float awayj to tfavel back and forth with wind and tide 
until they melt. As the watef melts them below faster 
than air and sun do above, they afe dangerous to ap- 
proach in a small boat, since one can never tell when 
Ihey will turn over and split in two. As thej' grow small 
first beneath the water there is often considerable over- 
hanging ice, which gives some indication of their age. 
The turning over of one of these bergs agitates the 
water, producing waves which may cause other bergs in 
the neighborhood to upset. 
While the party were near the Muir Glacier an im- 
mense mass fell from its face, representing perhaps one- 
quarter the width of the glacier — that is to say, it was a 
mass of ice half a mile wide and from 200 to 250 feet 
m height above the water. How thick it may have been 
no one can tell. When this fell the wave caused was 
tremendous, and obliged members of the party who were 
on the beach to run to higher ground to escape being 
washed away. As the mass fell it split into three great 
pieces, one of which floated off, the other two remaining 
grounded. One of these masses sprang back out of the 
water, nearly or quite to the height of the glacier. The 
roar of the fall was appalling. 
One day two of the party were close to the glacier 
in a canoe when a great mass of ice, coming apparently 
from under the glacier, shot up out of the water and 
raised a wave which nearly filled the canoe and ruined 
air their photographic plates. If they had not been ex- 
pert canoemen the two men would very likelj' have been 
upset and drowned, for in this ice cold water a man would 
not long survive. This mass of ice was so close to them 
that fragments of the berg fell all about them, and any 
one of these, if it had struck the canoe, would have 
wrecked it. The experience was one of great danger. 
From the midst of the Muir Glacier rises a huge 
nunatak or mountain of rock, a real island in the sea of 
ice. Many years ago, it is said, that only the point 
of this mountain was to be seen above the surface of the 
glacier, but now it is nearly 700 feet above the ice; in 
other words, the glacier was then 500 feet thicker than 
now, and its slope of course much more steep. 
At various points on this glacier are found curious 
cones of ice, each capped by a number of hard quartz 
pebbles, spherical, or nearly so, and so smooth that they 
sometimes seem polished. Such pebbles have been 
ground in a glacial pothole, the softer rocks which were 
with them being ground to powder and carried away by 
the water, so that only the harder ones remain. The 
surface of the glacier gradually melts until the bottom 
of the pothole in which these pebbles lie is even with 
the top. Then the pebbles protect the ice immediately 
under them from the direct rays of the sun, and prevent 
it from melting, and as the surrounding surface melts 
they remain on this unmelted ice, which now forms a 
conical projection above the surface of the glacier, the 
top of the projection being what was formerly the bottom 
of the hole. 
Not far below the Muir Glacier, and on its west side, 
a stream has cut its way through an enormous mass of 
morainal detritus, carrying away the gravel and revealing 
the still standing tree trunks of a long buried forest. At 
first thought it might be imagined that the sweeping down 
by the glacier of the enormous mass of coarse gravel 
would have uprooted or broken ofif and overthrown the 
trees of this ancient forest, and that when again revealed 
by the cutting away of the drift, all its trunks would 
have been found prostrate. The reverse of this is true, 
however. While there are many fallen trunks, most of 
them are still standing, though usually broken off at a 
height of from 10 to 25 feet above the present level of the 
stream valley. This, of course, shows that the forest was 
not in the direct path of the glacier, but was to one side, 
and that at first the encroachment of the morainal drift 
on the standing forest was very gradual, and the process 
of covering it up very slow. The gravel of the moraine 
was pushed over little by little into and upon the area cov- 
ered by the forest, the glacier acting as a plow acts, and 
pushing out of its way and off to one side the loose ma- 
terial, which at length covered up the forest. Until the 
gravel had been deposited to a very considerable thickness 
the moraine's advance was not so rapid as to overwhelm 
the standing trees. Instead of that, as it was deposited 
about them gradually it soon became an absolute protec- 
tion to the trunks, at least to the height to which they were 
wholly liovered. The details of the burial and subsequent 
uncovering of this forest will no doubt ultimately be told'.' 
by the geologists and botanists of the expedition. 
The day after leaving Sitka the ship followed the coast, 
at first about twenty miles distant, but later it ran in 
much closer, in order to look at a great glacier which 
comes down from the Fairweather range to meet the 
sea, and which on the coast survey chart is called La 
Perouse. 
