The New York herald., 1874-09-16


ticular morning l made up my mind that would
not lose him; for 10 lose your guide or leader In
going through mountains like these Is to lose your
self, and without much experience In trailing you
may remain lor days wandering in the forests
without lOod or IRE. After penetrating the thick
ana sharp pointed branches OF pine forest, COM
pletey filnng up gorge, we made our
way up the SIDE hill OF long mOraine, and con-
tinued our Journey TO westward. MOralnes or
long, t0mDike shape, are seen In every direction,
ana there they stand, mournlul sepulchres OF a
once mighty physical age, when the grinding
piled up thousands OF feet, carved out the valleys
and amphtheatres, and as huge ana many
edged cnlsels, completed
THE SCULPTURE OF THE CONTINENT.
The lesson OF long past infinite ages Is so simply
and yet so emphatlcally written upon the
country before you that you can trace the history
OF the earth without effort. Was 1t not wise
provision OF Providence, or indeed one OF those
immutaDle Jaws that reveal themselves from time
to time that we can from those upturned strata
study the gradual building OF the glObeY Plan
etary architecture has, by these mountains,
winch iuture years viii do much to eliminate the
mass OF speculation outcroppng at every point.
Yet geology is not the only branch ol human study
where the lancy must sustain the fact. Human
history itself is 50 complex and confused that 1t
has required the finest inteects Ol the ages to
explain the deductions OF 1900 years OF activity,
ana yet educated mankind Is divided as to the re-
suits. The Assyrlans. although leaving us tablets
and abundant hierOglyphic sculpture, buried their
alphabet win the decline OF their race Egypt.
with her imperlshable monuments set like eternal
jewels along the banks Other great river emblems
OF Il stern civilization unmatched since the lapse
OF thirty centuries, vouchsafed us no elementary
key by which we can read the endless hero
glYDhics craven on her temples; and in the mys-
terious Orient, where the human race still dwes
in greatest numbers, Mencius and Coniuclus are
placed the boundaries OF authentic history.
Turning from this uncertainty and doubt as to our
KIND, now startling does 1t seem wnen we con-
sder the act that as we consider stratum after
stratum Of these Rocky Mountain formations we
read OF the fnidity OF the earth, of the age OF
wafer and OF creation lollowing creation until we
come down to man, finding In each of these chap
ters nlstO ical materials hidden away in the rocks
and which NJ human life can galnsay or cause to
the patient geOlOgist unrolled his scroll OF the
hundreds OF millions OF years that our planet has
pendous character of the divine organism AS
wander about these mountains every peak is TO me
chapter OF this history every valley paragraph,
every rivulet phrase-al combining to MAKE
text iOr which no alphabet but the eye can
find application. Mountains, know, are common
enOugh-lmpresslngy you as phenomenal. But here
is an empire Oi them. So many, in fine, that were
you born here anterior to the age railroads, a
plain or level country would be natural wonder.
Alter severe ride OF hfteen miles with ami
mails, during which one OF Oui mules was precipl
tated own a steep hill with his entire burden we
arrived at the loot OF a huge mountain which We
have decided to name Mount DAILY, in nOnOr OF
Chief Justice Charles p. DAILY, President OF the
American Geographical Society, in recognition OF
his great and varied attainmentS as a geOgrapher,
and lis long devotion to scientific and aesthetic
pursuits. But we must first ascend it, for this is
the main object OF our side trip.
IN CAMP AT FOOT OF MOUNT DAILY.
