The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-11-27
Remarkable Snow Storms in India.

Some interesting details of the extraor-
binary snowfall in Cashmere In lS77-7S are
given in paper in the just issued number
OF the journal of the Asiatlc Society oil
Bengal by Mr.. Lydekker. Early in the
month Of October, 1877, snow commenced
to fall In tie valleys and mountains OF
Cashmere, and from that time up to May,
1878, there seems to have been almost iuces-
SAINT snowfall in the higher mountains and
valleys; indeed, in places it frequently
showed without intermission for upwards of
| ten days at q time. At Dras, which has an
elevation Of 10000 feet, Mr.. Lydekker esti-
| mated the snowfall from the native account,
as having been from 30 feet to 40 feet thick.
| The effects of this enormous snowfall were
to be seen throughout thecountry. At Dfas
the well bull travellers bungalow, which
had stood some thirty years, was entirely
crushed down by the weight OF the snow
,, which fell upon 1t. In almost every village
OF the neighboring mountains more or less
of the log houses had likewise fallen. while
at CULINARY and Sonamarg, where no at
tempt was made to remove the snow, almost
all the huts Of the European visitors were
utterly broken down by it. In the higher
mountains whole hillsides have been de-
nuded of vegetation and soil by the enor-
nous avalanches which swept down them,
leaving vast gaps in the primeval forests
and choking the valleys below with the de-
bris of rocks and trees. AS an instance OF
the amount of snow which must have fallen
in the higher levels, Mr.. Lydekker mentions
the Zogi Pass, leading from Cash mere to
Dras, which has an elevation of 1900 feet.
He crossed this early IN August, and he then
found that the whole of the ravine leading
up to the pass from the Cashmere side was
still filled with snow, which he estimated il
places to be at least $50 feet thick. In Or
binary seasons this road in the Zogi Pass is
clear from snow some time during the
month of Junei AS another instance OF the
great snowfall, Mr.. Lydekker takes the val
ley leading from the town of Dras up to the |
pass separating that place from the Kishen-
gunga River. About the middle of August |
almost the whole of the first mentioned val |
ley, at an elevation of IL 900 feet, was COM
pletely choked with snow, which in places was |
at least 200 feet thick. In the same district |
all passes over IL, 900 feet were still deep in
snow at the same season of the year. Mr..
Ly dekker gives other instances of snow ly |
ing in places in September, where no snow
had ever before been observed after June
As to the destruction Of animal life in the
Upper Wardwan Valley large numbers of
ibex were seen embedded in snow in one
place upwards of 60 heads were counted, and
10 another not less than loo. The most
proof, however, of the havoc
caused among the wild animals by the great
snowfall is the fact that scarcely any ibex
were seen last summer in those portions OF
the Wardwan and Tilail Valleys which
are ordinarily considered as sure finds. So
also the red bear and the marmot were faI
less numerous than usual. Mr.. Lydekker
that the Instruction. to animal life |
caused by the snow has far exceed any |
slaughter which could be inflicted by sports
men during period Of at least five or six
years.