The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-09-15

great gorge on the MERGED River, well
in toward the heart of the Sierras, due
east of San Francisco Geologicaly II
is one of those curious features Of
mountain building which our study Of
Nature and her ways has made pro-
blem TO be wondered over. Conjectured
about, studied and pondered Scenically
IL is one of the magnificent wonders Of
the world. to be seen, 20 be enjoyed, to
be enthralled by.
The MERGED River has it's source in
the Mt. Lyel glacier Mt. Lyell rising
over 1900 feet above sea level and be-
ing one of the high peaks Of the serras.
The river flows nearly due west. tur-
| bulent stream of rapids and cascades,
until it plunges down into the eastern
end or read Of the gorge which consti-
tutes Yosemite Valley, in the Nevada
| Fails. a sheer drop of sos feet. At all
seasons there is a tremendous body Of
water at this part of the river In the
| spring and early summer when the
melting SHOWS over miles Of mountains
are added to the floods Of the glacier
source, it is q roaring flood. not com
parable indeed i'm volume TO Niagara,
! but falling more than three times the
distance. The great flood rs broken up
| into masses Of mist upon which the
sun paints myriad rainbows. The wa
! ters, caught for an instant in pool
at the foot of the fall. which they have
themselves followed out make dash
! through "A bdllder streWn channel form
! ing the Diamond Cascade, over great
| sloping bench on the wall Of the gorge,
! to where a mile away II leaps from Its
granite bed i'm a stream eighty feet wide
| $50 feet down, forming the Nernal Fans.
| But between the foot Of Nevada Fails
and the top of Vernal Falls, the Mer-
we'd River has blossomed into beauties
| almost as startling as the falls them
selves. From the foot Of Nevada Fails
the river forms the Diamond Cascade
| for a time But the tortuOus, troubled
and boulder broken bed gives place TO
a smooth polished granite floor where
its waters spread 80 wide as never, even
in floods times, to be deep, but always
| swift, a mile a minute, or more. Inc
effect is wonderful The water is per-
fectly transparent. The granite bed Is
smooth. Not a pebble nor projection
break the flow. The light is reflected
from smooth granite bed, through the
fast flowing waters giving the rarely
descriptive name by which this stretch
of the river is known-the Silver
Apron.
Remembering that from Tie foot OF
Nevada Falls 90 the top Il Vernal Falls
! ,ne river foilows course over what Is
great bench Of granite at the head
OF the valley, will aid in appreciating
the marvellous effects produced az the
river rushes down the Diamond Cas-
cade, spreads out In the Silver Apron
and gathers, just before 1t leaps over
the ledge to form the Vernal FAILS, into
the Emerald Pool. The effects or sun
light in this part Of the river are most
marvellous. The water is clear. inc
course Of the river across the grahlIe
bench Is little fretted by shadow of
rock or tree. The granite bed OF the
river water-pollshed, reflects the light
evenly SO that here, on large scale
are the uninhuenced effects Of clear
running water over an even rejecting
surface throughout a summer Of cloud
less skies. But the effects are not
monotonous. The suns rays strike the
+ water at different angles every hour
The depth OF the water varies IN a
thousand places. In the Emerald Poo
the depth OF the water gives to the
light luminous green. over the Sill
J yer Apron there Is the scintillatlne
whiteness OF masses Of diamonds. Al
a study in reflected light under simple
but serrled conditions, this part OF the
river challenges in interest even TINS
falls.
From the foot Of Vernal Falls th'
river tumbles down a winding, twisting
rocky. always rapidly descending pea
around Grizzly Peak, soaring preci
pice. until It reaches the level floor o
the main axis OF the valley, where ]
becomes a placid stream, gentle an'
y clear. o ribbon Of silver winding dowr
the valley toward the west and away L
water the wheat fields, the orchards an'
. the vineyards Of the great San Joaquin
Valley After a turbulent but no
. sullying youth, It settles down to III
, Hhrough the valley, quiet and cain
hut not less clear and beautiful.
Not far from where the MERGED rive
rounds the Grizzly Peak and transform
itself from a roaring stream TO "A placl
river IL receives the water OF Ienay'
Creek, which, rising miles back IN III
a mountains in TenaYa Lake, noWb'
mountain stream, though through
less tempestuous course than the Mei
, ced TIL n finds itself within the roc
:. walled gorge Of Yosemite, formih
Mirror Lake, one Of the gems OF IN
valley. -
= From Mirror Lake and the foot OF IN
Grizzly Peak, Yosemite Valley eXtehu
nearly due east and west about seVe
miles and through 1t the MERGED rave
dows. bright, clear, gentle, trout-in
babited. The floor OF the valley, froI
G half a mile to two miles in width
y remarkably even and level, having onl
gentle decliyity to the west U
both north and south the walls rise al
= most perpendicularly TO a helght :
rrbm 1000 TO $500 feet above the floor
A one Of the marvels Of the place ho'
X sheer these walls rise. There Is yer
little debris at the foot Of the walls
some places none at all. 1t Is as
in some great CONFUSION during IN
mountain building era, sectloh Oh y,
mountain had just dropped stralsl
49,. N thousand feet. Indeed TINS