The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-12

not fail to interest all mountain lovers.
and l must particularize also those most
beautiful views from the SUBMITS Of
Glacier Point. Sentinel Dome, Liberty
Cap and Eagle Peak with their piano.
ramss of the valley and the high Sierra.
Ills true that we would miss the iso-
lated individuality. the grandeur and SOL
emn magnihcance of the great snow-cap-
ped mountains OF our inter
Hood, st. Helens. Adams. Jefferson and
Pitt and here, in California, the chaste-
ly beautiful Shasta-but. as mountain
GERS and lovers of nature, we all ought to
see this wonder-piece with its myriad at
fractions of the great and small beaeui $
and glories of natural scenery, all so
gathered together that any one. although
not perhaps so rugged as the members
of our climbing fraternity, can take them
in without undue fatigue, while to those
of US who seek the higher attitudes, there
are the Sierras of the back region. walt
ing for our investigating footsteps our
cameras and our climbing expeditions,
and which can be visited. one after an
other. from the valley.
This region, surrounded the Yosemite,
but Httle known to the general public, Is
filled with most unique and strange ma
tura wonders, craterS- domes ana can
yons that rival the Yellowstone in every
with gamest trout. and gems OF valleys
unknown to the world only by reason Of
the greater celebrity of the Yosemite Be-
leving this region worthy of our atten-
ton, l have just returned from week s
! trip in the valley. during which l saw II
III sunshine and in stormy weather, and
found 1t equally imposing in its smiling.
as we'll as in its frowning moods.
Going in by way of Raymond and Wa
1fa,r u fla &c
higher points were yelled in the clouds.
The next day the peaks remained curtain
ed from our gaze, we visited Nernai
| Falls. taking four-mie tramp through
the valley and up grade over fine trail,
| to and through It's canon, up under the
| fall and to it's edge. where we could look
upon its face of misty feeciness and down
the canon the MERGED river follows to
| the valley.
The next day our party tramped Il
| Glacier Point in the clouds and l con-
tnued on 10 Sentinel Dome SIPS feet
| high, whech was reached IN a driving
| snowstorm after an hours hard climbing
from Glacier Point, through soft snow
aud open spaces in the forests.
The dome is a granite bubble, at one
time pushed up in plastic form; cooling,
its face cracked in different directions and
while contracting, the surface scaled off
disintegrated into coarse granite sand
leaving the parent mass rounded and
dome-shaped. as are nearly all the social
ell 'domcs OF this region.
Il returned to Glacier Point. after hall
an hour at the summit, in time to enjoy
a magnificent panorama of the higher
peaks to the east-the North Dome. the
Basket Dome. Mount Watkins the Hat:
| Dome, Clouds Rest, Mount Gardiner and
| ID,11 \ ~
| Nevada and Vernal Falls, sparkling in
the momentary sunshine as the clouds
broke away for half an hour or so.
reached the Sentinel Hotel in time for
O'Clock dinner. From the floor of the
valley, about 1900 feet above the level
of the sea, to Glacier Point. is a 3.200-foo;
rise; from Glacier Point to Sentinel Dome
925 feet
THE following day. with a party oil
| friends l tramped past Vernal and Ne.
vada Falls again to the Little YOSEMITE
Valley and from there climbed to the tor
of Liberty Cap with an altitude of 7.OG.
feet, from which we viewed the entire
surrounding region. Especially interest
ing did we find South, or Half Dome, just
north, towering above us to the hight al
S,S23 feet, its south convex face showing
veins and cracks plainly to be seer
through the binocuar.
a most interesting geological study. Or
the northeast side, going up. we founC
large scales or shells which had beer
broken off in the process of cooling from
the original igneous condition. Under on'
of these (at least six feet thic4S) was
cavern, in which a dozen people could hav,
Stood and this shell was q least fifty fee
across and of an irregular contour. Ii
another place was a piece OF granite. o.
Lola b11I eha 1Aac Ava foo
across. and If placed eoncave side up. i
would have held water enough for q small
swimming bath. d sIntegration OF the car
of the dome had split off several large
boulders. and the surface was cracked
In places there were holes about a foo
deep, with granite sand bottoms and full
of the finest drinking water. Even on thf'
bleak and uninviting summit few noun
tain pines had gained a foothold and were
sturdily fighting for existence. Lowe
down from the summit of Liberty Cap thu
heather was in bloom, and many varietie:
OF plant life gave promise of Towering
later. From the top OF Liberty Dome the
view of the Little Yosemite was most com
plete and enhancing.
The only person who appears to have
got any good out of the Pegleg was
Mexican. hard-riding vaquero VIII,
punched cattle and herded horses on War
This Mexican suddenly appeared witt
great wealth, wore gorgeous ralment
bucked every monte game between the
Aqua Calaiente and Ensenda, and lorde.
It over the dark eyed damses of his race
| Whenever his funds ran low he left War
ner's ranch alone and returned in tive
days with few thousand dollars in the
burnt black gold of the Pegleg, which ht
deposited with the store keeper at tbs
ranch. Gold--that is, placer gold-has al
individuality OF it's own. and an expert
enced miner can tell by looking at mug
get just where it was found, provided. o.
course. that he has worked the same
ground. And there is no MISLEADING the
Pegleg gold. which, on top, where 1t has
been exposed to the action OF the sun
is as black as Stag.
OF course attempts were made to follow
the Mexican. but he rode the best horse
in the South and at a certain point hi
pursuers always lost him. From this poin
he was invariably absent one day, so Il
is certain that the Pegleg is half days
ride or less from the place where the trail
disappeared. He did not live long to en-
Joy his prosperity. Mexican with whom
he quarreled carved him with knife
and he never spoke afterward. He lef