THE WEST SHORE.
241
the mighty Tu-tock-ah-nu-ln carved his lineaments upon
the rocky front of El Capitan, that the Yo-Semites might
ever remember liiui, anil wandered away iu search of the
lost maid.
At the head of the South Fork of the Merced, in nn
arm of the valley extending to the southeastward, ore to
he seen the magnificent Nevada Falls, called " Yo-wi-ye "
(" Meandering") by the natives. Ascent from the valley
to the base of the fulls is accomplished by means of a
series of ladder stairways built up the face of the rocks,
which had formerly been unscaleable except by the use
of ropes. The river pours over the brink 700 feet above,
and falls in an unbroken sheet for 500 feet, then, striking
upon the smooth side of the rocky wall, breaks into a
thin sheet of silvery white fully 130 feet in width, the
flying spray filling the air with sparkling sun-wrought
diamonds. From here the river rushes tumultously
down through a rocky gorge until it again makes a
plunge of 350 feet, reaching then the level surface of the
valley. This is the Vernal Fall, whose Bparkling drops
of spray dancing in the sunbeams, which dyes them with
beautiful tints, has won from the Indians the name of
" Pi-wy-ack," signifying "A shower of Bparkling crystals."
A bold mass of perpendicular rock rising alwve the
Nevada Fall on the north is called "Cap of Liborty,"
from its resemblance to the head-dress of the Gtxldess of
Freedom. From its lofty top, which can be gained only
after much patient climbing, is offered a splendid view o:
the valley and the mountain peaks which hem it in
From the southeastern comer of the summit, by lying
prostrate upon the rock and protruding the head beyom
the brink, one can gaze down the vertical precipice uxn
the top of Nevada Fall, fully 1,500 feet beneath, and see
the water madly plunging over, to be shattered upon the
rocks below. This mountain is called " Mah-tah" by the
natives, meaniner " Martyr, or Suicide, Mountain," prob
ably from Borne tragedy enacted there in the days of their
ancient progenitors.
There are manv other scenes of beauty and objects o
wonder in Yosemite, enough to require a week of diligent
exertion to see them properly, while even months coul
be 8ient there with pleasure to the mind nnd profit t
body. There are other waterfalls to visit and many n
dome and spire to ascend before the valley him been seen
in all its varied aspects; and when the visitor naa accom
nliahnrl all the feats of climbing required, and
everything that challenges his admiration, ho can depart
with the quiet satisfaction of having ImhnH more grand
and beautiful sichts than can l found associated to-
! ., ntuar mw.t. in the universe. There are
tl.r rorrnkr routes into the valley-by Stockton, Milton,
Calaveras Grove and Murphy's; by Merced, Marian
and Clark's, and by Madera and Clark s, the (listen.
from San Francisco being 300, 243 and 27.', nulei
rMnM;vlv The trio from San Francisco, the nana,
starting point to the Yosemite, is now a delightful one,
vhioh Ann h made with comparative ease and comfort,
the former difficulties of rough trails, unreliable trans
portation and uncertain accommodations having been
Intlinn nm.
removed by the commissioners. The exact time con
sumed, lest routes of travel ami the probable expense
can Iw ascertained at the ollioe of any hotel la thai city.
The following is a complete table of the altitudes and
nomenclature of the Yosemite:
WATKHKALI.S.
Sluniflrnttna. Amtrten tViim. nhnr
l,nn Spirit of (ho Kll Wind Hri.Ul Vi.ll Full W
iiinK-oo.too-koii.ya. , . Uing nml Hlmilor Hilibon Fall, or irnin
Twira
YoJiwii-i-to Urw llrlaaly Knur... Yowmlta Kill HAM
i-wy-Bi'V Cataract of Diamomla Vernal rail W
Yo-wi-yo Mmnclariim Nimaila Fall !
Tu-lool-wuiok ulh ' " W
(alaiva latMi) nil
Hx.ya A Mlioliml Hliroli Sentinel (cataract)... aa!
flWoy-ai SliaclntoJIIalirCnulla-llaiknt Itojral Arch Fll 1ml
MOUNTAINS.
TiK-Mt-nolc (Imlilraa at Ilia Valley Kouth Punia n,(HI
loml'a llrnl ,"
To-coy SliailnUillAliyCrailla-llnakni North Ihiiiw Ml
Huiito Watching K.ya waamnicioii lower,,.. .
Miih-tnh Martyr, or Huluiil. Mounlain.('ai of l.ilmrty (ahow
foot Netada Fall).., I.UU
S.wal.-lnm '. Mount Htarr King,.. .
Kr-na-tiiiK Uw-oo.too.II.-ur Hkm Illaeiar roini .
, A MtMlic'inal Slimh Sentinel i.nu
.Muwiiliinli riiuck-ka.Uriiii Acorn Htorehoiimi Cathedral Hnlree tttlt
Ko-aoo-kong Thi-Omr. I.7IW
Callieumi lt' i,ohi
lntralton I'unt !.
Mount llcatltuile JUHI
Tu-liK-k-nli-uit-liil rVinl-lhUy ami limit I hl"l
of Valley teiiain .
l'om.om-a-u MimUliiailayllila-rrog.irc. iinm,, ......
Ilnm-mm Uart Arrow ihiiuui
Kiml full. fceli emwnil fall (or cataract), 4M fertl tlilril fall, li t.
f Hun only in the rarly euring.
Tlte Scdiioln (liiiunU'u, commonly kntwn as tn "Nig
Trees," are one of the greatest instances of mammoth
growth to le foiiml in the world. W ith hi foot as the
accepted standard for the height of a largn man, one
eight feet tall is exhibited as a giant. How wonderful,
then, must a tree seem which is 1150 feet high and over
a il 1 1 . . 1 1 . l! ...
100 font in circumference at tno imse, isting uirmi uum
the altitude and ten times the thickness of ordinary trees
of a large growth? It is no wonder that it tok several
years, many certificates, ami an actual exhibition of hoc.
tions of bark in the Eastern cities, to establish the
existence of such sylvan giants. Them aro a dozen
of these giant trees in California, the most noti
,hose of Calaveras ami Mariposa, Though the
i t .... I.'i.w.V i.ti.l Knwitnli Ilivnr
crovoB on nan uonquui mm - -
contein a greater nnmner oi trees, uirn nrn ii .
siecimens largr than are found in the former, and they
are seldom visited by tourists.
The first recorded discovery of tlie gianw wan
made in the spring of Wl by a hunter named A. T.
Dow.l, who was employed to supply wild meat for work-
entfaiKM in iMiitsinu-niiK m"
groves
of the Union
Water Company, of Murphy's Camp, Culnveraa County.
Ho suddenly came Us.n the grove while pursuing a
woundtnl Isrnr, and instantly M all thought-of bU chaae
in amazement nt this woii.l.-rful forest gr.iwtlu Hm tiry
,f what ho inul seen only evoked bIwuU of Incrmluhty
and derision from his companions, which wore turned
into exclamations of astonishment when he conducted
them to the grove to MioM the wonder for Uiemwtlrea.
men