The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1880-05-14

creek is reached This emptics into Il
4 Yellowstone between the upper and low
: falls. The Crystal Cascades are sho
; distance up the stream and are made up
three distinct falls, the aggregate heigl
! being I29 feet. The stream, after emer;
: ing from dark and gloomy gorge, maxi
a leap, according to DR.. Pea1e, of abol
/ twenty feet, and then falls again
three streams distance of over fifty fe
into a beautifully rounded basin in Whic
the water is perfectly clear and quie
| From this the final leap is taken, and I'll
water flows on to the Yellowstone rive
A short walk from the camp on Cascad
creek will bring the tourist to one Of til
grandcst cataracts in the universe. Stant
ing near the brink and looking up til
stream the bcholdcr sees the river with il
dark green tinted water gently flown
down and narrowing to q width Of 100 fee1
before it takes its grand and awful plung
of 397 feet to the bottom of the canyon
This is obscured by the spray which, fall
| ing in the sides, forms countless rivrlet
which seem to the eye as gushing out fron
the solid walls. The foalning water nov
dashes along its rough bed as if cndeavor
ing to annihilate the rocky confines i'm
prisoning it. The cany towers from ,00
to 800 feet and is tinted with red, orange
green and golden hues, The latter predom
inating. One could almost imagine tha
in the dim past the genii tlourished alons
this marvellous stream, and with hug,
brushes adorned the stupendous walls will
these exquisite colorings. Beautiful be
yond comparison as this is, it is rivalled by
the jagged promontories ,iutting out from
the walls, bearing upon their crests seem
ing ruins of castles, baroniaI halls, mosques
and temples, with here and there slender
spires and minarets in q seemingly rigit
Gothic style, and all else one can fancy o.
know to have existed in ancient or modern
architecture. The tops on both sides arc
fringed with heavily wooded fir trees, and
their deep green dress finishes a picture
which language fails to interpret, and the
pen of the writer grows feeble and dis
couraged while attempting to describe it.
Here it would be proper to caution par
ties against attempting to reach the waters
edge from the west bank. Some have
started on the perilous trip, and it was with
extreme difficulty and no little danger that
they returned. Such adventure is extreme
ly hazardous, not to say foolhardy. No
one can go down safe, scientific gents, y
some of whom have made the descent
safcly-on paper. On the cast side, parties
have succeeded in reaching the foot of the
cataract; few Of them, however, if any,
are anxious to repeat the experiment.
Though 40 loss Of life has as yet been slls-
tanned, or serious injury received, yet it
would be. advisable for one to keep at a
safe distance from the crumbling edge of
the canyon.
Half Il mile above the lower are the up
per falls. having height of 140 feet These
are at right angles with the course of the
river. Though not as lofty, and lacking
the grandeur and wierd sublimity of the
lower falls, yet they are worthy Of Il visit.
The next main attraction on the route is
sulphur Mountain, about ten miles below
Yellowstone Lake. Innumerable steam
jets can be seen issuing from the oritices
on all sides Of the mountain. A large
rit OF ttn Inrp
the Sulphur Spring. About two miles
further up the river the mud volcanoes are
The largest and most active one
has eruptions at intervals of from five to
six hours. The discharges continue from
fifteen to thirty minutes and send up to a
height of about thirty feet a huge volume
of sulphurous mud and dense clouds of
steam Above and ia tho tillnbor Is what
appears to have been, at one time, !, very
active mud volcano. 1t is funnel-shapcd
and from the top down to where the black
sulphurous mud is still boiling and seeth-
ing the depth is thirty feet. The trees in
the vicinity have been literally de1uged
with mud from the discharges in former
times to such an extent as to entirely kill
them. These signs of violent eruptions
exist at such a distance from the crater
that it is reasonable to suppose that the
volume of mud must have been projected
hundreds of feet in the air. To the right
and below is what is known among the
hunters as the fSArched Spring." The
water is elected with violent force, emit
ting huge puffs Of steam. On the sides of
the arch are inscribed names Of tourists
from all sections. A few miles up the river
and the lake is reached, 7,7S8 feet above
the level of the sea. The scene which the
YELLOWSTONE LAKE
is one of the few that stands un-
paralleled among the many Of Natures
choice productions, and is we'll worthy a
trip of thousands Of miles to gaze upos.
The delicate ultramarine hue Of the water
Of this great mountain lake, the numerous
bays and inlets fringed with the dark green
foliage Of the fir trees, bordered by the
snow white pebbly beach, the promontolies
jutting their gray heads into the blue bos-
ON of the water; the charming islands,
nesting like 50 many emeralds in 4 field Of
azure; the steam jets of hundreds of hot
springs bordering the lake, and some even
at distance from the shore-When seen
from across the water-sugg ggesting the idea
of busy. intrepid Commerce having wing
ed her majestic fight to this secluded spot,
and With diligert PROV disturbed the deep
silence, the melancholy solitude Of its wa
ters; the grand mountains and still more
lofty 's1hree Tetons'' i'll the background,
with other points not named-all this, and
much more which space forbitls to men
ton. presents a picture which every true
lover of nature. and every one who sees in
these wonders the creative power Of Ma
ture's God, willha with raptilrous delight.
This sheet Of water is twenty-five miles in
length, from north to south, and averages
iii width from twelve to fifteen miles.
Many points of interest can be seen only
~ means Of sail boat n small steam
yacht, which could be transported in sec-
tons, would materially enhncestIe pleas
IRE to be derived from 4 visit to and pro-
longed stay at this charming spot. This,
is one of the possibilities of the
future.
Iet.sl bid adieu TO this far-famed region
and direct our courseto Fire Hole river, =
tributary Of the Madison, with its two
geysar basins. Occupying day il travel
ing from the Lake, the upper basin isreaci-
ed where are to be found the Iargest geys-
ers on earth. and incompaTison WitliWllicIl
those Of Iceland sink into utter insignifi- !
canee. Emerging from beitof timber at
]. point where the upper basin commences,
4 WienE spectacle presents itself. For miles