The weekly Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1872-1887, 1875-03-27
Gcyscls Of Wyoming.

People who have not had the pleasure
OF viewing the grandeur OF the Yellow
stone river, or Sierra Nevada and Coast
tange mountains, can have but slight
idea OF the magnificencc of American
| scenery. Among the wild mountain cuts,
colossal rocks, nre piled on rocks, and left
| with perpendicular sides and fronts-eycr
and anon cleft by that terrible hand which
moulds the earth. To look mp appals, for
nought meets the gaze but the cold walls
lraped with fcstoons Of wild vines and
dropping tufts Of verdure; to look down,
the dhshing milk-white river meets the
eye, or perhaps the sca-like vcrdurc
which trcachcrously seeming nearer, re-
licyeh the mind from the sense Of danger; /;
but wherever you Nrc, ut tho base of the
yawrIng gulf, at tho giddy peak, or unon
the traggcd side, where man or beast have
iounh and formed narrow trcacherous
path, the sublimity silcnccs The bcholder
into the most profound meditation.
Within the limit of our great National!
l'ark there arc wondcrmcnts In the way of
geeysers, or boiling and spOuting springs,
with which those of Europe sink into in.
significance when brought into compari-
son; indeed, so stupendous ere they that
IL all the corresponding phenomena of
the whole world could bc brought into
the same compass beside these they would
sink into apparent nothingnes5.
These gcyscrs nrc suid to be remains of
remarkable volcanic manifestations, which
began probably in tho third formation or
tertiary period. At the present time
earthquakes nrc not uncommon there, and
often very severe. These wonderful
springs were first visited some four or
live years ago, and atc divided into two
classes; those which are constantly boil
ing and squirting, and those whose action
Is intermittent. The water varics in tenn
perature from 100 deg. to 10S deg. +.
"Old Faithful" so named by Lieut..
lJoanc, stands on mound thirty feet above
the level of tho surrounding plain, and
throws u column Of boiling witer mt req.
ulHr intervals, one, hundred and twenty
feet high, each discharge lasting some
twenty minutes. .
Near the crater, and MS far as the ir.
ruptivc waters reach" writes Lieutenant
Donnc, "thc character Of the dcposit Is
very peculiar. Close around tho openinp
are built up walls, eight feet In hi ght, Of
spherical nodulcs from six inches TO three
feet In diameter. These stony spheres,
in turn, arc covered with minute gfobulcs
of stalngmitc, incrustcd with n thin glaz-
ing Of silica. The rock, at distance,
appears the color Of ashes of roses, but
near at hand shows II metallic gray, with
pink and yellow margins of tho utmost
dcliCacy. Being constantly wet, tho col.
Ors arc brilliant beyond description. Sion.
ing gently from this rim of the crater In
every direction the rocks arc full of cavi.
tics being of irregular shape, constantly
full OF hot water, and prccipitating deli
cate, c0rnl-liko beads Of bright saffron.
"Thcsc cavities arc also fringcd with
rock around the edges, in mcshee as deli.
cato ns tho finest lace. Diminutivc vel
low columns rise from their dcpths,
capped with small tablets Of rock, md
resembling flowers in the water. Some
of them arc filed with OWL pebbles Of n
brilliant white color, and others with q
yellow frost-w0rk which builds up grad-
ually In solid stalagmitcs. Rcccdinr
still inrlhcr from the crater, tho cavities
become gradually larger and tho water
cooler, causing changes in tho brilliant
cOlorings, 'nnd also in tho formations of
the deposits. These become calcarcous
spar, Of n white or slate color, and occa.
sionnlly varicgatcd.., 81. -.
"'fhc water Of tho gcyscr Is. colorloss,
tAstclcsE, and without 0tlor. The tcpos.
lis nrc apparently as delicate as tho down
on tho buttorily's wing, both in texture
mud c0loring yet aro firm aud solid be-
meath tho tread. Those who have aeon
tho stage representations of 'Alnddin's
Cave, and the 'lIomc Of tho Dragon Fly
ns produced in u iirst-class theatre, cai,
| 4. - a
but not of tho intricate fr0st-work, OF
this fairy-likc, yet solid mound Of rock
growing up amid clouds of atcnm and
showers Of boiling winter. Ono inslinc,
lively touches Tie hot lcdgca with hi.
hands, and sounds with stick the dUpthl
Of the cavities in the slope In utter dnul
In tho evidence Of his own eyes. TIL,
beauty Of tho scene takes away one.
breath. II Is oycrpowcring, lransccndinl
tho visions Of tho Moslom's Paradise"