Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-12-28

TACT, the whole surface OF the hill seems TO be
but shell formed over an immense lake of
boiling water In some PLACES along the
creyices immense volumes of steam are
thrown up, while within few feet, instead of
steam, air, as hot as the "breath Of fur
nace," is rushing forth. An almost suffocat-
ing odor Of sulphur pervades the atmosphere
Of the vicinity, and by scratching slightly in
the dirt Of the surface, crystals of pure brim-
stone will be found in almost any part Of the
ridge. Altogether, it is apt to remind one Of
the place we used to hear tell of. .j s-&
In some places the sand and rubbish Of the
surface is beautifully frosted over with deli
cate little needle-shaped crystals of alum; in
other places with saltpetre and soda. Some
times these crystals are red, yellow or purple,
and composed of some, to me, unknown min
eral or minerals. There are some eight or
ten springs that throw water above the sur
face, but none of them to hight exceeding
twelve inches, as general rule, but this in
termittent throb takes place with pulse-like
regularity in some springs once in second,
and in others once in two or four, accompa-
MED by sort of shrill puff, and it is from
this particularly that the springs take their
name Some springs are surrounded by a
sort Of cone, three or four feet in hight, and
once in three or four minutes the water will
commence kissing and bubbling, and rise al
most to the rim Of the enclosing basin, when
it will suddenly recedc, and the bottom, dry
and sandy, may be seen two feet below.
During my first visit to the Springs had
crawled down one Of these cones (watchng
my opportunity when the water was down,
and springing cut when heard the murmur-
ing and kissing which always preceded its
return for the purpose Of securing some of
the beautiful, fringe-like concretions adhering
to the walls, when all of sudden, (while in
the hole, / felt the earth tremble, and heard
below me tremendous roaring and kissing,
and had barely reached the top when the
boiling water, with great rush of steam,
recede, as formerly, at the surface, but spout
ed up into the air fifteen or twenty feet in a
column three feet in diameter. AS for your
correspondent, I've done little tall travelling,
and that without once looking around until
he had placed ten good rods between himself
and the seat of the commotion. This column
was at first as white as milk, but afterwards
changed color and became mass Of thin
blue mud. After spouting at this furious
rate for about two hours, it suddenly ceased
and going up and looking in l saw the bot
tom of the well as dry and sandy as though
drop Of water had never wet its surface,
but didn't go down after more specimens
On second visit found this spring had
changed. 1t no longer went entirely dry
but would rise and fall about two feet once il
the space of a minute. Near it a new spring
had burst out, the constant bubbling of which
seemed to operate as a check to any of it:
former violent demonstrations.
In some places there arc pools ten to fiteer
feet in diameter of temperature little shor
of blood heat, and would make splendid bath
ing places but for the fact that they have nj
bottom; being merely creyices running dowr
to an unknown depth. In one or two place:
these ponds appear to be of considerable un
foreground extent, as stick may be thrus
underneath in all directions without finding
any walls,-there being crust of lava cover
ing the water like the ice on mill-pond.
i There is one spring which, from the pecu
liar minerals held in solution, has the powe
of petrifying almost any vegetable substance
immersed in it.-sticks, straws, leaves, flow
ers, and even feathers, are in short tim
converted to stone. But the flowers los
their color, and, as is also the case with tn
feathers, become SO brittle as not to bea
handling. have in my possession piec
of some miners shirt, taken from this spring
which is completely petriied. In some o
the springs near Steamboat City, have secl
camp-ket.le hanging, containing the bee
for some ncighboring miners dinner, ant
even though it were the flesh of an OK tina
crossed the plains in 40, it would be done
hot water will cook beef. ev ~,
There is commodious and substantia
hotel fitted up for the benefit Of invalids VIII
may visit the springs for their health. Their
are bath houses erected over and near tn
springs for vapor and water bathing Person
afflicted with rheumatic and other kindred
disorders derive great benefit from bathing
here. 5.r Yf i.ys 1avac afass RsG .ga6 e~i
c The Springs are claimed and partly fenced
in, but what the lucky holder ever intends
doing with them is more than | can see, -
should think he would in aboutthe sam'
ppredicament as the man Who drew the ele
| chant IN the lottery. Perhaps he is some
! sracrlct;ve Yankee Who Is hated to see tn,