San Andreas independent., 1858-08-21

It is delightful, at this season of the year, to
leave the heated precincts of the low hills,
and invigorate ones system by few days
recreation in the mountains. With this agree
able idea predominant in our mind, a week
ago, we languidly laid down our editorial pen,
and sans purse, scrip, horse, bed or baggage,
with our face turned steadfastly eastward, we
hied away toward the Falls of the San An
tonic, and the grand old forest of pine that
darken the hills and chasms around Table
Mountain.
An easy half-day's walk brought US to Cave
City, situated on the north side of O'Neilrs
Creek, in gulch euphoneously named McKin-
ney's Humbug, on line of the Table Mountain
Water Ditch, and in the heart of what was
once, perhaps, the most wealthy mining dis
trict in middle Calaveras. Here we visited
the celebrated Cave, erewhile so famous in
the political annals of this county-it was
once sanctum sanctorum of party-lit up
with numberless dark-lanterns, and echoing
throughout its gloomy chambers the epheme-
raj triumphs of ki-yi-ism. Alas, show are
the mighty fallen |" As we entered the dark
ling gateway of the old "Council" chamber,
the only sound that disturbed the silence, was
the hasty fight of a bat the only lights that
now illuminate its dreary depths, are the
sparkling stalactites pendant from the roof;
and of the many devoted patriots who, few
years ago graced these ribbed halls with
feryid eloquence and trite maxim, how few,
thought we, now condescended to favor the
old capitol with an honest thought or an open
recognition $50 pass the glories OF the
world" We left the "Cave" with mind
brim full Of food for reflection, and took our
San Antonio.
Crossing ONeill's Greek, and laboring up
hill-which for difficulty of ascent, might well
be compared, on hot summer day, TO that
which led Virgil and Dante from the internal
regions into purgatory-we at length found
ourself wearied and exhausted on the sum-
NIT of the San Antonio ridge, far above the
old camp of San Antonio.
From this ridge, the most varied and pleas
ing view is presented to the eye. To the
southwark, about four or five miles, rise the
perpendicular cliffs that form the western
escarpment of Table Mountain. The country
intervening, seems the work of nature in one
of her widest moods: yawning chasm and
towering cliff, overhangng precipice, and
mountains rent into fragments-all covered
with majestic pines-with here and there
little valley, so small, so prim and cozy, that
it seems just made to furnish pleasant relief
to the rudeness of the surrounding scenery
Towards the west, the most conspicuous OBJ
ject is Bear Mountain, resting with its one
flank on the Calaveras, its other on the Stock
ton plains, its sides rising in the most regular
slope, ornamented with oak and pine; and,
lowering over its summit, huge banks of gol-
den-tinted clouds. There is quite stir in
mining operations below Hope Hill, Railroad
| Hill, Bunty's Gulch and several excellent
claims on the river (the San Antonio), give
constant employment to from one to two
hundred persons. An unusual number of
families have taken up their abode in this
pleasant and salubrious region.
A few miles to the eastward we struck the
trout-waters of the San Antonio. The river,
here runs through deep, rocky channel. Its
waters are cold as ice; the banks, shaded
with alder, water-birch, fir, willow and witch
hazel afford many delightful nook and eddy
for the trout-fsher. A handful of bread
crumbs, thrown into one of these places Gre
ates scramble" comparable to nothing hu-
man save the rush of Federal officers after the
fine crumbs from the treasury. These fnny
little elfs resemble your regular treasury
hummer" in one other particular: the young
and the very hungry will dart eagerly at a
mean bait, but your old experienced trout will
frequently turn his tail and reconnoiter the
dantiest fly or "hopper-grass" with much
circumspection before he ventures into the
trap; it is therefore mostly little fellows that
lengthen your string. We eknow no pleasanter
or more accessible point of resort for this
sport than the San Antonio, ten miles above
the camp of that name
The Falls are at Table Mountain. The
source of the river is some twenty miles east
of Table Mountain, among the lesser snow
banks that flank the western spurs of the
Sierra Nevadas. Brawling along through the
stately sugar-pines and over a bed of smooth
gray granite, but little of the crystal supply
which it brings from mountain spring and
snow-bank is carried off by evaporation or
absorption until it reaches the open country,
ten miles below the Falls. There can be but
few sublimer scenes in nature than these Falls
with their surroundings. Within the space of
mile the river is precipitated l4Oo feet. The
Great Fall" is 1870 feet, at an anglo not
over ten degrees from a perpendicular. Two
hundred yards below these, is another, so feet
high, with an angle OF 75o. At the point
where the river breaks through its mountain
barrier, the latter presents the appearance of
having been riven asunder by an earthquake
Huge, disjointed masses of dark basalt fbe-
side which the pyramids of Cairo would seem
insigni6cant) stand around in every direction.
Some of them must be thousand feet high