The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-09

suu uOundtnPs are SO vast, Niagara itself would
dwarf beside the rocks In this valley.
Yet Yosemite Is the lofliest waterfall in the
world. Think of cataract, or cascade of half
q mile with only single break! 1t is sixteen
times higher than Niagara. Twelve Bunker
Hill monuments standing uprighy one upon
another, would barely reach its summit. Ossa
upon Pelion becomes a tame and meaningless
comparison.
We did not climb to the Rapids aud foot Of
the Upper fall; that is difficult. hazardous, and
eXhausting. Nor did we go TO the extreme sum
nit: that requires q CiTCuitous ride of twenty
1--WE miles out of the valley. But we spent much
time at the base OF the Lower fall, shut in by
towering walls of dark granite. The basin
abounds in rocks-some as large as dwell
ing house-which have tumbled down from
the top. Spreading my blankets upon
one OF these almost under the fall, found it
smooth bed, though a little damp from spray;
and spent the night there to see the cataract In
the vary ing illumlnauous and shadows of sun.
lieht, twilight starlight, and moonlight
Much OF the water turns to mist before
reaching the bottom; yet looking up from
under It the volume seems great. Six hundred
feet above, body of ragged, snowy foam with
dishevelled tresses rushes over the brink, and
comes singing down in slender column, swayed
to and fro by the wind like a long strand of
lace. For four hundred feet the descent Is
unrull,ed; then, striking broad inclining rock,
like the roof OF house, the water speads over
it--a thin, shining, transparent apron, irnged
with dehCate gauZe-and glldes swiftly to the
bottom. BY moonlight the whole looks like a
long white ribbon, hanging against the brown
wall, with its lower END widening and Un-
ravvllCd.
Bridal Veil fall, unbrokeu much narrower,
aud sottCned by delicate mist which half hides
It, is strip OF white flutterug foa N, which the
wind swings like a sken pendulum, 1t is
spanned by rail- bow; and at some points the
thin, glass.like sheet reveals every hue of the
| wall behind it. Before reaching the end of Its
| long descent, rtll no longer it is completely
| transformed to spray-the Nlobe of cascades
| dissolved in tears.
Above Hutchings' the valley breaks into three
| canyons and the Merced into three forks. North
| Fork passes through Mirror Lake-the very soni
| OF trf nsparency. 1t reflects grass trees, rocks,
| mountains, and sky with such perfect and
| startling vividness that, one cannot believe them
images and shadows. He fances the world
| turned upside down, and shrinks back from the
| lake lest he should tumble over the edge iato
the inverted dome of blue sky.
On the middle or main fork is Vernal fall
difficult OF access. Leaving our horses three
| miles from the hotel, we climbed for two weary
| hours along dizzy shelves and up sharp rocks
| where the trailI rises one thousand feet to the
| mile-pine woods all around us; AT our left and
| far below, the river cha6ng aud roaring in its
| stony bed Then we stood at the foot OF Vernal
| fall. Bridal Veil and Yosemite are on little
lateral creeks; Nernal IS the tull, swelling tor
| rent of the Merced. Those creep softly and
| slowly down, as if in pain and hesitation. This
| rushes eagerly over gloomy brown rocks then
| leaped headlong for more than three hundred
| feet, roaring like miniature Niagara.
Rainbows of dazzling brightness shine at its
base. Others OF the party reported many; my
| own eyes, defective as to colors, beheld only
| two. Bat afterwards when alone, saw what
| to Hebrew prophet had been vision OF Heaven
| or the visible presence OF the Almighty. 1t was
the round rainbow-the complete circle. In
the afternoon sun stood upon q rock hundred
| feet 1Iom the base of the iall, and nearly on q
level with it. There were two brilliant rainbows
of usual foIm--the crescent the bow proper
But while l looked, the two horns of the
inner or lower crescent suddenly heightened
extending on each side to my feet an entire
| circle, perfect as a fDgerring. In two or three
| seconds it passed away, shrinking to the first
| dimensions. Ten minutes later it formed again:
| and again as suddenly disappeared. Every sharp
| gust of wind shoWering the spray over me
| revealed for moment the round rainbow.
| Completely drenched, stood for an hour and a
| halt and saw, tullY twenty times, that dazzling
| circle OF violet and gold, on a groundwork of
| wet dark rock, gay dripping flowers and vivid
grass. never looked upon any other scene in
| Nature SO beautiful and impressive.
Climbing high rOck-wall by crazy wooden
| ladders, we continued up the canyon for three
| quarters of a mile to Nevada fail, where the
| MERGED tumbes seven hundred feet in ''White
and swaying mistness." Near the Bottom it
| strikes an inclined rock, and spreads upon it in
| a sheet OF boating silver tissue hundred and
| thirty feet wide.
Passing over wide gaping crack or chasm in
| this rocky grade, the thin sheet of water breaks
| into delicate, snowy network; then into my
riads of shining beads, and finally into long
| sparkling threads-an exquisite silk fringe to
the great white curtain.
These names are peculiarly Citing Bridal Veil
indeed looks like a veil of lace. In summer
when Bridal Veil and Yosemite dwarf Vernai
still pours its ample torrent And Nevada is
| always white as a snow-drift.
| The Yosemite is height; the Vernal is volume;
the Bridal Veil is softness; but the Nevada is
height, volume and soltness combined. South
Fork cataract, most inaccessible of all, we did
not visit. In spring each fall has twenty times
as much water as in summer.
The days we spent in the valley were delight
full and memorable. Evenings were devoted to
song and merry making; and the motto Of the
party was:-"lf any man gets up before
o'clock in the morning, shot him on the spot"
But by day we wandered where we listed, and
viewed the great features OF the valley, as all
impressive things in nature should be viewed,
alone. Most heartily envied Olmstead, who
with his family, with horses, tents, and books,
remained for several weeks, moving from day
to day, and encamping wherever fancy dictated.
| On the whole, Yosemite is incomparably the
| most wonderful feature of our continent.
| European travellers agree that trans atlantic
| scenery has nothing at all approaching to 1t.
| Unless the unexplored Himalayas hide some
| rival, there is no spot, the wide world over, OF
such varied beauty and measureless grandeur
We must close our extracts. Our readers
will find this one of the most interesting books
that has appeared for long time 1t Is
purely American, treating only OF American
scenes and events. 1t is also highly instruc-
tive, containing as it does much very valuable
and rare information concerning the great
West
The admirable style in which the book has
been issued, its clear open print, and its ex-
| ---..,. o,,J lo;ndiD0 radaotECradit 1rUOn