Middletown transcript., 1868-07-04
m CASTLE COUNTY, DELAWARE SATURDAY MORNING. 1861
The Wonder. of california.

The Geysers of California are unequaled
among the hot springs of the world. They
are reached by steamer across the bay from
San Francisco to Petaluma, thence by
stage for about so miles over one of the
finest farming regions in the State. From
Foss's Station-a favorite resort among
the mountains-the Geysers are twelve
miles distant, and are reached by wild,
romantic road. For two miles it winds
along the Hog g-back, mountain summit
like the ridge-pole of steep roof. 1t has
been leveled until barely wide enough for
carriage wheels, and ON each side one looks
down precipitous banks for one or two
thousand feet. If the wheels diverge ten
inches fran the track the load of passen-
gers would reach the bottom much in the
condition of a bushel of apples after pass
ing through cider mill.
The ridges display the dense shrubbery
of the mazineta, or mountain mahogany,
upon whose red juicy berries grizzly bears
subsist 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 a round
fruit tasting like the dried thimbleberry.
Here bears and antelopes offer great temp
tations to hunters.
The roar of the Geysers is heard, and
their smoke seen two miles away, in favor
able conditions of the atmosphere. After
being whirled along the road which pitch
es down sixteen hundred feet, with 35
sharp turns in two miles, the visitor finds
himself in narrow valley, viewing hun
dreds of steam-jets putting up from the
ground. They are chiefly in ravine half
mile long, known as the Devils Canon.
Steep walls rise from so to $50 feet,
bare, spongy, ashley, clayey soil without
the faintest sign of grass or shrub There
are fully one thousand places where steam
issues from the soil. Hot water often bub-
bles up above the surface; but much more
startling and impressive is the boiling
within hundreds Of cavities under ground.
One feels that only the fimsiest shell pro-
tects 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, cold, and
boiling springs are found side by side,
each with its own individual hue-blue,
brown, black, red, green, yellow, pink,
or gray. Their constituents vary greatly,
though soda, magnesia, epson salts, and
various salts of iron, predominate.
In passing up the canon, the visitor
burns his fingers and receives sitting blasts
from natural hot furnaces. He must be
cautious where he steps, unless he would
break through the crust into some of the
seething pools below. Steamboat Spring
is the grandest of all. 1t has no water but
consists entirely of steam putting through
an aperature as large as the body of man,
with roar like great steamship, the col
umn 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 es.
capes with great force. A stone as large
as a mans fist, thrown into one of them
rebounds three or four feet, like an India
rubber ball.
These Springs are numerous for siz
miles along the Pluton river and travel
ers declare that they far surpass the fam
ed Geysers of Iceland. They are not vol
canic but result from chemical action
The smell of birthstone, the kissing steam
throbbing waters, and underground roar
ing and trembling, are peculiarly diaboli
cal Indians regard them with wildes
terror, and some white visitors never dart
to enter the canon. They are among til,
most curious and wonderful of the man,
curosities and wonders of the Pacific coast
No other region of equal area can boas
half the natural beauties and marvels o
California. Yosemite, the Sierras, Noun
Shastor, the Big Trees, the Geysers an,
Lake Tahoe-the brightest gem in he
mountain ooronet-all are worthy of not
among the impressive features of the visi
BILE universe. Already they are sough
annually by hundreds of foreigners; an,
the completion of the Pacific Railroad vii
make them the pleasure grounds of til
world.