The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-24
CALIFORNIA GLACIERS
THE TREMENDOUS ICY MONSTERS
OF THE HIGH sIERRAs.
Some Curious Phenomena-Scenery
More Grand Than Can BE Found
i'm Switzerland.
Erancisco Call

Among the many attractions which Cali
fornia offers TO strangers and her own
people are the glaciers that lie in the high
sierras that constitute the backbone or
the State The glaciers of Switzerland at
tract thousands to that region every sea-
son, and it would be interesting to know
how many Of these American glacier-seek-
ers are aware that some of the most re-
markable glaciers in the world are In
America The California ice rivers found
in the Sierra Nevadas are not remarkable
for their size, but are, nevertheless, typical
glaciers, and taken with the fine scenery
of the mountains well repay the climbing
that is necessary to observe them.
If one could ascend in balloon from
the summit Of Mount Shasta most inter-
esting series of glaciers would be observed
radiating from the central peak; and even
while standing on the cone three may be
followed with the eye, one being about
four miles in length, with an average
width of three four miles Imagining
ourselves posed above the peak We see
below the sharp summit, 145l1 feet high
and on the left, Shastina crater. In old
| times. geographically speaking, Shasta has
| been terrific volcano. and the canyons
| of its TANKS are cut into the lava deposits
| of ages. The greatest glaciers seem to
| reach to the north and east Reaching
| down into the Shastina crater is the
| Mount Whitney glacier. that winds away
| from the summit to the west, sending
small glacier to the south, encompassing
the Red Rocks near the SissonS trail.
From the ridge that reaches down south
west and the north side are seen six
\ or eight small glaciers. The whitney
| turns to the north, and, after throwing q
| spur to the west. extends along, skirting
| the Shastina crater ending in a morane
| at about $3.50 feet above the sea.
TRUE GLACIERS.
| The glacier is three-quarters of a mile
| long and covers an area of about 100000
square yards. 1t is an interesting fact
| that in nearly all the old descriptions of
Shasta the writer's appear to have taken
| these glaciers as simple deposits of snow
that lie in the deep canyons, and SO last.
| But such is not the case; they are true
| glaciers, exposed to the sun for three-quar-
| tiers of the year. The view up Whitney
/ glacier Is grand and impressive, showing
| great assures and crevices deep enough
| 10 be extremely dangerous in crossing, and
| requiring no little Alpine climbing to sur
| mount.
Crossing a ridge to the east of Whitney
| glacier We see the BolaIn glacier reaching
| down from the summit in a northerly
| direction AT the summit it appears sepa-
| rated by a Sinuous ledge of volcanic rock
| and below is pierced by numerous jagged
L
| terminal miraine-a mass of rick heaped
| up, the result of the crushing force of the
| Ice river There is one extremely deep
| crevasse at the altitude if 10000 feet-a re-
| markable fissure reaching down deep into
the heart of the glacier. Below this there
| is succession of deep chasms. The entire
| glacier Is about one and a half miles in
| length and has ice area Of about l.
$4,000 square yards. It's terminal moraine
| lies about 1900 feet above the sea- From
| the slopes of this glacier an idea of the
| grandeur or SHASTA may be derived To the
n n1orthW YES It stretches away in a majestic
| the descent is 10000 feet in eight miles.
RAISING over a dividing peak, 11,O5S feet
above the sea to the east, Hotlum glacier
| is reached, which extends in a northeast
| direction from the summit. 1t is wide and
Ian-shaped, its foot ending in a terminal
all is still on the glacier, but at MONDAY
| when the heat of the summer sun is felt
| myriads of streams find their way down.
| cutting the glacier and making passage
| often dangerous
The neve of Hotlum, or the upper portion
mas two conspicuous ice streams that flow
| tnrougn IL. one in particular Is forced be-
| tween two rocky buttresses and SO shat
| tered that the ice assumes the appearance
OF lofty pinnacles fifty or sixty feet in
| height. These are typical of glacial ice, as
Stunning rich opalescent blue colors well
| worth the climb to enjoy The creya sses
mere are deep and dangerous and from
melting and downward motion of the lev
monster Here are the famous glacial
wells. filled with blue-tinted water. Hot
lum is about mile and quarter in length
and mas an area OF 9,6OO,OO0 square feet.
| VAST PILES OF ICE.
Following around Hotlum glacier we come
to the southeast tongue, which is called
Wintun glacier, and which appears to reach
down further than any Of the others, send
ing narrow limb into deep canyon From
its lower end rushes glacial stream form
ing Wintun falls, about eight thousand
| feet above the level of the sea- OF all the
Shasta glaciers Wintun is perhaps the most
remarkable. Here are 100000 square feet
| of ice-a gigantic fiat berg, reaching to an
| unknown depth, three-quarters of a mile
| wide and nearly two miles in length. It's
rate OF movement has not been tested, but
! glance at Its surface shows the terrific
power that is forcing the ice on and on
| In its descent the glacier forms a series
or magnificent cascades, the volcanic rock
beneath the ice never forcing it upward
| The glacier finally enters a narrow rock
bound canyon with high walls, and for
| long distance is covered with rocks that
| are constantly flying down from the sides
| of the precipice. In summer it is dangerous
to approach the sides Of the canyon, as
| rocks are rolling down constantly. The
! glacier reaches down TO eight thousand feet
above the sea, and from the lower por-
ton makes a true glacial river of yellow
mud, finally leaping off a cliff four hun
| dred feet high.
Directly. to the south lies Kounakiton
| glacier, that ends on the 12,O00-foot level
1t also has a glacial. river, which gives rise
to fall of three hundred or four hundred
| feet in height These glaciers are certainly
| not increasing In size, and are the remains
| of what were veritable ice giants in days
| gone by, well repaying the effort necessary
| to reach them.
| The glaciers on Shasta, like others are
| simply the result of fall of snow in ex-
| cess of melting, the snow accunula ting.
| the pressure converting the under portion
| into ice and its weight causing 1t to con-
| tinually move downward pushing the
| gravel and rocks along cutting deep into
the mountain pilng up moraines and melt
ing at it's foot.
In the Sierra Nevada mountains, in Cal
ifornia, between ATTITUDES sc degrees and So
| degrees, in the country between Owens
lake and Tahoe, are a number of extreme
| ~ interesting glaciers, those about Mounts
| Whitney, Lyell, Ritter and Dana being the
finest. These glaciers are especially no
ticeable from the fact that they are dirnin-
ishing. In former times they were of gil
gantic size and filled the great basins like
but now they are dwindled down to less
than a mile in length, but retaining all
the characteristics of genuine glaciers. Ly-
ell glacier is an example of this recession.
To-day il is hardly mile i'm length, while
in former years it reached from the present
bed of Tuolumne creek half mile up
ward, half a mile of solid blue ice. All
these glaciers are well worth a visit and
the American, at least, need not visit EsI-
rope when his own country is so we'll sup
| piled.