This glacier has a front three miles wide. Its northern 
half seems white and new, and to be moving, while the 
southern half appears old, dirty from melting, and 
dead. Under the new ice for almost the whole width of 
the front, old dirty ice can be seen, and the impression is 
gained that a new and active glacier is flowing over one 
that is old and dead. On either side of the glacier's front 
the beach shows, and it is apparent that the ice here is 
moving over the more or less level ground, and not 
through a channel that it has cut out. 
In one of the lifeboats a party landed through the 
sUrf, which was rather high, though not really bad, and 
in doing so got pretty well soaked by surf breaking be- 
hind the boat. A small skiff that was being towed was 
tossed about by a combing breaker and pounded on the 
beach so hard that one of its sides was split. 
Ffi3m the moraine at the side of the glacier a portion 
oF ils surface could be seen, split in every conceivable 
direction, and broken up into a bristling mass of sharp 
piiihacles from 15 to 40 feet high, over which it would 
be impossible to pass. At one point at the side of the 
gllieier was a deep cavern under the ice, green and blue, 
and dripping from a thousand points so much water as 
to* feed a small stream that flowed from it. 
After an hour or two spent here, the party returned to 
the beach. It was determined that three men should go 
off in the skiff, to lighten the load of the ship's boat. 
The surf was passed without difficulty, but before the 
skiff had gone far it was seen that she leaked so that the 
men must return to the shore at once or sink. All had 
prepared for a swim by removing their boots, but the 
beadh vm I'eached before the boat s&nk, Jtist as all 
hknd's v.'i Yt about to spring out and run the boat up be^ 
yond ths! Waves, a breaker broke beneath the stern, lifted 
it high, f^M-uck the boat's nose into the sand, and un- 
ceremoniously dumped out the passengers. The large 
boat was then launched with no more serious disaster 
than shipping a few barrels of water, and the ship was 
reached again without trouble. G. B. G. 
Fred Mather. 
PouGHKEEPSiE, N. Y., Feb. 22. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have just received j'our issue of this week, and 
am pained beyond measure to learn of the death of my 
old friend Fred Mather,- and I now realize how far I 
can look back over my angling days. 
Some forty years ago I knew Thaddeus C, Norris very 
well, and spent many hours with him, and if I feel in 
the mood sonic time I think I will write a .short article 
stating how Fetcr H. Christie, Thaddeus C. Norris and 
I were interested in what I think was the first trout 
hatchery in this State, although Norris and I had no 
pecuniary interest. 
Christie hatched put the first frQUt ih a little corn- 
shaker, and the next year adopted more modern methods, 
but the small fry produced in that corn-shaker were 
hatched out a year in advance of the efforts made by 
Seth Green, 
Norris died years ago, and now Fred Mather is gone, 
and my old companions Fitch, Adams and Smedburgh, 
with whom I fished so often in the early sixties, are all 
dead, and the only persons living of those with whom I 
then fished are the Rev. Dr. Van Gieson, of this city, and 
Cornelius Van Brunt, of New York. 
J. S. Van Cleef. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
It was with stupefying surprise and the deepest sor- 
row that I read in Fouest and Stream of the death' of 
good, kind, jovial Major Mather. It is almost impos- 
sible to realize that the distressful news is true, and time 
only can bring a full realization. Heavy, indeed, is the 
loss of his entertaining and instructive contributions to 
the columns of Forest and Stream, and to the thousands 
who read them. But heavier, a thousandfold, is the per- 
sonal loss to those who have shot or fished with him, 
eaten at the same board with him, slept under the same 
roof with him, hstened to his witty story and heard his 
jolly laugh and song. 
1 have cruised, camped, hunted and fished with different 
kinds of men, and liked most of them; but, somehow, 
the ten days passed at Sachem's Head, Conn., on a 
ducking trip, in the company of Major Mather, in 
November, 1898, stand out pre-eminently the brightest of 
all camping or cruising days. And this can be directly 
attributed to the Major's happy disposition to make a 
joke of everything. If it rained, it was a joke. If the 
wind blew and kicked up a nasty sea, and the drifting 
decoys snarled together, that was a joke, too. When it 
was bitter cold and the proprietor of the Sachem's Head 
House said, "Gentlemen, I don't like to sec you go on 
those cold rocks to-day; there's pneumonia there," then 
the Major looked serious and told the man a funny story. 
Those were ten golden days of jollity— and days never to 
be forgotten. 
The reaper has gathered one of the salt of the earth — - 
the very choicest of the Forest and Stream circle. And 
with his sorely afflicted family, all who knew him mourn, 
for to know him was, indeed, to love him. 
