The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-11

deep red tint from the salts of iron, but not
unfreqaenty Of delicate gray, saffron, a
light ganboge, pink and green, and the ashes
OF roses. Then We have cascades and rocky
gorges and caverns. The cascades especially |!
One fall one hundred aud fifteen feet, another
three hundred and fifty feet, ending in sheeted
foam and rainbow tinted spray before it
reaches the ground. There are valleys of
chalk-colored rocks more marvellous than
the Dover cliffs, which Shakespeare
paints in his immortal poetry, and vol
canoes ever throwing up mud Of the
consistency of thick cream, so that the sur
rounding forest trees are covered with mud on
their topmost branches. In one place there
are streams and spoutng springs of hot
water; FIVE streams of boiling water, we
are told, in porcelain channels of many hues,
from bright saffron to deep vermillion, rip
ping over cascades worn into the terraced
sides of the rocks. Over this rise masses of
vapor shadowing other waters of ultramarine
blue, with rings of rainbow tints, yellow,
orange and red of astonishing beauty"
becoming bri 5ht vermilion and then silvering
into clearness like that of the crystal and
color like the turquoise.
All of this so far above the level Of the sea
that every night in the year brings frost
But the air is 80 clear and gentle and rariGed
that although the morning shows the delicate
tinted flower to be fretted with frost, as though
traced with delicate lacework, the sun dis
solves the frost as though it were q dew,
without tingeing the bloom of the flower
or whitening leaf or STEM /, And we
come to the geysers. the most extraordinary
phenomenon of all. Looking from one
point-an extinct volcanic crater, called,
queerly enough, ''Old Faithful"-the eye takes
in the whole geyser valley, with its thou
sand steam jets and graceful fountains, nestled
between high hills covered with foliage. It is
hard to write of these geysers without our
imagination carrying us away. There is the
old ''Comet Geyser," for instance, who has
made his own reputation already. A roar like
that of tornado and stream leaping two
hundred feet into the air, throwing out
masses Of steam-only think of it! Not to
speak Of one mud spring, as yet unnamed but.
certainly deserving great renown, for this
spring throws up at least thousand jets Of
steam within space of one hundred and fifty
feet, discharging minute particles of fine clay,
of the purest white and orange and pink,
ready for the moulder to work into the porce-
lain.
So we might continue this story, for there is
really no end to it, Nature in fantastic
mood has had her way in this strange country,
and future ages will find the pilgrim look
ing for the wonderful and awe-inspiring;
the man of science seeking to read the
riddles of our mysterious planet; the weary
worker craving summers rest; the stricken
invalid yearning for the health-restoring
waters and vapors and medicinal springs
which here abound. We as yet scarcely
know anything of the Yellowstone. The To-
dams occupy the approaches to the region,
and thus far it has been only seen by armed
men and parties of road builders, forcing
their way into the wilderness to find path
for the northern road to the Pacific. Every
day these pioneers of enterprise and civliza-
ton make an advance, and, as we
have said, each step develops some new
wonder Of nature. In few years the loco
motive will carry the homes of civilization
into these hidden and forbidden terrific
ries, the Indian will be forced into
countries nearer the setting sun, and
the region so wisely set apart as national
park will become summer resort for our
citizens and for travellers from other lands,
rivalling and superseding in its advan-
tages and opportunities for study, rest and
pleasure Saratoga and the seashore, the White
Mountains and Niagara Falls, or any possible
outside of a castle, a church or
that the Old World can show.