Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-08-21

the acre. 1t locks to one as if California 7
could bread the world. ,....
Alter we reached the msuntains eur
progress was slow and iull of care, with
a road steep, rough and narrow, 90
in places that turn from the
track OF a single foot would sometimes
send you whirling down among the
rocks thousand feet below. @esa
At one time we lost cur way and tell
into the old '49 emigrant trail which,
crooked and rough though it was, we
followed tor some distance. As We
reached the summit and halted to rest
our tired teams, a strange feeling OF
sadness came over me as looked down
the narrow winding path up which the
early emigrants had toilsd. and to r
whlleI was oblivlous to every thing but
my own thoughts which were drifting
about among the living and dead ot
other days; 1 thought of the young men
my companions, whom l knew and
whom you knew, whose weary feet had
reached this mountain by the same path
upon which was standing. thought Of
their courage, their tortitude. their
nerve. l thought Of those who accom-
plished the journey and returned; l
thought too OF the many who lett their
bones to bleach among the rocks and
ferns of these ragged hills. and l thought
of the few who are with you still. OF
jim Clowdsley, Bob Hale, Chat Lank-
ford, and many others. | remembe red
Sherman Eddy, my own wife's broth her,
upon the altar OF whose polished mind
and brilliant intellect tame and fortune
had spread their highest prizes, upon
which he turned his back and climbed
these mountains with the foremost only
find an unknown grave. .igdi 3H
The Yosemite (Which should be pro-
nounced in four sylables with the &C
cent upon the second, thus Yo-senl-i-
tee) is level plain about s miles in
length by one halt to one mile in width,
through which the waters OF the Yosem-
ite and Merced both pass. There is no
inlet to these streams except over per-
pendicular walls OF granite from two to
three thousand feet high. and except u
narrow impassable canon through which
they escape. there is no outlet. There
are two places by which the valley is
now entered, and these are the fruit of
both money and labor. BY one OF these
we entered as l before said atter the
eleventh days travel drove our teams
three miles up the valley aad pitched
our tents at the very base of the south
dome in full view OF tho Yosemite tails,
aud with perpendicular wall OF gran-
ite frowning upon us from the dizzy
height of 1884 feet, and here in the
very center of view unmatched in
beauty and grandeur we remained for
seven days during which we looked
aud wondered and worshipped. We
did not talk. we could not talk. The
scene inspired US. but the inspiration
eliminated only IN silence; we were
voiceless Yosemite may be seen, but
it can not be described. The eye alone
may take the photograph, there are ne
words that can symbolic its beauty land
the utmost and the sublimest reach OF
language would fail to furnish a picture
so beautiful, so scenic in splendsr.
have gone through the wonders OF the
Thousand Islands, OF the st. Lawrence,
and have been rushed through the seven
miles of the Lachine rapids in Mint
minutes without steam; have seen
Niagara, from both its sides have stood
in silent wonder beneath the cataract o
its roaring waters; l have gone dowl
Long Island Sound and out into th,
wild Atlantic amid the fury OF a storm
on the open sea, but the combinet
beauty Of all these ls hardly equal to I
view which shall comprehend tn
whole of Yosemite, water fall of 2,60'
feet with its mountain OF spray all dia
demed with rain bows, Is a sight of tn
supremest grandeur, and never agail
until stand among the redeemed. be
fore the great White Throne do OK
pect to look upon picture so sublimel,
beautiful. >...
Our stay in the valley had so accus
toned US to views OF high mountain
, and perpendicular walls that when W
. started upsn our return it was wit
steadier nerves. Our route home wa
by the road leading through the Mar
. posa grove OF big trees, where We tai
RED lor one day trying to take the Gil
cumlerence OF the world OF events whic
has occurred duringithe three thsusan
: years that have elapsed since thes
giants OF the forest we're twigs. Th
road through this grove has been locs
ted so as to afford the tourist a full vie,
of its wonders. 1t is a toll road. io
, which you are taxed. as indeed you ar
on all the roads hereabouts. 1t passe
, through the center OF one of these bi
5 trees, which has been tunne!led thrOug
/ 10 feet wide. and sufficiently high to ad
e nit of the passage OF the hishe'
: coaches. We saw the man who mad
l the tunnel, 1t was the work OF three me
, for II days. We drove our wagon IN,
Il the tunnel and stopped in the center
neither horses or wagon could be see
S by any person standing outside OF III
/ liue of the tunnel. The tree thus tul
p ne!lcd, is in Iull foliage and does d,
i appear to regard the tunnel as any ot
y struction to its continued growth. w
S took the diameter OF this tree which wa
J, twenty-seven feet. A half dozen {
d more OF the largest trees III this grow
h have names by which they are desrgu,
e ted, and sign board with the name i
d letters in fastened to each tree thu
l named. one was called the Grizzl