Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-08-16
WONDERS OF CALIFORNIA THE
GEYSERS.

/ The 6eySers Of California are unequaled
among the hot springs of the world They
t are reached BY steamer across the bay from
/ San Francisco to oPetaluma thence By stage
/ fer about fifty miles, over one OF the finest
| farming regions of the State From Eass
Station-the Geysers are twelve miles dis
Z tant, and are reached by a wild, roEsantic
! road. For two miles 1t winds along the Hog
back, mountain summit like the ridge pole
/ Of a steep roof Ii has been leveled until
/ barely wide enough for carriage wheels. and
on each side one looks down precipitous
bank for one or two thousand feet LII the
wheels diverge ten inches from the track the
load of passengers would reach the bottom
much IN the condition of hushel of apples
after passing through a cider-mlll.
The ridges display the dense shrubbeTy Of
the manzlneta or mountain mahOnY, upon
whose red juicy berries grizzly bears sub-ist
and travellers quench their thirst; the
strongly spiced bay or pepper wood, which
has the virtue Of driving away feas, and the
exquisite madrona, with 4 round fruit tasJ
ing hike the drilled thimbleberry. Here bears
and anteiopes offer great temptations to
hunters.
The roar of the Geysers is heard, and
their smoke seen two miles away, in iavoFa-
Die conditions of the atmosphere After
being whirled along a road which pitches
down sixteen hundred feet, with thirty iiva
sharp turns in two miles, the visitor finds
himself in a narrow valley, viewing hundreds
OF steam-jets putting up from the ground
They are chiefly in ravine half q mile long,
know as the Devils Cannon. Steep walls
rise from fifty to oae hundred and fifty feet,
bare, sp0ngy, ashy, ciayey soil without the
faintest sign Of grass OF shrub. There are
fully one thousand places where steam Is
sues from their soil Hot water often bub
bells up above the surface; but much more
startling and impressive Is the boiling lrjth-
N hundreds of cavities under ground. One
feels that only the fiimsiest shell projects
him from some vast subterranean cauldron
At times the ground vibrates so as to rattle
crockery in the hotel one third of mile
away Hot, and cold, and boiling springs
are found side by side each with its own in
dividual hue-blue, brown, black, red,
green, yellow, pink or grey. There con
stituents vary greatly though soda, mague
sia, Epson salts and various salts Of iron
predominate.
10 passing up the canon the visitor burns
his hugures and receives sitting blasts from
natural hot furnaces He must be cautious
where he steps, unless be would break
through the crust into some Of the seethns
R}ot7 DCiNN t1AG9L4Lffhh ~ 81 AliE II )AAAlttE
through an aperture as large as the body OF
man, with a roar ike great steamship, tile
column rising Up for hundreds of feet. The
vent holes are two springs, few feet apart,
which will boil an egg in a minute and
half, and from which the steam escapes with
great force A stone, as large as a man ;
fist, thrown into one Of them, rebounds
three or four feet, ike an India rubber bali.
Y laz-s sFsvs'.ss- 'svsrrss-e,s-' f7ss
along the Pluton river and travellers de
Glars that they far surpass the famed Gey-
sers of Iceland They are not volcanic, but
result from chemical action, The smell Of
birthstone, the kissing steam, throbblng dIa
bolical Indians regard them with the
widest terror, and cannot be persuaded to
approach them and some white visitors
never dare 10 enter the canon. They are
among the most curious and wonderful Of
the many curiosities and many wonders Of
the Pacific coast.
No other region Of equal area can boast
half the natural beauties aud marvels Of
California. ! Yosemite, the Sierras, Mount
Shaster, the Big Trees the Geysers, and
Lake brightest gem in her noun
tain c0r0net-ail are worthy of note among
the most impressive features Of tie visible
universe Already they are sought annually
BY hundreds of foreigners and the compile
/ ton of the Pacific railroad viii make them
! the pleasure grounds of the world.