William H. Avis. 
HIGHWOOD, Conn., Feb. 15. 
The Major's Last Move* 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Your last issue contained a notice of the sudden and 
unexpected death of your long-time correspondent. Major 
Fred s Math qr. ' • 
A letter from his wife dated Feb, 14 says: ''My be- 
loved husband died- at 3:15 this morning. Only ill a 
week t9-day. I will lay him in the vault in Duluth for the 
present. It was liis wish to be hurled here." 
A postal card from him dated Feb. 7 and received by 
'me Feb. 10, says: "Yours with P, to Q, Kt's 4 3 at 
hand, and I defy you with Bp, — K. — 3d. Expect to begin 
putting up ice to-morrow. Cold snap is over; winter 
here is better than summer; no hinsex to torment. Will 
write soon; Thanks for papers. Yours, F. M." 
We had been having a game of chess by mail all win- 
ter. I made the first move, and he the last. 
Tuesday night (Feb, 13) I wrote him a long letter, 
telling him of the death of a mutual friend, whose first 
name was Edmund, and who was very deaf. One early 
spring morning they were both at the railroad station 
when the train came in, and the engine gave a terrific 
shriek. Mr. Mather turned to some one near him and 
said: "Edmund says that is the first robin he has heard 
this spring." It was one of his ready jokes, and it soon 
was passed around. In allusion to this, I wrote him: 
"Edniimd will not hear the early spring robin, but let 
us hope that the birds of Paradise will make melody in 
his opened ears." 
My letter was posted Feb. 14, and on the same day 
he died I buried his friend Edmund. 
On the following day I heard of his death, and the 
next day received a letter frotn Mrs. Mather. He must 
have been taken ill the very day he wrote me, but the 
Avording of his postal shows no sign of approaching ill- 
ness. 
For twelve years we have been near neighbors, and he 
and his wife were my parishoners, I knew him very 
intimately, and in his serious mood better, perhaps, than 
almost any one else. 
He was a very earnest, honest and conscientious man. 
Had I been asked to name a man for a trust which re- 
quired absolute integrity, faithfulness and incornipti- 
bility, his name would have come to my lips involun- 
tarily. 
His playfulness, his quaint humor, his felicitous story- 
telling, are familiar to all his friends. 
Patience and courage and steadfastness were among 
his personal virtt^. _ _ 
•^^Ai^ 0, 101: 
As a wfiter, his style was uniqufe and fogcltiating. Hii^ 
"Men 1 Have Fished With" is a book that will live^ 
His contributions to practical fishculture are very vain* 
able, and in this department he had a .world-wide repu- 
tation. 
•'Bishops to kings 3d" will always be associated in my 
mind with the memory of my lamented friend. It was 
the "Major's last move" and white resigns. E. F, B 
The Boston Show. I 
Boston, Feb. 26. — ^The Sportsmen's Show i's a grand I 
success. The opening night brought out between 12,000 ' 
and 15,000 people, associate members and invited guests. 
There was scarce an inch of standing room, and the re- 
.served seats were all taken about as soon as they could be ' 
dealt out. The Four Hundred was there, in full dress, , 
and this has given the affair a start off that is being re- 
markably well followed. Everybody is pleased, and 
nothing but praise of the exhibition is heard. Visitors are 
surprised at what has been done in the way of an exhibit 
of fish, game birds and animals; putting every other at- 
tempt of the kind considerably in the shade. Saturday 
drew 16,000 people through the doors of the big Me- 
chanics' Building, and everybody seemed to be pleased] 
with everything except the crowd. To get reserved seats 
one had to form into line with the satisfaction of know-j 
ing that a hundred others were ahead of him. ; 
From a fish and game standpoint, the show is most ' 
remarkable, although amateur sports in the artificial lake [ 
are a great attraction to the multitude. The fisheries ex- 
hibit is certainly one of the best fetaures. Under the 
guidance of Richard O. Harding, it was bound to be a 
success, but in this attempt Mr, Harding has eclipsed his 
former best efforts. Twelve large tanks are provided and 1 
placed along the front side of the building, so that all 
of the front light shines through the inch-thick plate 
glass fronts, putting the fish in the best possible light. 
The tanks hold several tons of water each, which is kept 
constantly in motion, with two air pumps forcing air into 
the water in a manner that is proving a great success. , 
Not a fish has been lost so far, and Mr. Harding feels ! 
sure of no losses, till the deadly fungus, that always 
follows the bruises of transportation, gets in its work. 
