The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-01-03
The TSo-Occan Pass,

Amid the other wonders Of Yellowstone
Park according to the tradition of many
old trappers, it was reputcd to have a
stream of considerable size which divided
near it source and flowed down both sides
Of the water shed, thus discharging ts
waters into both the Atlantic and the Paci-
| fic Oceans. In some maps Of this district,
dating back to 1861, this most remarkable
| geographical feature is noted, and Captain
| Reynolds Report of the Exploration of
the Yellowstone, in 1885, alludcs to it.
Somewhat later Captain Jones, of the
United States Engineers gave a brief ac-
| count Of it. But the most crcumstantial
account is that just published by +. V.
| Hayden, the geologist in charge of the
United States Geological and Geographical
Survey. During the last season he passed
over this divide, making careful study of
| character of the drainage, sketched on the
spot. The Two-Occan Pass is located
| about longitude ITO deg, and latitude III
| deg. 05 nm. At the summit, not over 10
miles from the junction of the Atlantic
| creek with the Upper Yellowstone river,
! the elevation, 809l feet. is not molc than
100 feet above the valley Of the main
| stream. The valley is at first quite mar
row, but 1t gradually expands into an open,
grassy meadow, which near the pass be-
comes onc-third Of mile in width, and
gradually closes up again into canon on
! the Pacific slope. So obscure Is here the
drainage that the party of explorers, on
the night of October 3, 1878, encampcd
| within quarter mile of the water divide,
! but did not perceive it until they COM
mcnced their march on the following morn
| ing. The conditions were then found to be
as follows The summit of the pass, for
| distance of about half a mile, is 80 nearly
| level that marsh is formed, which in times
| of high water becomes lake. A portion
| Of the waters from tho surrounding noun.
tains accumulates In tho marshy meadows,
and gradually gravitates from either side
| into two small streams-one Of which
flows to the northeast, the other towards
the southwest. On the east side of tho
| divide there is depression or gorge in the
mountain, which Is occupied by a small
stream; this, at the time Of Mr.. Haydcn's
| visit, flowed in wcll-markcd channel to-
wards the north east, into Atlantic creek,
and constituted the Two Ocean creek, At
the base Of the mountain side a small
stream rising from spring is separated
from this creek by distance of not quite
six feet, and at the time of his visit this
distance was occupied by small, dry
channel, which connected the spring with
the Two Ocean creek, and which showed
that at times of high water portion of tho
water that started down this latter broke
over the side into the small stream from
the spring, and flowed thence along into
tho Pacific. Lower down in the Two
Ocean Channel were also found two places
where there are two old channels connected
in time of high water with the channel
from the spring, showing that even here a
portion of tho water that started down tho
mountains side for the Atlantic was di-
verted towards the Pacific. This is even
more uncommon occurrence than tho
simple separation of water Oh divide, and
tho entire series Of phenomena rs here met
with is probably without an exact paral-
| lei. .su