Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-03-02
THE GEYSER SPRINGS.
BY PROF. J. ALDEN.


"Geysers are very wonderful things" said
Mr.. Horton, as he closed book he had been
reading for an hour or two.
"What are they, papa?" said Willy; "won't
you please to tell me?"
"They are fountains that throw vast quanti-
ties Of hot water and stream to great height in
the air."
"In what part of the world are they found" 2"
In Iceland. One Of them which is called the
Great Geyser, is described as presenting the ap-
pearance ofa large mound. You 60 up its sides,
and you find large basin at the top. 1t is not
quite round, being 56 feet across in one way, and
As the other, and about A feet deep. In the GEN.
tire there is a hole or pipe going down into the
earth 7S feet This pipe is about 8 or 10 feet
in diameter, widening as it opens into the BASIN
The hot water rises up through the pipe, and
then runs over the Sides Every few hours
there are heard loud reports, like that of distant
artillery in the earth beneath the basin, and then
water is elected from the pipe with great vio-
enca and to great height"
I" How high does it rise :"
{" 1t varies sometimes the column Of water
is thrown up 90 or 80 feet high, sometimes so
feet, and sometimes as high as 70 or so feet
Think Of column Of water or 10 feet in d.
ameter, thrown up seventy feet, with tre-
mendous roar, and cloud of steam along with
itn'
81 should think it would be one of the most
wonderful sights in the world.
1t is so"
"Does it rise swiftly?"
"Very swiftly. Sometimes large stones are
thrown up. Sometimes visitors throw stones
in the pipes, and they are thrown out and up in
to the air, where the water is thrown up, and
sometimes they are kept up in the air for four
or five minutes by the action of the water
There arc great many smaller geysers in the
vicinity of this larger one. Mr.. Henderson, who
visited them in 1874 thinks he discovered the
key of one of the largest Of them"
"The key! what did he mean!"
"They throw out the steam and water, as
said, at intervals. After there have been loud
reports, and a shaking Of the earth and an eiec-
ton of water and steam, they will be quiet for
some time, so that the spectator may have to
wait several hours, perhaps, before he may see
them in operation again. Mr.. Henderson found
that, by throwing quantity of large stones into
the opening, he could cause it to make an erup-
tion whenever he pleased AT one time, when
it had been excited to action in this way, it threw
up jets more than two hundred feet high"
at seems as if Mr.. Henderson made it angry
by throwing stones into it."
"When the sun was shining on these jets,
they presented most brilliant appearance
The water appeared as white as snow, and rain
bows were seen all aboutit. Besides the water
pipes in the vicinity-that is, holes in the earth
out of which columns of steam issue. The
clouds Of steam sometimes thrown out cover
the whole heavens from the view'
:" Is the water hot!"
eyes, it is very not, and spectators often get
badly scalded by its falling upon them AT one
time Mr.. Henderson was looking into the pipe
of one of the largest, and the column of scald-
/ ing water came up as swift rs an arrow, within
a few inches of his face"
IL guess he ran. But what is the cause OF
the water squirting up 500"
81 can tell you the general cause by which il
is thrown up, though | cannot explain the par
ticular manner in which il is done. The volca-
mic fires underneath are the cause. The fires
are near the surface, and the phenomena we
have been considering are caused by their nc.
tion."
"Isnt it dangerous to be there %
alt is. The crust of earth over the fire is very
thin, and may fall in at any moment"
"What makes the fires there!"
81 can't answer that question. Probably all
the interior of the earth is one mass of fire."
"One mass of fire. Do you suppose there is
fire under our feetw
II presume there Isl the crust between lis
and the fire is much thicker than in volcanic
countries"
"But still it may burn through. | did moi
think that we were in so much danger"
"We are always in danger-are never safe but
when in the Almighty's hand. There alone is
safety. If we put our trust in him, we are safe
anywhere. If we do not we are safe nowhere
! Woodworth's Youths Cabinet.
A MOTHERS INFLUENcE.--Who can measure