidebook-maker, 

 however ignorant. I inquired for my old friends 

 Tyeen and Shakes, who were both absent. 



June 20. We left Wrangell early this morning and 

 passed through the Wrangell Narrows at high tide. 



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