ot Valley; but none so vivid as the

7 | palest shell-pink.to deepest coral.

'

THE OMINECA, HERAL

D, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1925

— =

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—

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‘BY MRS. (REV. )

A.C. POUND |

BLOSSOM TIME IN WEST CHINA.

|mountain lillies, like our Haster
favorites, grow in profusion. |
It' was at this most enchanting
season of the year that we took
tour long-planned trip to the

‘Blossom - time!’’?. The very
name recalls many 2 spring scene
--the apple trees of Niagara, the
orange groves of Florida, and the
peach orchards of the Okanagan

month of February in West Chi-
na. Against a background of
green on the hillsides stands out
the dazzling white of the plum in
bloom, or the flowering-peach in
varying shades of rose—from

and oink.

In the.gardens. jonquils— which.
we call “‘Chinese sacred lillies”’
-~and rare orchids in weird sea-
green and red claim our admira-.
tion as well as the fragrant
Chinese primrose,
ental varieties of the rosacea
family, rather similar to our
‘‘flowering-almond”’ tree, ran in
cheerful tones ef. yellow, russet
It is a succession of
color and fragrance from Chinese
New Year’s to June, when the

‘And the -Ori-

“Three Great Forts’, . As the
distanee was about fifty ‘‘lee”’ (a
liis about one-third of an English
mile) from the Salt Wells, we
Jeft rather early in the morning.
‘We rode in sedan chairs, first,
through the narrow city streets,
with shops and houses huddled
closely together on .both sides.
But once out in the open country,
the road followed a stone-paved
trail through the fields of spicv
vellow rape and tall purple bean
with its sweet-smelling honey-

CANADA’S NEW LINK WITH ALASKA

T is not many years since Alaska
was one of those countries
" whose geographical location was
indicated with a grandiloquent
sweep of the arm northwards, It
+ has always been a land of mystery,
romance and adventure, ft has
provided the theme for the thrill-
ing tales of novelists and the stir-
ring poems of northern bards. But
even though the days.of the chech-
ako and the sourdough is done, the
brief but active span of the Dan-
gerous Dean Magrews and the Lady
Low's, matters of historical refer-
ence, the lure of Alaska has not
waned, but is as appealing as ever
to the hearts of men and women
wherein a bit of romance lurks,
and that means to everyone.
Alaska is no longer a far_ off
country. It is a very near neigh-
bor to Canada. It will be even
nearer this summer. Mr, d. E.
Dalrymple, Traffic Vice-President
of the Canadian National Rail-
ways, has announced that com-

mencing on June 22nd, the com-/

pany will inaugurate a weekly
steamship service between Prince
Rupert and Alaska and that the

oil-burning ‘steamships, |-“Prince}

George” and “Prince '. Rupert,”
which have already established a
reputation as. being. “among the
best-appointed vessels on the Paci-
fic Coast, will be .engaged in this
new service, , oe
Going northward the ships ‘will
‘yeaclhs “Prince ‘Rupert ‘at 10.8
Wednesday morning, following the
Monday of sailing from Vancouver,
and tourists will be.given an op-
portunity to see something of this
‘new ‘Pacific port; as ‘the ‘steamer

0 -on’

Some of the scenes along this
magnificent sea voyage are
shown in the photographs:

(1) A view of Skagway.
Alaska, where visitors will be
given ample time to see this
famous town and also to visit
White Horse and the Atlin Lake
district.

(2) A beautiful sunset scene
am the Lynn Canal, which the
steamships Prince Rupert and
Prince George will thread on
their journey into the Land of
the Midnight Sun. —

(3)- The: Taku Glacier, one
mile wide and ninety miles long
ane of the largest and most

{4) sThe Prince Rupert,
which, with the Prince Georgs,.
will be used in. the Vancouver-
Prince Rupert-Alaska service
this summer, These boats are
oil-burners ond are among the
finest appointed vessels in the
Pacific Const service.

Inset ig one of the curious
totem poles to be found in the
business. section of Wrangell,
Alaska... . oo

does not continue on its northern
trip until four o'clock that after-
noon, After passing Old and New
Metlaktla and Port Simpson, an old
Hudson's Bay Post, calls will be
made at. Ketchikan, a typical Alas-
kan town built at the foot of the
mountains, Proceeding from that
point the steamships will touch at
Wrangell, beautifully situated near

‘the mouth of the Stikine River ‘and

| beautiful glaciers in the world. |

possessing many associations with
the period when Alaska was a
Russian possession. The next
point touched will be Juneau, the
capital of Alaska, and a modern
city with good motor roads and
many points of interest, including
the Mendenhall Glacier and mines
which have made this country fam-
ous. On the way from Wrangell to
Juneau there will be an opportun-
ity to see the grandeur of Taku
Inlet and the famons Taku Glacicr,
over a Mile wide and 90 miles long.

