Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1881-10-19
Red Snow.

For the last three or four weeks
quite q heated discus sion has been
going on In the two Visalia papers
In regard to whether or not there
Is fred snow" at Farewell Gap,
near the head of Little Kern river,
up In the sierra Nevada noun.
tains. Several correspondents
have published lengthy commune
cations in regard to this matter,
some Of the articles being two or
three columns in length, and there
has been much diversity both of
sta tement and opinion concerning
1t. Having read these publica-
tons, and having an intimate
knowledge Of the precise region
where Mr.. Wright and others
claim that red snow exists, and as
this same question has heretofore
caused some discussion amongst
tourists and scientists, few words
from me in reference thereto may
not be altogether without interest.
During 1874, I spent from the l1th
day Of April until the middle of
the following September within
one mile of Farewell Gap. This
gap or pass, which leads from the
headwaters of the Kaweah river TO
the headwaters of the Little Kern,
wa named in April of that year
by V K. STROBE, then visiting, for
few days, at the camp Of myself
and associates, and who asked the
privilege of naming 1t, In honor OF
ourselves and animals beng the
first of all to cross over til t year
across some six miles of crusted
snow, and an additional height of
about 4, 600 feet from the Mineral
X ng mining village, to the Little
Kern eide Of the mountain. Ever
since that time it has borne that
name in all writings and records,
and in conversation. The altitude
Of the pass Is little less than II 900
feet above the sea, but there are
peaks in the inn IN ediate vicinity
IA 600 feet high Mt. Whitney,
the highest in the United States,
being one of them. AS to red
snow, have frequently seen on
the gap and elsewhere in the vicin-
ity where snow remains on the
ground the year round, patches of
color on the surface of the snow of
u beautiful red tint, these spots
varying in size from a few feet in
diameter to size in some cases
larger than our court house. The
color Ia more nearly like that of an
over ripe watermelon, than any
thing else eau think of There is |
one feature about them, as l OBJ
eerved them, that l have failed |
to see referred to by the VISA
liza ssvants. That is, that these
spots are always circular 10 form
(being more or less nearly perfect)
and that in the centre there is al
ways found peculiar funnel
shaped hole in the snow, from |
eight inches to two feet In depth.
l have frequently dug down into |
this fred snow" to ascertain it's
depth, and always found that at its
nucleus it was just as deep as this
hO'e and no deeper, while there
from to the circumference IL de
creased 10 depth Co q mere film,
aud oorr-spDndingiy lost its inteu-
sity of color. Various causes are
assigned for this phenomenon,
among them being meteorio dust,
animacu 90, stains from volcanic
rocks drawn to the surface by cap
Hilary attraction, etc., etc. Which
ia the correct one, l do not know,
except that I totally discredit the
last named. Whether this fred
snow" of our Sierras 10 Identical
with that of the hyperborean re-
gions, over which travellers 20 in-
to OBSTACLES, I am also unable to
determine. A.