The glass in front of each of the tanks is a dozen feet 
long, by three feet wide. The front of the tanks is rustic 
woodwork. The whole exhibit stretches nearly 150 feet 
along the front of the building. In the first tank are rain- j 
bow trout, brook trout ; yearlings, U. S. Fish Commis- 
sion. Second tank, Scotch trout, Atlantic salmon ; yearl- 1 
ings, U. S, Fish Cot-nmission. _ Third tank, steelhead trout ; i 
yearlings, U. S. Fish Commission, Fourth tank. Albino \ 
landlocked salmon ; two years old, U. S. Fish Commis- 
sion, these fish attracting a great deal of attention. Fifth j 
tank, landlocked salmon; two years old, U. S. Fish Com- 
mission. Si.xth tank, golden tench (gold fi.sh), green' 
tench; three years old, U. S. Fish Commission.' Seventh 
tank, large-mouth bass. U. S. Fish Commission; pickerel' 
and cusk, N. H. Fish Commission. The fresh-water cusk j 
are a great curiosity, and entirely new to most visitors. 1 
Eighth tank, rainbow trout, Dublin trout, N. H. Fish i 
Commision. Ninth tank, brook trout, from Diamond 
Pond, N. H., N. H. Fish Commission. These trout are | 
most welcome to those Avho have fished the Diamond 
Ponds. Tenth tank, Lock Leven trout, from Plymouth, 
N. H., hatcheries, N. H. Fish Commission. Eleventh 
tank, arudenlous or golden trout, and landlocked salmon, 1 
from Sunapee Lake, N. H,, N. H. Fish Commission. [ 
Twelfth tank, lake trout, from Newfound Lake, N. H., i 
N. H, Fish Commission. These fish are very large, up to ; 
16 and 18 pounds, doubtless the largest game fish ever 
show^n in captivity, yet they are apparently in the best 
condition. Generally, the fish shown are large, though 
there is a good display of eggs and hatching fixtures, with 
fish in all stages of growth, from the youngster just [ 
hatched, with the sack still attached, up to the monsters in ' 
tank twelve. 
The Maine Fisheries exhibit is a good one, but it does ; 
not attract the attention it would, were it in tanks next the ' 
light. It is a fish pond of good size, moss-bordered, in: 
the _ middle of the building. In it are some 200 trout of 
varied sizes, and very beautiful. Jtxst by the pond is a 
cage of five owls, from Merrymeeting Park, Brunswick, 
Me. Here are also two cages of mink, from the same 
park; curious little fellows, that excite considerable com- 
ment—most people exclaiming, "How . small they are ! ' 
How can they ever make mink capes from the skins of < 
such little fellows?" A cage of rnuskrats from the same 
park is worthy of mention. But the white crow, in a 1 
cage with a couple of his shiny black fellows, is a singu- 
lar feature of the exhibit. This crow is also from Merry- 
meeting Park. There is no question about the scarcity of 
white crows, as well as white blackbirds, but this one is 
plainly genuine albino. 
The show of waterfowl, all game birds, is a striking 
feature of the exhibition. Here in very copious wire cages 
are green wing teal (Europe), blue wing teal, Garganey 
teal (Europe), gray bull, toy duck (Europe), brant, mal- 
lards. Mandarin ducks (China), widgeon (Europe), 
Canada geese, poachard (Europe), redhead canvasback. 
widgeon, shovelers, Gadwall, sprig tail, black ducks, wood 
duck. The wood ducks, with their beautifiil plumage,: 
especially the drake, are the delight of every visitor. The 
noble black ducks are the center of attraction for sports- ' 
men. A pair of golden eagles seem to round out the bird 1 
exhibit and make it a beautiful natural history collection. ' 
First in the game animal exhibit, in the way of a 
decided curiosity, comes the little sable, claimed to be ^ 
the only one in captivity. His head closely resembles a ' 
miniature red fox, but his body is longer. Hunters tell 
us that the sables are fast disappearing from the back- 
woods of Maine, where they were formerly quite abun - i 
dant. Hence, they say that red squirrels are on the in- ■ 
crease, for the sable preys upon them. Then comes actual , 
live beaver, gnawing wood and smiting the water with ■ 
their powerful tails. Great logs of birch wood are shown, 
gnawed almost in twain, as the work of these industrious ' 
animals. The otter is a curiosity, but is inclined to 
keep much out of sight. A wildcat or two and a pair of 
Canada lynx, in contiguous cage*, settle the identity or 
