Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1875-02-18

Among other distinguished visitors to the
National Park, last year. was General A. B.
Nettleton, Of Pennsylvania. The General
recently lectured to a large audience in Phila-
delphia, making his tour and the sights he
had seen the subject of his discourse. The
following passage from the lecture, as re-
ported in the Philadelphia Telegraph, graph
ically describes one Of the thousand wonders
of the Park:
''Probably the most satisfactory geyser in
the entire group is that known as Uld Fash-
tul-so called from the frequency and perfect
regularity Of its action. Once in siXty-three
minutes with the promptness and precision
echoes with his roaring, and lifts towards the
clouds his grand white plume Of waters.
Comfortably settled in camp, you look at
your watch, remark that Old Faithful will
''go off" in ten minutes, and then walk over
to see how it is done. You ascend the ter
raced mound, approach the crater, and look
down the well-keeping braced and ready for
a sudden retreat in case Of danger. The sur
face of the water is out of sight-doWn pro-
baby 200 feet-and you see only the beauti-
full, ncrusted walls. The size of the shaft or
tube is about feet by q. You hear the sub
terranean waters as they boil and gurglc and
plunge beneath you, and, not caring to be
too iDquisitive, you retire to the safe distance
of fifty feet to watch events.
''Flve minutes before the appointed time,
steam begins to issue from the crater-con-
stantly increasing in volume and force. The
water rapidly rises to the top of the crater,
continues in state of violent agitation, and
soon splashes over the rim. A moment more
and the water leaps fifteen or twenty feet into
the air, falling back Immediately. The earth
shakes with the struggle of the forces that are
seeking vent With great impulse column
of water the full size of the orifice is thrown
to height of fifty feet, and the spectators
shout with excitement and admiration. Be-
fore this mass of water has time to fall back
another impulse shoots fresh column sew
enty feet high; then impulse followed i'm
pulse, with vast energy and with such rapid
ity as to resemble continuous explosion
the steam rushes out and up with roar like
a dozen locomotives, the column of water five
feet in diameter shoots from the crater in
constant stream with. inconceiyable velocity,
rises straight as needle, and apparently
substantial as marble monument to the dizzy
height of $50 feet, and there 1T stands.
Finding that the wind is driving the steam
and spray in the opposite direction, step with
me to within twenty feet of the crater and
look upwards, into and along that amazing
shaft of water. It is white as fOam-whiter
than the steam which accompanies it. Occa-
sionally jet darts from the summit of the
column like tall spire, thirty feet beyond
the general mass.
GAS the central column is ever rising, the
water which has gone before, and spent its
force, necessarily rolls outward on every side
in the form of colossal fountain, then falls
to the earth with tremendous conclusions,
and flows off in a dozen torrents to join the
Fire Hole river
occasionally great masses Of falling water
are met by portions of the ascending column
when both are dashed into splinters of foam
and spray.
The rushing steam rises like pillar OF
cloud to height Of 1000 feet. Sometimes it
envelopes and obscures the column Of water,
but usually it is blown aside by the breeze.
'On sunny days (and few days are not
sunny there) rainbows of great briliancy and
ever-varying arches play about the crest OF
the COMMUNICATING the finishing touch to
that which seems to me the grandest phe-
nOmenOn in nature.
s'After seven minutes of this magnificent
display, the column gradually shortens and
subsidies with occasional spasms of reaction
Until at the end Of ten minutes the water
has disappeared, and only steam continues to
rush and roar from the crater"