The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-03-24

the southeast looking toward the gre
Idaho Desert.
From Mount Washbuine the trail soon led
them to the famous falls, of which the re-
port gives an interesting account. The
river makes II sharp bend to the eastward
just above the upper fall. which accordingly
fronts nearly at right angles to the general
direction of the intercourse. This cataract
is a slantng one, having Il base Of perhaps
onc-half its altitude, which, as measured by
Col. LUDLOW, Il 10 feet. The water leaps
down its rocky slope between black, shining
walls of trachyte. and its pure green Is
broken into foam and spray from the very
summit. From the foot the currents OF air
drove the clouds Of vapor UP the steep sides
Of the cai1on, which were clothed In vegcta-
tion Of the freshest and most brilliant hue,
while a double rainbow illumined the sur
face Of the stream below.
Half an hours rough climbing over bowl
dcrs and loose trachytic blocks brought the
party to small pla tcau at the very margin
of the main or Lower Fall, whence the eye
could plunge into the vast chasm some three
hundred yards in depth, which IL known rs
the Grand Canon. There Ia probably no
rhapsody in the assertion Of the visitors
that the view from this point is tho finest
piece of scenery in the world, for il would
be hard To imagine u combination of
pictorial splcndors which should unite
more potcntly the requisites of majesty
and beauty. Here the river, narrowing
in its bed to width of some seven
~ feet, and depth Of four or five feet
springs to the crest with an intensity of
CULVER. Just before making the plunge
the stream IS once more contracted
and the waters girt in from both sides
toward the centre, 50 that two rounded
promincnccs or buttresses are formed
where green and white commingle Ly-
ing PROSTATE, and looking down into the
depth. the travellers could see that these
ribs continued downward. the whole mass Of
the fall gradually breaking into spray
against the air until lost in the cloud of va
ppr that hides the base, out of which comes
up Il mighty roar that shakes the hills, and
communicates strange vibration TO the
nerves. From far below the cloud energies
a thin green ribbon, in which the river l.
| hardly recognizable. So dwarfcd is It. and
creeping with 50 sluggish current. as II
stunned by the fall. The actual height of
| this cataract As ascertained by attaching a
| heavy weight u n measured cord. i 80
| feet but we may note that tremendous As
it is. it seems 10 the spectator but a minor
incident i'm the picture constructed on the
huge scale of the cafon.
In the basin of Fire Hole river an aflucnt
of the Madison, hut flowing through the
Yellowstone Park the party came ON the
! Grand Gcyscrs. one Of those. " Old Faith
! full, seems II have earned its name from
! the regularity OF its discharges. which We're
observed To take place at intervals of about
an hour After some preliminary spurts and
| splashe- the Geyser with deep boom which
| Jared tho ground, shot up clear, straight
shaft Of water that with two or three rapid
| impulses gained an altitude of more than II
hundr,d feet. clouds of steam towering far
above and drifting with the wind. For full
five minutes the column maintained it,
height. and then with unavailing jerks and
efforts to check its fall. sank down and was
swallowed up in the crater. Here, n with
the other gcyscrs. the lips Of the crater wen'
moulded into art istir Va se-like forms. beaded
and pcarlod with opal. while close at hand
were little tcrraccd cistrrns Of pellucid
water, with scallopcd and laced rims. The
] N'il'u lluiRlllS hpplS ol AU'-f 'ltlllll
reservoirs were tinted with the most delicate
shades of white, cream, brown and gray,
and although the material was in reality
silica, looked So soft and velvety that il
seemed "A touch would soil them.
The only blemi-hc- in this exquisite
workmanship are chargealle to man. Cob
! LUDLOW tells rs that the monldings and
carvings about the craters and pools have
! been Clipped and d'faced by visitors. or
scrawlcd over with the vacuous names Of
solf-impurtaut sight seer- We heartily
concur in his opinion that such practices
should br stnnpcd at once. together with
the whole system Of plumber and vandalism
which 4, wasting the reservation. The Vel
| low-ton" Park WIS appropriated by the MT
ton in the Interests Of an enlightened civli-
zation; and it Is the duty of the Interior
! Department to preserve thos" miracles Of
natures cunning, built up in the slow pro-
c''-- of centuries. oi an enduring but brittle
| material and toward which We occupy the
! position of trustees for the whole world.