The Osceola times., 1880-10-09
How the Winter. in the Sisrras Gfow
Longer.
VIII. r-.r -N-r.- E..e---s-.


Prof. I.e--ir ls. returned from q tTip
into the S.lrras oi oi--; dave duration.
tie haI with him tr1 assistants sll hI,
own vehicle lr lhe tr-u-- -ar.-flun Of
Li. instruments and elmled Hrt most
% the time. The oI Ieg- oi t.e Pr1.es-
slf's trip was fhe study 1i recent inter
e.tln, mete1rHlgli-l changes iu the ele-
eyatei regions ri tHe s.e-rs-. lie was
led 10 believe that during the present
season tho warm belt hsl shifted south.
Bezinuius 90 o point just north uf Lake
Tahoe. tle snow las uat melted away as
in former velu. There are nov banks
of snow rom 80 On l0J feet iu depth 90
points where heretofore at this season no
Snow has lain. Nearly the whole Of this
snow viii remain where lt now lies until
the SHOWS ~ winter again sef in. Up
toward tlc head W-.er. Cf the Moth
Fork " the lula River. where no snow
r. usually seen at ilis season. it has but
little more t.au urrul % disappear. In
tina, place are tJ De- seen huge banks Of
snow. under which llw the water. Of
th. stream. t.gUlUg arches o. natural
bridges l0I iaet il height, ana from 2JJ
fo SOD .ee. iu width. As nearly the
whole ot this ruw will remain until
snow a-liu comes. 'ae accumulation
next year sill be- -l.i' greater. and lhc
whole region around tle bead OF that
and other rivers a-l ig tLe mountains
viii probably llc uu4cr the -u9w tie
year round.
Itwas frtte purrlsc % as,eraiuiug
the cause Of fhi remarkable change 0f
climate to tle L1r,AWgrj that Prof Lc-
gs,c went Ola hi- exhibition into the
mlua'siu- Through 'fp results ob'liu-
I'D Hy observation ulae dt many points
with various delicate Instruments. but
principal by means uiIre'ultleru0ue-
trial te--, the Professor nas established
the fact that There LIs occurred in the
range of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
this season q grand islt.erm1l change.
lie finds tlst the warm current oi air
which ever since tle settlement gi Cali
furniI 10y Aurrinau--JuI probably a-c.
Ueiore-has moved upward from the
Pacific .eab1aTd to the Sierra Nevada
mountains and thence turned and flowed
go ile u0rhWard along the west side Of
the main ud-e of the range. thus giving
% ail regions lu that direction q warm
climate, no longer moves In that diTec-
lipn. i now comes up from the side OF
the ocean and uUlrs eastward directly
aer1s, the crest ~ the >ierras near Lake
Tahoe
P1L Lo-aic has satisfied himself that
this wouderfI. charge. which r. leaving
all the northern u3rt- of the >icrras
buried in SNOW, summer and winter. Is
caGsei ty the ieHuda.Iuu Of timber
which the mountain, have suffered
through belt beginning no Lake Tahoe
ard extending some - miles sIuthward.
Through the great gap Tins LEFT by the
sweeping away o. Tie forests now how.
the warm current oi air which formerly
mOyed-wlth something OF the Cirgling
mDtou Of water iu AN cdly-fir along
the mountains % The uJrthWard. Prot.
Leglte say, It must not bc supposed that
the change tas been caused merely on
account gf the gap OF trough lcfi by Il q
clear ~ away OF the forests. The denu-
daliOn 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 noun
t4ius causes 40 that point an immense
ascending column OF heated air which
draws in IN III the wet tie current
which tormely moved TO the nurthward
and now all crosses the Siorras, passing
ia an upward and eastward direction.
Prof Le-atc is Of the opinion that the
only thing capable Of changing the
is0thermal line which has been recently
accidentally aui dia,trOusly established
Is the creation, at some point well north,
of another broad belt Of denudati0n, the
influence Of which Will be to draw
m iaat direction @ portion of the
warm current oi air moving up to and
along the western slope Of the Sierras.
and thus partly restore the oquablc tenn
uer'ure thgt formerly prevailed. lie
thinks the railroad which H. TO run in
Use direction ut Oregon from Reno, and
which is 90 s.ike and tap the great pine
forests Of the >igrus well 10 the north,
will after few years effect The desired
change.