A Cruise in the Cassiar 



magnificent valley like Yosemite, in an imposing wall 

 of ice about two miles long, and from three to five 

 hundred feet high, forming a barrier across the valley 

 from wall to wall. It was to this glacier that the ships 

 of the Alaska Ice Company resorted for the ice they 

 carried to San Francisco and the Sandwich Islands, 

 and, I believe, also to China and Japan. To load, 

 they had only to sail up the fiord within a short dis- 

 tance of the front and drop anchor in the terminal 

 moraine. 



Another glacier, a few miles to the south of this one, 

 receives two large tributaries about equal in size, and 

 then flows down a forested valley to within a hundred 

 feet or so of sea-level. The third of this low-descend- 

 ing group is four or five miles farther south, and, 

 though less imposing than either of the two sketched 

 above, is still a truly noble object, even as imperfectly 

 seen from the channel, and would of itself be well 

 worth a visit to Alaska to any lowlander so unfortu- 

 nate as never to have seen a glacier. 



The boilers of our little steamer were not made for 

 sea water, but it was hoped that fresh water would be 

 found at available points along our course where 

 streams leap down the cliffs. In this particular we 

 failed, however, and were compelled to use salt water 

 an hour or two before reaching Cape Fanshawe, the 

 supply of fifty tons of fresh water brought from Wran- 

 gell having then given out. To make matters worse, 

 the captain and engineer were not in accord concern- 

 ing the working of the engines. The captain repeat- 

 edly called for more steam, which the engineer refused 



I 59 1 



