New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-12-05
YOSEMITE GLACIERS.
7E ICE STREAMS OF THE GREAT VALLEY.


YOSEMITE VALLEY, CAL, Sept 2S.-Two years
ago. when picking flowers in the mountains back Of
Yosemite Valley, found book 1t was blOtted and
beaten; all OF its outer pages mealy and
crumby the paper seeming to dissolve like TIE snow
beneath which 1t had been buried but many OF the
inner pages well preserved, and though all were
moro or stained and torn whole chapters easily
readable. just this condition the great open book Of
Yosemite glaciers to-day; It's granite pages have been
torn and blurred by tho storms that wasted tho
cstawsy book Tho grand central chapters OF HoG
man, aud Tonaya, and Nevada glaciers stained and
corrocd by the rOss and rains yet nevertheless they
contain scarce ono ureadabc page but the outer chap
ters OF the P0hono and the IlliiOucte and the Yosemite
Creek and Ribbon, and Cascade glaciers. arc all dimmed
and eaten away bottom though tho tops OF their
pages hnvo not been long exposed and still proclaim
in sDeudd characters tho glorious actions Of their de-
narted ice Tho glacier which filed tho basin OF
Yosemite Creek was tho fourth fccstream that
flowed to Yosemite Valley. II was about fifteen miles
in length by i've In breadth Mt the middle OK the main
stream and I'm many places was not less than 1000 feet
In depth It united with the central glaciers In the val
Inv bv mouth reaching from the east side OF FL Captain
TO Yosemite Point cast of the falls. Its western rim
ros rved with short tributaries, and tho north its
d,yde from tho Tuolunne glacier was deeply grooved;
but few any Of ts ridges were here high chonSh 10
separate the descending leo into distinct tributaries
The main central trunk flowed nearly south, and M
distance Of about 10 miles, separated into thee nearly
equal branches. which turned abruptly to the east
BRANCH BASINS.
Those branch ass laid among the highest spurs OF
the Hoffman range and abound in small br ght lakes
set in the solid granite without tho usual terminai
rnorainc DAM The structure OF those dividing spurs
exactly s,ni!a all three appearing as II ruins OF ono
mountain, CT rather as perfect units hewn from ORC
mountain rock during long ages OF glacial cctvty AZ
their north sides PERCEPTIONS. and as they extend
al n shelter
alive their hiding glaciers long after the death OF the
iain trunk Their basins still dazzling bright, ana
their lakes have as yet accumulated buV harIo" rings
OF border meadow, because their feeding s,rcains
have had but little time to carry the sahd
Of which they made. Tie cast bank OF The man
stream all the way from the three forks 10 inc mouth,
is continuous egar wall, which also forms the west
bank OF Indian Canon gacer-bas. The tributaries u
the west side Of tire main touched the east trhu-
taIes of the cascade and the great Tuolunne glacier
from Mount DANA the mightiest icerver OF tis "hoe
region flowed past ON the north Tie decvity OF The
trbut RES great especially those which h"wed
from the spurs Of tho Hoffman the TuoluDne divide,
Int tho main stream was level and in approach
ing Yosemite compelled TO make considerable as
cent back II Eagle Gift To tho concentrated currents
of the central glaciers and 70 the !cveess ano wo'h OF
mouth Of this one, in great MEASURE owc inc pres
ert hight of the Yosemite Falls Yosemite Creek hVes
the tranquil life OF all the largo streams thar leap
mo t1c valley, Tue OtucTS ""
rover and consequently Of deeper glaciers. While yet
FAR from the valley abound in loud falls and snowy cas-
ca,les but Yosemite Greek flows straight on through
smooth meadows and holows, with only two OF three
gentle cascades, and AMI then row or sootnhe'
rurbing rapids, bdns its time,sand boarding up tho
music and poetry of its life for the one ahthe a'
Yosemite, IA planned by the ice
YOSEMITE BASIN
When hrdseye view OF Yosemite Basin Is obtained
from any az its upper dOmes 1t Is seen 10 possess great
number Of dense patches OF black forest. planted IN
abrupt with bare gray rocks Those forest plots
mark the number the size OF al The entire and frac
mcrtary moranes OF the basin. the later eroding
agents yet had sufficient time to form soil tit
for The vigorous life OF large
Wherever epwombed tributary was laid against
ridge, AMI also shielded from the sun ny
comprising rock.shadows, there invariably find one
or more small terminal mOranes, because when such
tributaries melted off the trunk they retired
10 those upper strOngholds Of shade, and lived and
worked in full independence. and the moraines which
built left entire because the waeTc"llecting
basins behind them small to make streams large
enough wash them away! hut in the basins ofcXpos"d
tributari there TO terminal moranos. because thcn
glaciers died nth the trunk. &c.ia and lateral moraincs
arc common upon all the outside slopes, somc 81 them
ura rly perfo but down IN til" main basin tho
/, not left unaltcrcd Iuorane OF any Kind. Immense
foods having washed aud lev led them into border
meadows the present stream, and into sandy flower
he = and fields for forests.
GLACIER HISTORY.
such was Yosemite glacier. and such il It's BASIN the
na.!iicrnt work OF rs hands, There il subll'lty in
tue life If glacier Water rivers work openly. an 40
DO The rain, The gentle dcws acknowledgement sea also
caapng all tue world: and this universal ocean ot
brain. though Invisible. yet speaks cloud IN 'horanh
VOICES AMI urocans It's mode o. working ana ~ loH err
hut glaciers ,,ora apart from cXcrting their tire
ncnnus energies In Silence and darkness. outspread,
bo0diuC above clps tined ROCKS 70
light unborn WORKING on uuvcared through unmeao'
urrd times n'aing the stars, until at length thcif
creations complete, their mountains brought forth,
no':,'- mad" for the nta'4"t ana the !akeS, Morae
hak~ .or chosen frwcr>. AID fields for waiting orcs,H
clinrst, caln wien they came in crystals from the
lie great valley itself together with all of IS various
doIrs and walls, brought forth ANA FASHIONED by
f'a srnStc 6" Of ecuiar physical i" structure All
of tn" rocks and mountains and lakes and meadows OF
TIE Tho'e upper MERGED basin rrct wed their spe lie
forms aud carvings almost entirely from this same
/ havr been drifting ahomt among the rocks of this
region for ncvcr years anxious spell "u: of the
mountain truths which are written here; and since the
rivers o.. Kan appear. nave become for
eva knowledge REGARDING t.em; with thiS object, sup
Yosemite by Indian anon, and now searching tho
upper locks ana oraihcs for readable glacier manu-.
script.
meant to begin by exploring tho main trunk glacier
OF Yosemite Creek. together with an Of lts rim tlbu-
a a Of work Witch each had done, etc. but when
upon the FL Captain Mountain. sebing for the west
en- slo, OF the main stream, discovered that the
Ynsintc Creek glacier was not the lowest ice stream
winch flowed to IS valley bnt that the Ribbon Stream
ban west of r Captain had also been occupied by a
glacier. which flow, Il ner, south. and united with the
central glaciers OF the submits IN the valley below
ii CAli,an.
RIBBON slEEAM BASIN
spent two day in this BASIN 1t must have been
oi the smallest streams hat entered the valley
b,i only about miles In length by three width.
received small tributaries from the slopes OF FL
Captain ridge, which flowed south $50 west but most
derived from spur Of the Hoffman group,
running nearly southwest. The slope of its bed Is steep
and pretty regular aud il must have flowed with
siderable velocity have not thus far discovered
of the original sriated surfaces though possibly