, 1843-06-17
Nature,s Soda Fountains.

heretofore noticed as being full of in
formation and interest. While among
the mountain valleys on the Great
Bear river and in the vicinity ofGreat
Salt lake, he fell in with some remark
able springs, called by the traprers
and hunters Beer Springs oil which
he gives The following account:
The Immediate neishborhood Of
our cncanpment IS n OF the most re-
mltkable in the Rocky Mountains
The fact shat the trail to Oregon and
California VIII forever Of necessity
pass within three hundred Yards Of the
place where wi camp fire IS burning;
that near this spul must he erected Il
resting place Tor the long lines of car.
avans between the harbors of The Pa
ciic and tie waters Of the Missouri,
would Of Themselves interest all who
are Witnessing the irresistible. move
men,s OF civilization upon the Ameri-
can continent. Bat lhis spot has OBJ
jecls of interest: il geology and MI
nrIalogy, and | might well say the
Oh, mislIy Of 1t, Tor jhcre are Iahorato-
ries and gases here in the greatest
prolusion, vii hereafter occupy the
attention of tie l,vrrs of these scTen-
ccs.
The SoIa Springs, called by tie
fur traders eerSprng-.a are tie
remarkable objects Of tine kind within
my knowledge. They are situated
On lie northwest side Of Tie Iiver, a
few rods below a grove of shrub-ce-
dars, and about two hundred yards
tom tie store. Ti.ere are SIX crouIs
OF lem; or in o;lcr wcid<. rleie az
small follows suGktn al out Two !eCt
below the ground aroLnG, u! circular
FUN, seven or eight feet in diameter,
in Which there az q Euu Ter Of !oun-
Tins, sending up laree quantities Of
Us and wafer. and cnitlHg a noise
resembling the boiling CT immense
cau!drons. These pools are usual'y
clear. with a grayeily bottom. In
son e ci them, however. grow logs or
hos acks Ol coarse grass, among which
are many iiulc wells. where tie WI
'er bubLled SO meui'y that ! was
tempted 10 drink at oi.c of item; hut
as ! proceeded 10 DO So the s~uilocat-
in properties Of the gas mstaniiy
drove me from my purpose.
After this reLuil, however, | made
another attempt at a o open touL-
tain, and drank with Ii lie difficulty.
The watersHpPeared 10 lie more higI.-
~ Impregnattd with sudt and &C d
than those ofSara:oca. were extrome-
~ Pleasant To Ile ta>t., ard TUNED
from the stomach Ike tie soda water
tiom the shops. Some of them threw
of at least four 81 OBS Of gus a second;
and although they cast up large mas
ses of water continually, for which
there appear no outlet, yet at di.ler-
ent times OF observation could per-
cleve no increase or diminu;:on OF the
quantity visible. There are five or
SIX other springs i'll TIE bank OF the
nver, just below. whose waters re-
scnbled those ! have described: n
OF them DISCHARGES about l9rty cal
lons.a minute.
.OIe-fourlh Of a mile down stream
from the Soda Springs is what is CAL
ed 1.-The Steamboat Spring" The
oriicr from which it casts is a,er is
in the face of a perpendicular rock,
On the brink OF Tie stream, which
seems to have Leen formed by the de-
positions o! the fountain. 1t Is eight
inches III diameter. Six fee { ON this,
and on The horizontal II ne Of the
rock. Is another orifce, in the cavern
teiow. On approaching the spring Il
deep CUR. ling sound is heard under
ground: 1t appears to be produced by
the generating OF gas in c%avernous
receiver. THIS, when the chamber
is filed. bursts through another cav
ern filed with water which it ,brusis,
irothing and ioamIng, into the stream.
in passing the smaller orifice the
rent gass escapes With very much
the same sound US steam makes 10 The
escape PIP, ct a steamboat. Hence
the lame. The periods of discharge
are very irregular. A, tunes they oc-
cur once IN two, at others once in
three, four, or five minutes. The
lorce OF lis action also is subject to
great variarion. These who may
have visited it often say that its noise
his been heard to echo far among the
hills. When | visited it | could not
hear ii at the distance OF two hundred
yards. There is also said to he a dit
terence at different times in the tenn
Perature of the water. When | ex-
amined il, it was little above blood
heat; others have seer it much high
err.