We pitched three small tents beside the
creek (Daly Creek. Hardly had we driven the
stakes before rain storm began, rendering the
night bleak and dl5agreeable and DOdlng no good
for the morrow. That morrow came and with 1t
no sun. but IN It's stead great masses OF dark
clouds hung over the gorge and shut the mountain
morning and not many cheerful were the
jokes tnat ell from the down turned corners OF our
mouths. 1t was plain that 1t was lost day, and
lost day on an expedition OF this character is q
great deal Besides | n ID brought nothing with
me IN my. saddle bags but my tavorite pipe
not even paper, on which might have drawn
out doleul column for the HERALD. We built a
big camp fire and gathered around 1t, wondering
ali the While what MOuton had said OF Beecher,
II Beecher were still intent ON seli-destructiOn,
Elizabeth had again sought common roof. The
question OF tue immortality Of the soul running
into multitude OF SIDE issues drove us to bed and
we rose the next morning with no fairer prospect
than before. We decided to try TO lose three
days was too much. Our horses were captured on
the sward and duly saddled and then we plunged
into the wood ABOUT half a mile from camp. on
preclpitols nil side we were unable to proceed
further with our animals and there we tied them.
THE ASCENT.
The ascent of mountain peaks, knew from
bitter experience in the Alps and in other ranges
OF Europe. AFRICA and America, is not the dain-
ties' OF pastimes. Moreover, from my brief sum-
mers stay IN the Rocky Mountains mad learned
ing than mountain-clmbing. the wearlsome
character OF the ascent IS, however, generally
diminished by your ability to ride your animal to
within perhaps $40 feet OF the summit. But in
the case OF Mount DAILY we were obliged TO leave
our horses at the base and climb up the shal IN.
cline. Dr. Hayden, the pest of mountaneers, and
VINO, If he were In Europe, would be tit Tor hlgn
place among Alpine heroes, led the way over the
wet and tulted green 1t was hard Climb
The EFFORT would cut the wind and set
heavlng Until f found had enjoyed new, ii
disGgreeaDle sensation. Slowly we reached tim
ber line, about II 900 ieet above the sea, the mean
while grand scenery breaking everywhere on our
vista, despite the continuous drzzle and the wild
havoc that seemed to be paying with the clouds.
mOnotOnOus grandeur of the scenery, and eX-
pressed the opinion that too much suDlimty was
While more than ever impressed with this convic-
tion, cannot deny that from the summit OF every
fresh peak you behold something new and
ture, some other shade Of natures best
works. In order to take every advantage Of your
situation in climbing mountain you should not
hastily rush ior the tip top without turning your
face toward the panorama spread out before you.
With every additional hundred feet OF your ascent
you can take new view and have an enlarged
horizon, thus gradually enclosing the attractions
OF radius Of 100 miles. Having reached the
minor summit, 13, 800 feet above the level OF the
sea, we determined that We would make an effort
to each the lolter summit. But upon close IN
OF the higher cone, we found that we could not
bridge tins space without perious descent down
precipitous crag, nearly perpendicular and whose
lragmentary rocks liable at any time to tumble
two thousand feet into the chasm DelOw. We,
however agreed upon the attempt, and Mr.. Holmes
leading the way we followed one by one, bracng
ourselves against the sides OF the narrow cut IN the
rock, and which was a kind OF perpendicular ditch.
Every step downward was accompanied by a
shower oil stones, large and small, lOosened
from their repositories, and sent rolling ana
tumbng below, One hundred feet OF this Kind OF
work. during which single misstep or slip would
have cost any one OF us iile we made in about
ten minutes. Through shale and loose small stone
we made our way to the base OF the cone and found
ourselves enwrapt IN clouds. We soon discovered
that tney were rainclouds, containing also hail
and snow. Seeking shelter behind one Of
those overhanging rocks which abound on
all mountains OF this character we waited until
tine storm had spent its force, the while shiverlng
! in the cold. 1t soon became the opinion OF the
party that TO ascend the additional 800 eet would
be supererogatOry. for during dense clouds and
wet weather nothing can be seen from the peak
tops. Besides all tnis We had but 800 teet TO go,
and there, at 10, 800 1eet above the sea- was mag
nfcent stretch OF scenery. An ocean of neecy
clouds billOwed thousands OF feet below, over the