Weekly Trinity journal. [volume] (Weaverville, Calif.) 1857-1972, 1868-02-01
Valley and Pass OF He'll"


Valley and Pass of He'll"
A correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial
writing from the Headwaters of the Yellow
stone, Montana" gives the following description
of the 4" Valley and Pass of He'll" in that Ter
ritory
And here from the spot on which stand, with
my companions on this exploring expedition,
tracing my notes, drink in the views, SO weird,
so passing strange, that in my widest
dreams never aught like this was seen. AS day
light is dying on the Yellowstone hills, the sun
melting down into the verge of the horizon,
shooting his slanting rays far into the gloom of
grotesque cliffs, and lingering upon the loetier
peaks, converting their rugged surfaces into
purple and gold the islands in the river swell
bold and beautiful in the rosy light, while yon-
der distant cone-like hill stands against the sky
a CONSPICUOUS mass fringed with FIRE. The g-
gantic mountains to the west cast their shadows
far down into the silent valley at our feet, while
the silvery Yellowstone flows on in its whisper
ing way, breaking the sombre aspect of the plain
with the line of its cleaning waters. In this
valley mysterious wonders have been visible
from time mmemorial, of which the mobile
Saxon never heard The Indians, in the vicin-
ity, tell us it has always been thus.
Out of this plain, or valley rather, which ex-
tends over an area of fifty miles, issue million
sharp Jets of blush white fame, intcrspersed
with ftful pufs of pearly vapor, which sail up
ward in endless turbinated convolutions, until
reaching high altitude they dissolve and be-
come blended with the fuctuating cloud which
hangs over the valley, as if to shield it from
mortal eyes The plain is dotted with innumer-
able rumps, from whence these vapory and fiery
columns are emitted. In their formation they
resemble miniature volcanoes. Fire springs ike
these may be found in China and the geysers
of Iceland are but the results of volcanic action
of the same nature, though of greater force and
power, than the hot springs in the valley OF the
Yellowstone. One cannot help thinking that
iercest fires range somewhere below the exter-
nal envelope of the plain, to thus fan and force
flames above the surface. gentleman and
sdront, connected with our party, ascrlbes these
igneous streams to gases escaping from "vell-
ed hell''
Another speciality of volcanic action may be
observed by a closer investigation of the conical
hills which loom up from the suface in every d-
rection. Though there are no deep craters In
their submits, it is an easy matter to detect a
gentle hollow in each, more or less deep, COW
cred with crumbling particles of lava-like rock.
The base and sides also thickly strewn with
the like porous deposits-some of very large
size, like enormous cindery cakes, the refuse of
foundry furnance. A suphurous odor is in the
atmosphere, reminding one of our companions of
his experience of a choke damp.
Surrounding the centre plain are lofty calcifer
rains or shifting bodies of water which now bear
the appearance of inverted pyramids, prisms,
and various other corhgurations. Besides pre-
pairing detritus, which lay piled in heaps at the
foot of the cliffs frequent torrents had so cor
roded and dismantled the rocks, that would
imagine destructive fire had ragged and burnt
up city by the quantity of fallen columns
which lay scattered around in the most inde-
scrbable confusion In the interstces of the
debris there bubbled numerous saline springs,
and continuing our examination further, we dis
covered several hot-water springs, from whence
vapory columns continually assembled On test
ing the warmth of the water with Fahrenheit's
thermometer, the mercury, which previously
stood at so degrees, shot up to $50 degrees.
The tread of our horses feet sounded hollow
while the noise seemed to reverberate along the
earth like an echo. Not a blade of grass was to
be seen, excepting along the margin of the tiny
streams. The whole aspect of the plain
arid in the extreme. Ghostly relics of animal
life literally covered the ground along the
stream. This was evidently caused by the gath
ering of the buifaloes in the fall to the
Sweetgrass, 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 warned them
to leave, when they found their egress prevented
by the deep SHOWS in the passes, and they must
have pershed from hunger and cold: leaving
their bones to be picked by hungry wolves, and
to be bleached in the and rain.
No language give any idea Of the fearful
desolation of this wonderful valley. 1t struck
our hearts with nameless dread. Not a wolf
infested the chambered cavities of the cliffs not
a buzzard lowered the vicinity. All was
silent in this Valley of Death. One of the party
of explorers bestowed upon it the significant ap-
pellation of GO He'll"
1t is rich field, however, for the geological
sauant, and though famous travellers love to de-
scribe the splendors Of Alpine scenery, dwell
upon the classic nights of Olympus, dlate upon
Lebanon, Mount of Glory, and foster ther imag-
ination among the Scriptural mountains of Ju-
dah there are grander scenes by far in this new
born world of ours-with valleys far more ldyl-
lie than any old Europe can boast, and rivers OF
greater depth and larger volume Iraveie-s
have descanted long enough upon the stale ana
melancholy inanites of the Orient Let MIN
that suffers with ennu, and the soul that bankers
after vitalzing realities, travel IN the oorean re-
gions of the Upper Yellowstone, ana mighty
mountains, savannahs of exceeding fertili'y, anu
valleys clothed with Eden loneliness, VIII oe
seen side by side with plain teeming WIN VI
abolism, from which yon cannot e"eiee saw
through the " Pass of He'll.
Through such pass did we grope our way, in
almost profound darkness, as night nao Sc. Id
long before we entered the lonely dehie, why
this wild, gloomy rayine, fanked by iolty per-
pendcular walls, where huge poNlue.s nahs
toppingly over, and down which current rushes
with its shaking footstep, should be called by
such an ominous name, know not unless it is
that we are in the habit of ascribing such dark
some places under the jurisdiction of the Evil
One. So many abuses have been heaped upon
him-every sin laid at his door-that it is time
satan should write his remonstrance upon his
prison bars.
No HopE.-A colored woman, named Mrs. F.
W. Harper, lectured at Liberty Hall, Phladel-
phia, on the evening of the 18th of Oetober
and thus spoke of the ''poor white people, of
the South &C do not regard our peoples con-
dition the saddest in the South-far sadder 10