The ships will arrive at Skagway
at seven o'clock Friday morning
and will remain there until seven
o'clock Saturday night, thus giving
ample opportunity to passengers
to see this famous town and to

| visit White Hors¢ and the Atlin

Lake District, On the south-bound
journey the steamers will reach
Vancouver at nine‘o’clock Wednes-
day morning, making a complete

| ten-day round trip,

In addition to the Alaskan trip,
the tri-weekly scrvice between
Vancouver and Prince Rupert will
be maintained and alse a semi-
weekly service to Anyox and Stew-
art on the Portland Canal, which
service has been in effect for some
time past. The establishment by
the Canadian National Railways
of this Alaska steam-boat service
will meet the demands of many
tonrists, and willbe 9 fitting cli- :
max tothe famous Triangle Four,
comprising Jasper National Park, . |
the Rockies, the Coast Range and
the water . voyage; through the *:
“Norway of. America.” -

laden. blooms. The saucy mag-
pies in brilliant black and white
with metallic lustre on wings and
tail, chattered from the tallest
tree-tops,.and sweet- voiced brown
thrushes sang from the distant
shrubbery—whence always like
atiar-of-roses wafted the aroma
of Chee-lee-hsiung. a tree aslarge
as our lilac, with tiny, single
rose, which, as the name implies,
is fragrant enough to he detected
for several miles,

About 10 o'clock we stopped at
a amall village called ‘“Two High
Hills’, where Mr. H—— had a
short interview with the school-
master. Soon after vassing Liang
Goo Shan we noticed a small,
white-roofed tower, perhaps fit-
teen or twenty feet high.

“Ts that the Fort?” I inquired
of my coolie, who failed to see
the point of the joke, and assur-
ed me that we had still several
miles to travel. This tower was
one of many built to aid the far-
mers to look out for robber bands
which infest that region.

Five miles farther on we round-
ed a bend in the road, and there
came into yiew the hill on which
was situated the ‘‘Three Great
Forts’. It wasa large eminence
rising somewhat abruptly on one
side from the surrounding coun-
try; on the other side was a sheer
precipice several hundred feet
deep, the flank of the long hill
facing us was also difficult of
access —it seemed fitted bv nature
as the site of a fortress. The
wall, like that around Trov, as
we have it pictured, surrounded
a city of some five thousand in-

the scions of a wealthy family of

galt-merchants, named Lee, and

their dependents.

As we approached the Forts
the ascent ‘became soa steep that
the horizontal poles of my sedan
chair seamed almost perpendicu-
lary. At the gate were many
armed soldiers standing guard.
Mr, H—— rode ahead, then Mrs.
H——, and as my chair passed
through the archway I had a

knowing that we were the first
‘foreign’? ladies to enter that
fort!

Inside the gate were low. one-
storey houses and shops, as in an
ordinary Chinese town, The
narrow streets, however, soon
widened into roads through mea-
dows and rice fields, and we
found ourselves nearing the es-
tates of the Lee family. The
“‘lards of the manor’’ live in

es, built in western style with
broad verandahs. Spacious gar-

completed the landscape garden-
ing, and each compound was sur-
rounded by a wall. We rode
through a gateway into one of
these compounds, and up ahigh
flizht of stone steps, on each
side-of which was a row of potted
Chinese primroses, like.a bright-
colored streamer flung from the
top. The chair-bearers almost

the chairs with a flourish,. before

the door .of one these European

‘hostels.’’? It was the home of
the younger Mr Lees. |.

The Herald is $2.00° year. we

habitants, most of -whom were

peculiar sense of strangeness in|

three- or four-storey brick hous-|.-

dens, orchards and lotus ponds|

ran up this stairway and let down

Hotel |
Prince Rupert

A ReaAL Good HOTEL

a

Prinee Rupert
Ba

H. B. Rocuesrer, Manager

Rates 1.50 per day up.

t
-

The Bulkley Hotel

EB. E. Orchard, Owner

European or American Plan

The headquarters for the Bulkley
Valley, Tourists and Commercial men
find this a grand hotel to stop af,

All trains met, Autos, livery or rigs
saddle horses provided.

Smithers. B.C.

tm

yan ms FE

Omineca Hotel

Cc. W. Dawson Manager

Best attention to tourists and to
commercial men.

Dining room in eonnection

Rates reasonable. Patronage is
f solicited

Hazelton B, C.

FE er rd ed Fe

+? he

SHACKLETON
Hotel

USK, B.C.

New, clean and comfartabla
First-class Dining Room in connection

Rates ARE ATTRACTIVD

THOS. SHACKLETON - Prop.

t
!

gh Se OT LS EE ee Pd as TE

i
{ Special attention to travellers

arriving or departing on
night trains

——
‘Grandview Hotel
7 South Hazelton, B.C.

H, CARVATH - PROP.

Dining Room
and Sample Rooms in connection

FE terrier mame

‘Hay aa Oats
 ALWAYSON HAND
LARGE or SMALL QUANTITIES

cit

BOYER & CARR .

y Transfer Co,

SMITHERS, Bic,

ren

B.C, UNDERTAKERS”.

‘ EMDALHING FOR BMLPMENT A SPECIALTY.

cate

* pO, Box MB

Tony now Beas

i Og. A ite
, PRINCE RUPERT, 5.0. will bring ua