Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1880-01-29
SNOW TWO HUNDRED FEET.
The Extraordinary Snow fall I'm Cashmere
Two Winters Ago.

The following remarkable account from
the London Times, of enormous snowfalls in
| Northwestern India, shows what world OF
| vapor is carried inland on the monsoons from
the Indian Ocean, to strike against the lOftiest
mountain-chan in the world, and be precipi-
tated in such SHOWS and rains as occur on the
foothills of the Himalayas. About the
sources of some of the great rivers of India
occur the heaviest rains ever known; and
further east, in Cashmere, it seems the SHOWS
are sometimes terrific.
Some interesting details of this extraordi-
nary snowfall in Cashmere in 1878 are
given in paper in the just issued number OF
the Journal of the Asiatic Society OF Bengal,
by Mr. Lydekker. Early in the month OF
October, 1877, snow commenced to fall In
the valley and mountains of Cashmere, and
from that time up to May, 1878, there seemed
to have been an almost incessant snowfall in
the higher mountains and valleys; indeed, in
places it frequently showed without inter-
mission for upwards of ten days at time.
AT Dras, which has an elevation of 10000
feet, Mr.. Lydekker estimates the snow fall
from the native account as having been from
thirty to forty feet thick. The effects of this
enormous snowfall were to be seen through
out the country. At Dras, the well-built
travellers bungalow, which has stood some
thirty years, was. entirely crushed down by
the weight of snow which fell upon it. In
almost every village of the neighborlng
mountains more or less of the log houses had
fallen, while at Culinary and Sonomarg,
where no attempts were 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 denuded of vegetation and soil by the
enormous avalanches which swept down
them, leaving vast gaps in the principal for
ests, and closing the valleys below with rocks
and trees.
AS an instance of the amount of snow
which must have fallen in the higher levels,
MIR. LydeKker mentions the Zogi pass. lead
ing from Cashmere to Dras, which has an
elevation of 1890 feet. He crossed this
early in August last year, and then found
that the whole of this ravine leading up to
the pass from the Cashmere side was still
filled with snow, which he estimated in places
to be at least $50 feet thick. In ordinary
seasons this road in the Zogi Pass is clear
from snow some time during the month of
June. AS another instance of the great
snowfall Mr. Lydekker takes the valley lead
ing from the town of Dras up the pass sep
aratiug that place from the valley of the
hlSQeUkuUSh hlVCI. AUout tuC AAAoufO Va
August almost the whole of the
aforementioned valley, at an elevation of 49,
900 feet, was completely choked with snow,
which in places was at least 200 feet deep.
In the same district all passes over 1900
feet were still in snow at the same season of
the year. :.
MIR. Lydekker gives other instances of
snow lying 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 imbedded in snow; in one
place upward of sixty heads were counted,
and in another no less than one hundred.
The most convincing proofs, however, OF the
havoc caused among wild animals by the
great snowfall is the fact that scarcely any
ibex were seen during 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
far less numerous than usual. MIR. Lydek-
ker estimates that the destruction to animal
life caused by snow has far exceeded any
slaughter which could be inflicted by sports
men during period of at least five or six
years.