Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-11-05

and 1881 the STATE nau c. leu OF us BOiu
production sl.OOo.ooO.ooo.
After n hurried glance over the State
and its metropolis the Professor took his
audience TO the famous Yosemite Valley
This Is now a public park. like the yell
lowstone II was originally quite small
inclosing the valley itself but the area
has been extended until II embraces
about thlrty-three miles square. BY a re-
cent act of Congress there has been add
ed TO II. although the government still
retains guardianship over II. the vast re-
gion known as the Sierra Forest Reserve
which makes the park reservation about
$50 miles square.
Tho Valley Of the Yosemite is about
one mile to one mile and half In width
and six miles long. The first great
natural scenery shown 10 the audience
was I'm the Mariposa Grove. with its gi-
eantic sequoias The Grizzly Giant and
Wawona. the two most famous OF the
great trees. were shown on the screen
Wawona Is the tree through whose hol-
low trunk stage coaches are driven. When
the Professor was driven through II I'm a
coach with four the heads Of the front
horses were at one end OF the opening
through the trunk. while the end Of the
coach was at the other. the length OF
the coach and horses exactly marking
the diameter OF the huge tree These trees
are the Sequola Gigantea. and are the
tallost trees on the earth. except the
eucalyptus giants of Australia. which are
smaller I'm size OF trunk. but considerably
taller. The Grizzly Giant is 91-2 feet
In circumference, 81 feet in diameter, and
about go feet high. One gigantic speci-
men I'm the Calaveras Forest is 1O6 feet
I'm circumference and 276 feet high. The
monarch OF the grove Is fallen, and half
of its mighty trunk has been consumed
bv fire or has decayed. II IS known as
the Mammoth
The formation OF the Yosemite Valley
was explained. Scientists believe that 1t
was caused by subsidence-that IS, a
| block OF the granite mountains has sunk
I to a tremendous depth, creating this val
lev. and leaving on each side of II per
pendicular cliffs that tower 5000 TO 400
/ feet above the almost level floor of the
valley itself. The peculiarities OF the val
| ley may be given I'm a sentence. They are,
! first its sides are almost perpendicular.
second. the great height Of the cliffs and
| the width of valley between them, and,
| finally. the small amount OF debris at the
foot of the granite walls.
More than twenty views were shown
| Of the most interesting features of the
| Yosemite Valley. The most beautiful
views were Inspiration Point, FL Capt.
tan. rising $500 feet above the floor OF
the valley; Bridal Won Fails, the Three
Brothers. Cathedral Rocks. and Spires
Sentinel Rock. and the falls themselves.
The cataract is. taken together the high
est I'm the world. From where Il leaps
from the thin lip Of granite, on its first
plunge into the depths. the fall Is $500
feet. The first sheer fan IS loo feet;
| then IL winds I'm and out among preci-
pitous crags and falls COO feet; and,
| finally. takes its last plunge Of 400 feet
/ into the bosom OF the quiet valley. IL
! has two rivals in the cataracts OF the
world One OF its competitors Is the re-
nowned Gavarnie Of the Pyrenees, when
! has a fall Of 1856 feet. and tne other IS
/ in Norway. the DOegerfos, which falls
sheer / 4S5 feet The word Yosemite Is
! he Indian name for a ful-grown bear"
one Of The great curiosties Of the val
ley is the Half Dome. The wonder OF
it Is. what has become OF the other half.
| II has disappeared. and the original dome
seems cleft i'm twain. The opinion OF
scientists is that the other half lies In
! the valley at the foot Of Half Dome. II
| is supposed that the valley beneath the
mountain was Of tremendous depth, and
! that the subsistence Of one-half Of the
dome only partially filed IT.
| The lecture was nttingy closed by "A
number Of views OF California flowers
| and fruit The poppy, the Towering
! datura tree. or trumpet flower, and the
/ pears and palms Of Southern California
were thrown upon the screen with every
/ detail Of color perfect and lfelike Then
came pictures Of the two extremes Of
| that wonderful State; az the northern
] .f- H.. .Hrf "a.
/ Pacific: az the southern. the cocoanut
palms Of San DIEGO Between the two
| lq found every climate and almost every
| nrnlnci nf Tho world