The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-12-27
The Valley and Pass OF 'sNell" i'm
Maintain T,orrffn~w

khS safiey anG Pass OF Aeu - HI
Montana Territory. ~, ~
A correspondent Of the Cincinnati Com
n'ercial, writing from the Head waters of
the Yellow Stone, Montana" gives the fol-
lowing description Of the "Yalley and
Pass of He'll y, in that Territory -
= And here, from the spot on which
stand, with my companion on this exploring
expedition, tracing my notes, drink in
the views, so weird, so passing strange,
that even in my widest dreams never
aught like this was seen. AS daylight is
dying on the Yellow Stone hills, the sun
melting down into the verge of the hori
zen, shooting his slanting rays far into the
gloom of grotesque cliffs, and lingering
upon the loftier peaks, converting their
rugged surfaces into purple and gold, the
islands in the river swell bold and beauti-
full in the rosy light, while yonder distant
cone-like hill stands against the sky q
conspicuous mass fringed with fire. The
gigantic mountains to the west cast their
shadows far down into the silent valley at
our feet, while the silvery Yellow Stone
flows on its whispering way, breaking the
sombre aspect of the plain with the line Of
its cleaning waters. In this valley mys-
terious wonders have been made visible
from time immemorial, Of which the mo-
bile Saxon never heard. The Indians in
the vicinity tell us it has always been thus.
Out of this plain, or valley, rather, which
extends over an area Of fifty miles, issue
million sharp jets Of bluish-white fame, in
terspersed with fitful puffs of pearly vapor,
which sail upward in endless turbipated
convolutions, until reaching high altitude,
they dissolve and blend with the fuctu-
ating cloud which hangs over the valley, as
if to shield it from mortal eyes. The plain
is dotted with innumerable rumps, from
whence these vapory and fiery columns are
emitted. In their formation they resem-
BILE miniature volcanoes. Fire-springs like
these may be found in China and the
geysers Of Iceland are butresults Of volca-
mic action of the same nature, though of
greater force and power than the hot
springs in the valley Of the Yellow Stone.
One cannot help thinking that fiercest
fires rage somewhere below the external
envelope Of the plain, to thus fan and force
flames above the surface. A gentleman
and Savant connected with our party
ascribes these igneous streams to gases
escaping from q "veiled hell" Another
specially Of volcanic action may be OBJ
served by closer investigation Of the conf
cal hills which loom up from the surface in
every direction. Though there are no
deep craters in their SUBMITS it is
an easy matter to detect gentle hollow
in each, more or less deep, covered with
crumbling PARTICLES of lava-like rock. The
base and sides are also thickly strewn with
the like porous depositS-some Of very
large size, like enormous cindery cakes,
the refuse of foundry furnace. A sui
phurous odor is IN the atmosphere, re-
minding one of our companions of his eX-
perience of q choke-damp. Surrounding
tie entire plain are lofty calciferious rocks,
eroded and skcletonized by action Of rains
or shifting bodies Of water, which now bear
the appearance of inverted pyramids,
prisms, and various other configurations.
Besides preparing dctrituS, which lay piled
in heaps at the foot of the cliffs, frequent
torrents had so corroded and dismantled
the rocks that one would imagine that a
destructive fire had ragged and burned up a
city, by the quantity Of fallen columns
which lay scattered around in the most
indescribable confusion. In the inster-
stices of the debris there bubbled nume-
rous saline springs, and, continuing our
examination further, we discovered several
hot-water springs, from whence yapory
columns continually ascended. Ontesting
the warmth of the water with Fahrenheit's
thermometer, the mercury, which stood
previously at eighty degrees, shot up to one
hundred and eighty degrees. The tread
of our horses feet sounded hollow,
while the noise seemed to reverberate
along the earth like an echo. Not blade
of grass was to be seen excepting along
the margin Of the tiny streams. The
whole aspect of the plain was arid in the
extreme. CHASTITY relics of animal life
covered the ground along the stream.
This was evidently caused by the gather
ing of the buffaloes in the fall to cross the
Sweet Grass, where they luxuriated for
season, protected by the rising hills from
the bleak winds, which with the force of
simoons sweep over the northern prairies,
until the severity of the season and the
scarcity of grass compelled them to leave,
when they found their egress prevented by
the. deep SHOWS in the passes, and they
must have perished from hunger and cold,
leaving their bones to be picked by hungry
wolves and to be bleached in the sun and
rain. No language can give any idea of
the fearful desolation of this wonderful
valley. 1t struck our hearts with name
less dread. Not wolf infested the cham
bered cavities Of the cliff; not buzzard
lowered over the vicinity. All was silent
in this Valley Of Death.