The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-10-28
How the Winters In the Slerras Grow
Longer.


a trip into the Sierras Of eight days dura-
tion. He had with him two assistants and
his own vehicle for the transportation of
his instruments, and camped out most of
the time. The object Of the professor 8
trip was the study Of recent interesting
meteorological changes in tho elevated
regions of the Sierras. lie was lea to be-
lieve that during the present season the
! warm belt had shifted south. Beginning
at u point just north of Lake Tahoe, the
snow has not melted away US in former
years. There arc now banksof snow from
fifty to 100 feet in depth at points where
heretofore at this season no snow has lain.
Nearly the whole of this snow will remain
where it now lies until the SHOWS Of winter
again set in. Up toward the head waters
of the North Fork of the Yuba River, where
no snow is usually seen ut this season, it
has but little more than begun to disappear.
In that place arc to bc seen huge banks Of
snow, under which flow the waters of tho
stream. forming arches CT natural bridges
100 feet in height, and from 200 to 800
feet in width. As nearly the whole Of this
snow will remain until snow again comes,
the accumulation next year will be still
greater, and the whole region around tho
head Of that and other rivers high in tho
mountains will probably lie under the snow
the year round.
1t was for the purpose Of nscertaining
the cause of this remarklc change of eli
mate to the northward that Professor Lc-
gate went OH his expedition into the noun
tains. Through the results obtained by
observations made ut many points with
various delicate instruments, but principal
ly by means of careful thcrmomctrcal tests,
the professor has established uW fact that
there has occurred in the ran" f the Sierra
Nevada Mouitui.nS this ST. on q grand
isothcrmal change. lie finds that tho warm
current Of air which ever since the settle
mcnt Of California by Amcricans-andp pro-
badly ages beforc-has moved upward
from the Pacific seaboard to the Sierra
Nevada Mountains and thence turned and
flowed to the norlhward along the west
side Of the main ridge OF the range, thus
giving to all regions in that direction Il
warm climate, no longer moves in that di
rectlOn. 1t now comes up from the side Of
the ocean and pOurs eastward directly
across the crest of the Sierras near Lake
Tahoe.
Professor Legatc has satisfied himself
that this wonderful change, which is leav-
ing all the northern parts OF the Sierra
buried in snow, summer aud winter, is
caused by the dcnudalion OF timber which
the mountains have suffered through Il belt
beginning at Lake Tahoe and extending
some twenty miles southwark. Through
the great gap thus left by the sweeping
away OF the forests now flows the warm
current Of mir which formerly moycd-with
something Of the circling motion Of water.
in an eddy-far along the mountains to the
nOrtlward. Professor Lcgate says it must
not be supposed that the change has been
caused merely ON account of the gap or
trough left by the clearing away OF the
forests. The dcnudation Of the ground is
the principal cause. The heat OF the sun
pouring down upon the broad belt OF bare
ground now reaching across the mountains
causes at that point al immense ascending
column of heated air which draws in from
the west the current which formerly moved
TO the northward and now ali crosses the
Sicrras, passing III all upward and eastward
direction.
Professor Lcgate is of the opinion that
the only thing capable of changing the is
othcrmal line which has been recently ac-
cidentally and disastrously established is the
creation, at some point well north, OF an
other broad belt of dcnudation, the intlu-
ence Of which will be to draw in TINT dlrcc-
ton portion of the warm current OF air
moving up to and along the western slope
of the Sicrras, and thus partly restore the
equable temperature That formcrcly pre-
vailed. lie thinks the railroad which is to
run in the direction OF Oregon from Reno,
and which is to strike anu tap the great
pine forests of the Sicrras well to the nor Ii,
Will after few years effect the desired
change.