New-York daily tribune., 1858-07-12
THE SCENERY OF YOSEMITE VALLEY.

fr0in OuT Own CorfesponGenL
YOSEMITE VALLEY, May IL, 1885,
write to you from the famed Yosemite, the great
Californian dell of mstchless cliffs and cascades, where
there are Of grandeur and beauty than can
he found within all equal space in any other part of
the world. Here within radius of five miles are five
cascades one of which is 1000 feet high another $40
feet aro,her 200 feet another 6O0 and another of 35O
surrounded by precipices varying from 1000 to 4,5OO
feet and sending their waters to meander through
lovely vale, ornamerted by beautiful trees and brilliant
verdure.
The valley ia a cleft in the Sierre Nevada, watered
by the main fork Of the Mesced River which above
and below makes its way through the mountains IN
deep and dark gorges and scarcely gets glimpse OF
sunlight at all except where il mesnders through the
Yosemite meadow The valley is 10 miles long, and
nearly three miles wide in toe middle, from winch II
decreases in width each way. 1t is bounded on al
sdes by walls Of yeOwsh granite from 1000 TO 4OO0
feet high, in places perpendicular, and every
where precipous Indeed, it is only at the ends of
the valley thst il s possible for man t9 get in or out
Of it, and even there the entrance and exit by
means easy.
The main course Of the valley is nearly ess. and
west. We entered at the western end, descending
$500 feet by steep path from the mountain ridge into
the dell The scenery from the moment we reached
the ridge overlooking the valley, was the most nsgn
fcent had ever beheld and views Of equal mag.
nfcence presented themselves every few minutes as
we went forward. At first found the ground rather
broken, but soon we came to besutifal level sward,
covered with luxursnt growth of grass, mixed with
ferns and bespspsled with flowers, and shsden by
scattered oaks pines, willows laurels, dogwoods end
NAM zahitas. Before descending into the valley We
saw 8, distance of several miles creek falling per-
IerdCusrly $40 feet over the southern wall ofthe val
ley This al oaled the Cascade of the Rsnsow, from
the beautiful colors which slways adorn the mist float
Ing about il, appears ike q email white streak On the
side Of the gres; cf but is really 20 feet wide snd
very imposing when we get near TO il.
Nearly opposite, on the north side OF the valley
and shout three.quarters of mils distant, bu. sp
psrently much nesrer when you look up at it. is the
Captain Tor Cspsip), rock which projects into the
valley with anght angle and rises up psrpenGculsrly
fIom tho level green sward 8. .090 feet We continue
our courte snt soon come opposite to another high
peak on the same eide Of the valley, known as the
Signal RsCk, ses feet high -Four miles above the
Rainbow Cascade We come TO the falls of the Yose-
mite where the stream Of thst uame, about 50 feet
wide, lesps down 2O63 feet in three falls. OF which
the first Is 800 feet the 80 aud the third $50
About 800 feet from the top of the upper fall there is
protecting leo 20 or which the stream break. woen
the water is low, but now that the current is swf
with the melted snow, the grea. body OF the wster
leaps ciesr of the ledge, and pitches sheer down into
the bel. Of rocks below. The Yosemite fall sometimes
called BY the Irdsn name Of "Ths Fall Of Cholook,