The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-12-23
WINTER IN THE GREAT YOSEMITE
VALLEY.

WINTER IN TIE GREAE- YOSEMITE
VALLEY.
A lady who has spent several winters in
the celebrated Yosemite region says:
No snow fell in the valley before Novem
Der. Clouds Rest, Mount Dana, and Mount
Starr King stood beyond them like grim
sentries with white helmets, and sent n
fair flow of water over the Vernal and
Nevada Falls, but not drop fell from the
top Of the Great Yosemite. The line of
this wonderful waterfall was plainly
marked upon the rock l GOO feet high. 1t
looked as though an immense tar. barrel
had been burned in the circular basin be-
low, and the face Of the great rock had
been blackened by its smoke. The lady
says she visited the hole made by the fall
ing water in the solid rock. 1t seemed to
be from fifty to hundred feet deep, and
was partly filled with water clear as crystal.
Beneath the surface she saw boulders many
tons In weight and round as marbles. When
the fall is in full play they are sent spin ming
around the huge stone basin like bagatelle
balls.
AS the season advanced the Serras were
choked with snow, aud white carpet was
spread over the valley. The sheep were
corrased for the winter, and few frozen
orchard. The music of the MERGED sounded
harsh in the cold morning air, and at last
entirely ceased. The fish ran down the
river. Mirror Lake was frozen, and the
Bridal Veil folded and laid away. Hol-
mess Hole was closed by the snow that fell
from the Lost Arrow, and the North and
South Domes resembled gigantic snow
balls, Sentinel Rock, the Three Brothers,
and Cathedral Spire glittered in the moon
light like turTets of silver, and Ell CAPTAIN
with it's vast icy wall resembled the famous
winter palace of the Car.
More sDowa fell. The mountain nasses
were twenty feet deep, iandlLamon'sf fences
were hidden from sight. The huge domes
were over-capped, and tail pines bent;their
heads to tho ground. At the dead of night
the winds arose, the valley trembled, and
sound of muffied thunder was heard. 1t
was an avalanche from the great South
Dome. Asnowy mass weighing thousands
of tons had fallen 5000 feet into the valley
below. The dreadful jarring awoke the
Cap of Liberty, and second avalanche
was precipitated upon the plateau below
| Nevada Fall. Glacier Point shook off it's
white coat with groan Of relief, and the
Royal Arch sent an enormous slide to the
| shore of Mirror Lake.
A smart thaw followed. Old Yosemite
began to roar, but his throat was thickly
frozen. His front became mass of glitter
| ing icicles. They resembled the pipes of a
ponderous organ, and were from an inch to
| quarter of a mile long. During the two
| hours in which the sun smiled upon the
| valley the colors of the rainbow were re-
! fected from the immense prisms. Nevada
and Vernal FalIs bristied with silvery fret
work, and icy lodges jutted from Inspira-
tion Point end FL CAPTAIN. Then came q
strong wind, and the icy masses were shat
| tered in an instant. They crashed against
the rocks like pistol shots, and were buried
in the encrusted snow below. Again the
feathery fakes came down. They were
| light and f1eecy, and lay upon the tops of
the mountains like feathers. With the
first breath of air came the snow slides.
| They. began at noon, and lasted thirty min
utes. 1t was n magnificent sight. As they
crushed over the cliffs so tleecy and white,
they looked like water dashipg over the
| falls.
Twice during the winter were the snow
storms uahered in with thunder and light
ming. High winds prevailed. Their walls
were heard, but their breath was felt light
| ~ in the valley. "Once," remarks the
above the peak on the left Of Yosemite Fall.
1t was tempest The snow was carried
| up the face of the mountains like steam,
and the spires of Cathedral Rock and the
| Three Brothers moaned in the gale like a
great Aolean harp" At another time the
spray of the fall drenched the hotel over a
mile away, wetting the Indian to the skin.
Men in an open saw mill had to stop work
| and leave.
The moonlight nigAts were short, but
| wonderful. In the clear atmosphere the
glowing dsc seemed nearer than the bright
domes. The craggy minarets and pima
cles shcne with q strange light, and threw
gigantic shadows across the valley. The
pale glintings of the icicles reminded the
beholder of ghostly meetings. In the
| light of the full moon small excurelon
parties were formed. The ladies went
around the valley on snow shoes, and
enjoyed the rare sight from different points
of observation. The cold, dry air was ex :.
hilarating, and the dreamy landscape and
death-like stiffness when the roaring OF
the falls was hushed created lasting i'm
preston.