The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-06

and Of this portion IN particular tenacity with
which the trees fasten themselves to the mountain
sides and grow there despite all impediments. In
the Yosemite you see huge pines and cedars |
chnging In little inches away up on dizzy |
heights where no man could ind his way |
and where the soil must AFFORD very precarious |
support. In summer these spots must become |
parched and dry, yet the trees remain, thrive and
grow, some or them attaining considerable diane.
ters. The wind the birds for other agency Is
available, must have carried the seeds to the
where they terminated, and the trees must be nour
ished by little save the air. Nature never deserts
her children, and here, In polar SHOWS or Arabian
sands, she cares for her ofIspring and teRderly
watches that they may not perish. 5aa
Our slumbers at night were within hearing
Of the Great Yosemite Fall. There 1t was,
pouring its hood with crushing, rafting
sound like that OF musketry on battle
field, much 30 that those OF our party who
had borne active part In the war were prompt to
discover the resemblance. Now IL sounded like sud
den and successive file firing, and again like dis
charges by company and platoon. Occasionally, but
not often the wind took certain directont sound
ell like the roar Of artillery, though dozen bat
teries were actively working four or five miles
away Niagara roars steadily and INCREASINGLY; Yose
mite ratles sharp quick rapid discharges that vary
with the wind or with the volume Of water Niagara
is constant, day week, month"; year and cycle, ra
e Q Or summers stltry beam"
Yosemite Ia swayed by the wind and its vof e
yields often to the zephyr; now stronger and nfw
fainter, the breeze may dictate. While Mag IRA
does not change in volume throughout the Wear,
Yosemite Is q mountain torrent in May, a brool in
June and July, a silver thread depending over the
cliff In August and September, and sometim es in
late it disappears altogether to brcI forth
Qrain vVhp hQ srot,,r ,
This fall Is directly in front for me
hotel on the opposite side OF the valley
a mile distant the crow flies and alf mile
In perpendicular height. We have witched Il IN
sunlight and shade, and we never weary OF studying
It, As the stream pours over the Cliff shoots for
ward clear from the precpice, as II endeavoring 10
avoid contact with the mountain, Until 1t strikes the
debris of rock at its base. The cold and pure water
from the melting SHOWS becomes O spOtless white
like the crest OF wave when the tide rolls in upon
the beach. Before reaching the bottom OF the cliff it
is broken into foam and spray, aiding it were in
cloud of it's own formation. At either edge breaks
into nnmAberless rockets Of spray that go chasing
each other downward as the fire bolts Of Roman
candle and other WORKS OF the pyrotechnist pursue
contrary direction. These spray rockets In.
teresti hg feature Of the Yosemite Fall aud in fact Of
all the cascades Of this region. Nowhere in the
world is the water purer and nowhere is its purity
TAis fall Is the highest now known IN the world
Frosn the point where it leaps over the cliff down to
81 ana 81 s
feet less than half o mile. Though properly con-
sSies ed as single fan it is broken In tive places
are little more than steps from fall to The other
| ahe first clear plunge is sixteen hundred feet or
nearly ten times as high Niagara, and the middle
and lower falls are respectively four hundred and
thirty four and six hundred feet. The whole fail is
height Of Bunker Hin monument, and nine times
that Of Trinity church.
We have visited the foot Of the fall going into the
dashes upon the rocks. 1t is like the spray at
or ns any ar 11aer vita s
,ss ana s sst III ev quite up
| huge drops like heavy rain cloud presume that
| the autumn finds these trees basklng In the warm
sunshine as the tiny stream Of that season reduces
the volume Of spray for cannot conceive how they
can exist should the shower be continuous through
out the year. Moisture is necessary to most vegeta
ton, but what tree shrub could survive the pitt
less peltngs Of perpetual Storm
Our visit is most fortunately timed. We are seeing
the falls In all their wonderful beauty. The MERGED
river the streams that form the various falls are
at their highest the volume Of water being fifteen or
great the adherence that & dcus 70 recos
nize the pen or pencil pictures Of some previous
Down the valley opposite Tutochanulan Is the fall
known as the Bridal Veil 90 named on account OF Its
thin gauzelike appearance In the late autumn. TO US
over proceeding cid and fsne in gensie curve e..
the true line OF beauty-to the rocks nine hundred
that Of the Yosemite Fail The sound Of the cataract
more subdued Ia consequence OF the lesser height
depth OF the fall The Indians call this POhOnO-
spirit Of the evil wnd-and have superstition that
t. is dangerous to sleep near + or even to pass near
Sow the
the late autumn, when the springs are low; but at
| fashionable Of city brides could desire. Even with
its present large volume Of water the fall possesses
| no doubt greatly increased as the season becomes
| later. -.
ced, four or i've miles from the hotel. We accom-
plished the first two miles horseback, beneath the
shadows OF the high mountains that form the walls
the fallen rocks at the foot Of the mountains and
| these rocks become more and more numerous as we
advance, so that we must desert our horses after q
time and make the balance Of the journey on foot.
THIS mode Of travel s quite fatiguing, though agree
able when compared with our wanderings In the
| snow. The canon Of the MERGED Is not in direct
line but bends to the right and left. so that we are
TO bend In the stream, we can get directly IN
| front Of this fall and study it at our
LEISURE = T. generally known as the ysrna Fan
monds) is far more appropriate and should be
tanned. Piwyack Fan Is formed by the MERGED river
feet high For beauty Of curve and outline 1t can
hardly be surpassed, and when we study its dazzling
the drops Of water sparkling In the sunlight the
felicity OF the Indian title Is at once perceived. In
the cloud OF spray that rises al lis base there Is
| PROPULSION OF ranbows more than elsewhere, though
the other fails are by no means dehclent in the prs
matte coors. There are large ranbows stretching
| over the spray, and Is we move about in the
cloud we see smaller ones at every STEP
| 1t Is here that one can see that rare
| product Of nature, q rainbow In circle, and to
make up for their scarcity In other places 20
them here In abundance. Little rainbows form be.
fore you meeting In circle at your feet, coming and
going as the spray 10 moved by the wind. II this
cataract must have name OF English origin IN place
OF Its Chanting Indian one 1t should be called the
RAINBOW Fail.
To reach the top Of the fall IL Is necessary
to climb a series Of ladders fastened T. the
sides OF the preclpice. These have not been
| repaired since last autumn, and at the Hres-
| eDt time they are rather dangerous, on account
" had break near the top OF the upper one ant\a
,ashak the whole CONCERN. On reach