Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-10-12
THE GEYSIYa.

even in its quiescent state, the Grc0t
GeySir is most interesting and beautiful
object. At such time it appears as round
shallow basin, of grey cacareous stone, filled
to the brm with the clearest water, at an al.
most boiling temperature. The basin is some
70 feet across, and in the center Of this is a
natural funnel, 16 feet in diameter at the top
but soon contracting to 10 or ii, leading
down to the bowels Of the earth. BY con.
slant petrifcation this basin is considerably
elevated above the ground in its neighborhood
to the hcighth OF say or feet. Every no "
and then, at intervals quite uncertain, a
noise is heard like the firing OF a cannon un-
derground, and an enormous bubble rises
to the surface up the mighty tube, agitating
the water in the basin, and causing it slight
ly to overflow. The phenomenon is of fire.
quent recurrence, and often passes over with
outleading to any further demonstration. But
not so when an eruption is about to take place,
an event which happens sometimes once, some
times twice. in the twenty-tour hours, some
times once in two days. On such occasions,
thunder shakes the ground, bubbles rise, each
one higher than that which preceded it, then
an overloaded column Of water is seen strug-
Cling slowly upwards for moment,and then at
last with stupendous roar, the whole mass
is hurled away into the air to an incredible
height, and falls in steaming cascades on
every side. Woe to the careless traveller
who has stood upon the brink in instant toe
long certain death is his at least if a sea
Of boiling water can do him harm. Many
Il time were we scared away by false alarms
knowing that, if we waited til the momelH
of eruption, it would be too late to fly. But
at distance of fifty yards this astonishing
spectacle can be viewed with perfect safety
AMI at a5oUt that distance our tent was boldly
pitched from whence, next morning, we hat
the satisfaction Of witnessingthe noble sight
constantly renewed Tor four or five minutes
time. Thore are two other Geysirs in the
immediate neigh)orhood; one Of respectable
proportions; the other, a mere garden ioun.
tain. The larger Of these two is called tho
Strokh,r, and though it can hardly be com
pared in size and grandeur with the Grso'
GrySer, still makes very tolerable eruption
1t differs in character from the Great Gtysir
first, in having no basin above its funnel, and
no water ordinarily in the funnel itself to the
depth of ten feet from the surface; and sec
oudy, in the very anliable peculiarly Of
being crrifads For, strange to say, an
eruption may be brought about at any time
in Nrokh,r, by merely throwing sods OF
stones down the pipe. When this is done
the water, which ia usually gurging anl
steaming some ten feet down, begins 10 grow
more 5oistorous and noisy, and, at last, aite
many preliminary attempt, it rushes up thu
pipe, and carries the provoking stones or sod
high into the sir in II boiling and mudd,
cascade. After about dozen such efforts i
becomes exhausted and can hardly be excite,
again to action for period of two Or three
hours. Poor Strohker got but little res
while we stayed there The third Geysir i
n pretty little scouting thing, its pipe about
eight inches across, and the height of it
eruptons, say fifteen or twenty feet. Curl
ously enough it has regular period Of abou
h'ty-fve minutes. Yacht engage to Irefa"
in 1853.