The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-04-28

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cilities. 5s'.i
From the Louisville Journal.
The Yosemite valley in California.
BY HON. BALE PEYToN,a OF. TENNESSEE.
7.f,s= Extract from a Letter. -r.fGslls :
And speaking of travelling, 1 must
our delightful trip TO the sfar-famed
"Yosemite Valley" Our company
consisted of Judge Ozter, of the South
ern u. s.! Distric6 Court Judge IHagar,
| of the Fourth District Court; Lieuten-
ant Maynard, Mr.. Duer (my old Andes
the Goth of June, and reached San
Francisco, on our return, Mt half-past
eleven O'clock P. NJ, on the 4th of July.
| The day we left Stockton for Coulter
vile, IS miles, in the stage, was the hot
test day ever noted in California. AT
Don Pedro's Bar. at . O'Clock T. NJ, the
thermometer. stood in the shade ut 1l2,
AT aGoulterville,h = VIC took horses, n
guide, cook, provisions, ETC., camped
out the first night, and reached the val
| ley tile next day in time to witness the
gorgeous and sublime beauties of the
setting sun. This one view, before we
had seen the falls, was ample cOmpen-
sation for the journey. In fact, the
sca1eiof magnificence in which all the
rude features OF tho valley are cast-the
grouping together, in SO small n COM
pass, so much of the wild and sublime
with the beautiful and poeticnl in ma
ture, causes the falls to be almost for
gotten in the wonder inspired by their
Surroundings. The first object that
strikes the attention is (at distance of
ten miles) the fall called most appro-
priately the "Bridal Veil" clear leap
of 500 feet, of stream more than
double-the size of an OrdinarYsstream
| in O rWintry-stagessl This Is the most
preached as a mere 1OGteLJdU. The
stream in its descent is in the hands of
the wind, and is made to assume all
manner of graceful and coquettish mo-
tions-the eight hundred feet of veil
floating capriciously from side 70 side
from view the fairy sprite who, doubt
less inhabits the spot. On entering the
valley, your attention is drawn from
the "Bridal Veil' to "El Captain" n
smooth, solid block of granite ION the
left and nearly opposite the "Vei1")
four thousand -four hundred and fifty
feet in height, and from two TO three
miles in length. This is the most re-
markable stone for its sizeand uniform
surface, perpendicularly and Longitude
naIly, probably, in the world. 1t has n
huge human face pretty correctly
marked on its front, and is worshipped
by the Indians, who say the spirit of
great chief dwells within it. Hence its
name.
, These two, and the teBig Captain"
we saw to great advantage on the even
ing of our arrival. We 1erried the riv-
er 1.-THE main fork of the Merced) and
encamped about four miles above the
opposite the :" Yose mite Falls" beneath
some giant Spines, which are dwarfed
by the Immense peaks towering above.
There are two new hotels here, but we
preferred the clean pine forest, the pure
air and clear sky Chat of tally cannot
surpass it in beauty, J, surrounded as we
with'tfe "YoseiniteF Fail" of 1,50O feet
ut q single plunge in full, fair view,
across the valleyi
The following morning we were up
early, cooked and ate breakfast, and
were off to the "Yosemite Falls" and
TO thelake at the upper end of the val
ley. This fall is made by the Yosemite
river, and, although the highest by far
of any, is yetS to osIne, the least interest
ing of all. This is owing. to the fact
that it is impractic to approachithe
first great fall of 500 feet, SO Hs TO be
able 10 see it all the way down! Indeed,
there are three falls before the stream
reaches the valley; first, the great fall
of 1900, the second of 400 feet, and the
third of 800 feet. HiWe viewed the scene
from the foot of the last fall, and, be-
ing much under the clif, could scarce
ly see the second, dand had an imper-
feet view of the first, tall. In fact, the
imposing view. of the great JdU was at
night, from our camp, when its silyery
flood seemed to pour out of the blue
heavens, and its stremendousroarsh shook
the earth under us. AS for the lake, it
was scarcely worth seeing, and does
not deserve a,word of notice. Butthe
grand, the glorious, the indescri bable
ftYerpal-and Nevada sFallsn awaited
us the next day. These Falls, about
seven miles above the ssVeiI ,nand near
ly i've above the Yosemite" !" are made
by different and a much larger stream
than either of the others. A
Isaid the stre1m of the EsVeil'' was
double the size of an ordinary creek;
the Yosemite wi hen we saw 1t was much
larger, but being fed by -the melting
snow of the Sierra Nevada, 1T is some
times dry. The main fork of the Mer-I
ced supplies the "Eernal and Nevada
Falls,' With an abundant and never
failing stream, more than.double the
size of either of the others.
II Mtthe poets, and all the painters,
and all the sculptors who have ever
lived dwere congreated at the Vernal and
Nevada Falls, pthey, and eaehlof them,
would receive new and original inn
presstons of the sublime and beautiful
IN naturel Every inch OF the terrible
rapids for miles Is thrillingly interest
ing; and4this interest grows upon you
as you approach the fall, which is only
$50 feet, but which shows to peculiar
advantage amidst gigantic crags, i'm
measurable domes, and mountain
peaks! OF all spots upon earth this is
Puck must delight to revel- here after a
iaSfstf1ran TsJS- an the scoroF1inp iU1aiB6 of