Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1873-05-28
A california wonder.
yoers.reaaeaee q las n,slllseaeer;

Gasvxsbanstence OF the mtclttgencers
Yesterday morning, with ak Jolly
companions, eastern tourists, ! took
stage at nealdsbnrE for tho gseat
gevscrs, which havn a Attrac.ca S,sl. y
tors from every quarter ot tne Elooe.
For twenty mites wo passed pattiy
through 4 pleasant valley anu partly
aver rugged mountains III one time
yoins four miles along its serpcntine
.sr,,st. over what IL called tho "hog's
;bnrk.;s III going tho last two miles
No descended nearly two thousand
feet, and made about thirty short
curves, ms our team trottcd gtibly
down the mountain side. AT the
Geyser hotel We were welcomed by
the comgenial patriarch Hoiiinss-
wpr,h-and stage load OF travel-
ers. lust In from another direction,
seemed to welcome us, TOO. we
rested n bit, took lunch, aud at three
o'c,ock&aall were ready aud eager to
soc N,c seysers. Tho ladies' .lonned
their roaghest apparel; each OF us was
furnished with staff, aud our guide
led off. We crossed the bcaGtifal
Pluton creek on a rustic bridge, aud
wound through the undcrgrowth TO
tho mouth OF canyon, seetnihSiy
cut ont of the mountain side. LooS-
ing III, we saw volumes OF steaH,
rising from a hundred sources ahn
could hear Kissing, beoS,'hs aug
pniling noises. Haul II not osen 'ha'
thousands had gone through IL ne-
fore, most likely the majority OF us
would haycdcclinct, but we hiarchea
brayclv on after the guide, who de-
sccudcd aud gave us TO taste hot
mineral waters of almost every con-
ceivable kind, Including sulphur,
alum, copperas, iron, magncsla and
Ensom salts, At onc place was & hot
pool which he said was Il celebrated
eve water. and close by was bn5-
bling up black fluid called devils
ink. just above it jets of steam
issued from iissurc. making such q
noise as to be called tine devils saw
mill. At another place the sound
was such as'to very appropriately
name it the devils tea kettle. Far
| tEcr on and n little way up the side OF
the CANYON tho stream shoots up fifty
feet high, through SIN inch oriiice.
making n noise like a boat, and is
called the StcafuD DoGt EcN SSi. hhs'
way up the canyon is the "witches'
cauldon," seven feet in diameter ana
of unknown depth. Bayard layioi
describes il thus: "a terrible mouth
yawns in the black well, tcic!iins
forth tremendous volumes OF sui
phnrous vapor. ArproH ching as
near as VIC dare, aud looking, we see
the black waters boiling IL mad, PIT
ilcss fury, foaming around the sides
OF their prison. An esg Dipped III II
and taken out. is boiled, aH.t we're {;
man to fall in ho would be reduced
to broth in two minutes. From 4
hundred vent holes the steam rushe:
lin terrible Jets, about fifty feet above
our heads. | have never bci!cli all,
scene so entirely internal in its ap
tDearauce." Still up the gulch rise
"a vast mound of earth, evidently o
l1eccnt upl.eaval, and smoking from
every crevice: It's called the ni"na
Itaiu of fire. While passing ;!.remgl
the canyon, the ground is hot, so il
the air. and filled with steam of sui
phurous vapors. Into its upper enc
Ipours pure cold mountain stream
soon to be heated and mixed witt
the various mineral elements Eetort
referred to. Great blocks OF iav;
were lying around. and one place
=! has every evidence OF being the crater
.Ntf AZ II =