Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-03-14
Notes OF u Traycl;er-No. =.

ron, y Ca cavity where the lnky substance Dolls
and >urscs up lrigh!iully. warns the tourist OF
the lakes of fire around and beneath him. At
the suggestion of al artist, who CHANGED to DC
ouc Of tle party, three Of the ladies jJlned
hands, and with the long STATES groteSque!y
arranged above their heads, stood directly over
this scething chaSm, in the rather rough loUk-
iny attire, donned to ascend the mountain, to
be photographed. ~luvoiuutallly We repeated
the inc.utatlon of the witches OF Macbeth,
standing over this pit, which has never been
sounded, though a line Of POO Feet has been
h. down without reaching bottom; nor can the
exact t"mperalurc be asccrtaincd as the Their
,]n1olpctcr invariably bursts. The Objectionable
names given these springs, no doubt, come CT
the halt-terror that grows upon one III viewing
them-'The Devil Arm Chair, n''Pro,ep;nc's
Grotto,' . "rnc Devils Office" His Satanic
M:jcs;y's Kitchen" His Royal Inkstaud,'
in winch VIC boiled an cgg hard in a few sccon s:
ll,,n wrote our names, with the indclihlc fluid.
;> black rs Ervbu$. Then comes thu Steamboat,
Gcysrr, lram which the steam escapes with 4
noise like the wcl!-tDowu whistle; The Devils
%futpit.' ilun whose summit Ill lady tourists
are !, ulestcl to fire Il pistol, whether to show
their bravery in this ebony sp"t, or to cal! W
tie Evil One. We could tot l.clIc-Lowcvcr,
there was -campcrlig alu"ng the stronger arms
al The reckless ilaud!Ing Ut dangerous ones AID
''lhe Lovers Retreat AID "DeviPs Lurc!I
Table" were eageriy sought As shelter from the
''Nitchcs - CroS-ln" the crater, which Is, III
Course. extinct n3w. suuDds tr!gEtiuily mellow.
ami echoes with IL revcrDcraIlOu auytilln% Dui
p~!raStnt. 1t seems to be compU$9d ut sulphur
ous deposits, and las formed il crust over the
top scarcely more than Il foot thick. The dole
tul. prolonged. never. cGaslng %>cretch, thea how!
Ut what is termed the 'Dcvil's Tea Kettle
borne TO our ears by The mouutain breez@:
sounding so dc>palllng and wrctchcd, can tc
rlalrly heard at the lIu,eI. and the place seems
u;ourntul. Near Piuton Creek the steam BATH
are located, which are intellectually tillcaclou> IL
chronic cuinllain,>-it was here that El%in
Forrest vas cured of rheumatism. There are
mans theories III regard to What CAUSES the
steam To rise in such force and volume through
these sl' phurOuS formations, over which, in
stepping even lightly. The hot crust burns
through a thick boot the one most generally
believed is that 1t is CAUSED by chemical decUln-
position, and not by actual heat: Il burr y, TAT
Eng,ish.nan. boxing duwn through his ~gla>s:s,
gave hi very un-c:eutltic c Inclusion: Aw, |
re,.ry much believe, a", that this Is really The
jumping of place, aw, aud that underneath that
luountalu is the traditional lake Ci lire aud
birthstone. while the switches Cau!dron' is
The bot;omleSs pit, aw'-and SO We Svii az,
too! OF the natural pheuoucna Of this cast
the "Gcyscrs' surely are the most wonderful.
Think for il moment OF viewing hunircds Ct
springs within u very short space, Of al ~coicr>,
qualities. and temperatures. These vast de-
posts Of magncsia, alum, sulphur, and irom
every crcvicc in the rocks t.c c%Outcnd!iIg ele-
mnuts laundering, Kissing, stcam!ng, and >pur;-
iu- waters, hot, cold, iron, soda, alum, sour,
sweet, aud sulphur, red, black, Waite, aod yell
l~w-a!i daShlng, aud Surging, with their taste,
o1,r and noise, producing III the bcto!ucr, al
effect not possible to portray with pen Seventy
miles distant from the "Geysurs, is the Pctri-
fed Forest of California, winch we visited en-
route to the Calistoga Springs, IL resort fDr
tourists as wei us the Coast population. \ circle
Of hills enclose ii valley Of perfect loneliness,
embedded in which. is this torcst of stonc-the
several species OF trees, redwood, cedar, pine,
and manzanita, some with fibrous appearance,
but all as solid is flint. Some ot these trees are
six to eight feet III Diameter, and show every
branch aud quail us perfectly a. il still! liviug-
the petrliact'orS bear Ito traces OF leaves. thus
showing that tire had swept through tho forest
first, bur.,;:.g the trees to charcoal. Mr., Evans,
the uwI4t vi the properly: bases Ills theory On
observations Vi the yarluu, forms aud positions
of these trees of Stnn",' which may be more
correct than th1>" iuductivc reasonlug>, worked
out by SCIENCE. He thinks the wood ha, first
dissolved, then turned To clay, aud from that
hardened into stone Grim and droary III ilG
shades of night-ialI looked these dead and
buried trees, and we could iancy the uphcaval
OF the earth. the showers uf fiery stones, aud
drops Of molten lava that sunk Into this bed OF
clay. The crimson light from tn: setting sun,
mingled with the blue haze Oh the mountains,
touching on che side To violet, Oh the other to
rosy pink. ~ We lett the valley, each great
m~nlarch Of the forest seemed to take Il new
ami gIorigcl beauty.
Having wandered from the brief recital Of a
meeting with an old Eirginian. may We not add
a word for one other Of California 5 wonderful
creations? The Big Trees of Mariposa Mere
figures tail to give any ilca Of The six: of these
granlrSt Of the vegetable world. \ statement
OF their diameter and height, CONVEYS no alc-
qlla:c impression Of their bulk, altitude, or ap-
pcararcc. In the trunk of one Il family Of seven
wintcrcd one Whole season, four wind w. are
cut through, and the cavity made by burning
the inside ont to the bark. How long has this
I'll, mt. but powerful vegetable growth ",uc on,
unknown and unuOllccd by man? The ya>tuc>s
of the mammoth trees still standing, and yet
in vigorous growth surprises Us, though
more than three thousand rings that can DC
counted, supposed to he aamnl IN their t0rna-
ton, appear at llrst - give some clue to the
date Of the commencement I'll this process. and
the aye OF the Grove. But We have not gone
far before we notice the evidences that this is
but the latest crop We arc examining. Before
us arc the Remains Of older trees, and beneath
them the ruins of otners that perhaps had grown
and reached maturity, aud equal or greater
bulk, ere they she'd the seeds from which the
ones that stand or lie before us. appeared as
tender plants and leaflets, just p"eplng above
the soil, such IL We sec in hundreds all arourl
Us. How many generations of such vert before,
We cannot tell. Compared with a succession Of
ages such as thcse, The period covered by re-
corded history is short indeed. and the life of
man is like that Of the insect that appears aud
fits in the sunlight a brief hour, ~pcriorfus its
unknown function, then dies and disappears
forever. These trees are in the heart of the