The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-19
PATROLLING THE YOSEMITE.
HOW L. 5. CAVALRY PROTECTS OUR
GREAT NATIONAL PARK.

Reservation would Be Ruined But
for Their Work.
San Francisco. Aug. 21.-About 175 miles
east of san Francisco, as the crow flies
is one of the Wonderlands of North Amer
lea. the Yosemite National Park. This
mark was set aside by Congress as a ma
tional reserve in 1880 in pursuance of the
w.se policy of outstanding the timberland
near the headwaters of our great rivers
Carved from the very heart of the tower
ing Sierra Nevadas comprising an area
of about 400 square miles, this reserva-
ton contains within its limits no less than
twenty snow clad peaks, among the lof-
test in the United States; a forest Of the
grandest proportions, including a grove
of the celebrated gigantea sequoia, or
''big trees" hundreds of beautiful lakes
and mountain streams almost without
number. These, fed from the perpetual
SHOWS of the higher attitudes make their
way in a series of grand cataracts and
through gorges of amazing depth, to unite
eventually, when free of The mountains,
within the great central valley of the San
Joaquin-a river which is to the basin
through which it flows what the Nile is
to lower Egypt.
Near the head valleys of many of the
streams in the park, before they have
entered their canons, are to be found eX-
tensive strips of grass land, called
meadows from half-mile to a mile in
width and oftentimes several miles long,
affording in the proper season excellent
pasturage. When the grass in the valley
begins to dry up the sheepmen Casually
Portuguese and Mexican herders) have
been accustomed to work their way grad
ually up into the foothills and mountains,
advancing with the season, to take advant-
age of this fresh pasturage, still green
from the recently melted SHOWS In the
advance with their great fOcks, number
ing oftentimes several thousand head of
sheep each, they resemble the march of
an invading and destroying army, eating
up everything that is green and eatable.
1t makes no difference what their line Of
advance-the sheep are turned loose and
allowed to Craze everywhere be the prop
erty private or public. With the approach
of winter the sheepmen set fire to the dry
timber land, in receding from the noun
tains, so that as much vegetation as pos
sible will be killed, In order that the
snow may be earlier in melting, the en-
suing season, and their return to the
mountains be correspondngly advanced.
The sheep unlike the cattle, keep together
In large herds, trample down and XIII the
everything eatable in their progress that
they have practically forced the deer once
numerous in this region, to migrate to
other parts for subsistence. A still greater
evil results from the appetite which the
sheep above all other animals possesses
for the bark and twigs of the young trees
Thus with all the old timber destroyed by
forest fires of their kindling, on the one
hand, and all the young timber destroyed
by their fiocks, on the other, the sheep
men have well been called the Course of
the Sierras," and their progress through
the mountains has been not inaptly COM
pared with that of the destroying Huns
through the defenseless Roman empire.
WORK OF THE CAVALRY PATROL.
These facts were to some extent known
to the government when the Yosemite
national park was set aside; and the war
department was requested to furnish
troop Of cavalry for it's patrol. The
late Capt. Abram +. Wood, with Troop
I. Fourth United States Cavalry, was as
signed to this duty, and he became,
through the authority Of the Secretary of
the Interior, the acting superintendent of
the park. AS soon as the snow had suf1i-
cienuy disappeared to make it practical
Bile, Capt Wood marched his troop into
the park and established his main camp
on the south fork of the MERGED river in a
beautiful grove, not far from the southern
boundary of the park He at once sent
out details to patrol the park, establish
trails, "blaze" the trees along the bound
airy lines, and put up printed notices fur
nished by the interior department warn
ing against the starting of forest fires, the
trespassing of cattle, sheep, etc. and en-
bodying the other regulations of the de
partment. The captain also took pains TO
write letters to all the stockmen and
sheep owners in the San Joaquin valley
whose names he could obtain in which he
defined the limits of the park and enclos-
ed copy of the regulations calling for
the expulsion of trespassing sheep and cat
lie These, however, while respected by
the cattlemen pretty generally had little
erect upon the sheepherders Mere paper
regulations they did not respect at ALI
and they expressed the view freely that
with their knowledge of the country. thew
would Craze their sheep where they chose:
ahd that, II any soldiers should come near
10 modest them, it would be easy enough
TO draw back further into the mountains
where the soldiers would not dare 10 ven.
ture with their horses. Indeed. so COM
plete and autocratic had been their for
mer sway, that they looked upon the
pasturage of this region as their own
property; and they freely boosted that
they would resort to the logic Of their
rifles before they would be crowded ort
OF their rights by lot of "chuckle-head-
ed soldiers" Accordingly, when the sea
son advanced, and the grass had become
poor In the valleys and foothills. the sheen
men, as usual had moved up into the
mountains, paying no attention to any Of
the warnings that they had received.
TACKLING THE BOASTFUL HERD
ERS.
Not long after Capt. Wood had gone
into before the sheepman had a chance Ia
make good their boasting. On one of his
first expeditions, Davis had left his little
party IN the canyon, and had climbed a
steep, barren slope to take a general oh
servatlon Of the country and catch the law
of the land. After while he thought thai
he detected the faint tinkle of a ben In
the distance, listening, he made sure Of
the direction, and started for it. After
clambering over rocks and through brush
for some time, he came IN sight of the ont
ht-a large flock of sheep in charge Of
four Portuguese attendants. or Shepherds
and motley collection of dogs The men
were all armed with rifles and had seen
Davis as soon as he saw them. Not de-
TERED however ne 10