The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-03-18

down ring Of snow surrounds them.
Snch may be seen on these mountaine,
thong b less perfect, perhape, than in South
America. 4, s. g a = tt;ss ~ NJ !.
} The SNOW that falls here In the winter
melta of gradually during the summer,
and Is about all gone by the time the next
winter comes. The rivess that flow from
the mountains are kept swollen with the
water from the melting till late In August.
The San Joaquin and Kings River are the
principal ones thus fed. +.
THREE MONTHS or SNOW.
In 1862 the snow fell unceaningly for
nearly three months, and the high, naked
ridge rocks, sloping steep Of toward tho
canyons, were covered over 30 deep that all
traces Of tho boulders and ravines were
hidden. Kings river heads In a thouaand
branches, which wind and intertwine
among cli1s and slopes 30 steep and
rugged, that Ia many places no human
The gold seekers, who yielded only to
earthly impossibilitiee, turned back, bal
fled from those iasneeaep, and ac'
knowledge obedience 10 the precipices,
that said: "Hi.her to shalt thou come but
no further" From tho wind.swept SUM
mits oil peaks far oil one can look into the
impenetrabls region, and can see the cliiis,
unHcalel except by eagles wings. and tho
rocks where even the wild Indians have
never been. Men speak OF Gill, the
brow Of which can be reached by q
circurtous route. and where stone lot lall
will descend sheer ono mile beioreit
strikes. What mines Of wealth or what
caves OF mystery Ito hidden In this I'M
known chaos Of mountains, this universe
OF death, will, in oil probability, remain
unseon and unknown until the day Of
judgment.
The SHOWS OF 1862 buried all this region
to u great depth. The ravines and gorges
and glens and chasms were utterly full, and
q elis.enipg ridge here, and one yonder and
others in other quarters, showed the gen.
eral trend Of the mountains. It was the
magazine, tho frozen. reservoir, that held
back The floods from deluging the plains
that winter, aud was preserving the water
Tor the parched lands in the summer.
NATURES STORAGE BATTERY.
What an immense store OF latent energy
1t WAS Enough, II used rs Napoleon used
gunpowder, 10 crush into dust all the CAPT.
talslot. Europe In one day. 1.-THE German
philosopher, who thought that the force
stored away in thunder cloud was more
than that required 10 fight fifty battles Of
Smoleneko, when one Of the belligerents
alono fired ninety thousand csnnen and
twenty-five million musketa, what must
his calculation have been had he consid-
cred those huge mountains buried In ar.
NOR Of snow, measured only by millions
and millions and millions Of tons. 81
| 1t requires the Guns Of months 10 melt
the snow, and high river TO bear the
water away. When this is allowed all
4passes OF gradually. But in 1862 1t was
not 30. The winter rains had ceased, and
the whole country from one end Of the
plains to the other was bursting with the
iullness Of tie spring. The sky was IN.
croeaed by q cloud.
l have thought that there is nothing in
all nature more miraculous than spring
in California. l like an Eastern spring
better, but here it comes SO suddenly that
one cannot realize it. It ssems impossible.
Prof. Marsh, in his grand work on nature,
which he calls "The Unwri,ten Word OF
God" says that II We could close our eyes
at night on winter aud open them at morn
on summer, tho change would so effect us
that We should have no power left to ques-
! ton the miracles Of the New Testament.
1t is because the change comes 80 gradually
and because we expect it that We do not
wonder at It. But here even this condition
disappears. One almost goes to sleep at
night, his last glance having fallen on bare,
grassless, treeless plains, and wakes in the
morning to find the whole scene changed,
grass, flowers and sunshine everywhere.
Theamount ofeunshine that is required to
thaw TIE ground among the Alleghanies
is here sufficient 10 clothe all nature in
robes Of greenness. decked with flowers OF
bright, innumerable and undreamed Of
| colore. r.. s,
The spring Of 1862, as l am told, was
late. Winter held On long; but, at last it
gave way, and the warm sunshine did in a
few days what it would have required
months to do in some climates. Ofcourse
! was not here theu, for, in fact, was not
two years old, but can readily imagine
that it wen beautiful among the groves OF
oak, willow and sycamore that grow along
Kings River, extending like green or.
cherds far on every side. n
DESTRUCTION BEGUN. y!
There were mot many people living on
tha Riyer pl,;pe %1,n, D.