The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-03-17
A Trip to tho Great Geysors.

III the late afternoon the sky being some
what overcast, "Koch, the guide, thought
it good time to see the "'Great Geysers. 1"
From the hotel piazza they did not look so
''great" in any sense of the word. In fact,
all we could see was q constant steam
cloud, drifting up and away from a rusty
brown streak OH the hillside But tic
place turned out to be Internally interest
ing. The approach is very deceptive. A
winding trail from the hotel leads down to
Sulphur Creck-cool and clear; and over
rustic bridge and a series Of steps on the
opposite bank you conc 10 the mouth Of
Geyscr Canyon, where Pmton Creek tum-
blcs along its hot and sulphur bluc-grccn
water, as the first intimation of the toll and
trouble and cauldrun bubble further up
the narrow and smoking way. Across the
bank again, i'll and out, over and around
rocks and under laurel bushes the narrow
trail leads into the great laundry. First
we step up to the 'Dcvips OIlicc"-but
not to settle, as many of us will have TO do
some day; but pass through 'Proscrpmc's s
Grotto" to sit in the "Devil's Armchair. !"
The "Devil's Kitchen" little further on,
is more than ordinarily fascinating, al
though the old fellows diet appears to be
principally hell broth. This kitchen is q
cross between the "Poodlc-Dos" range and
steam ire-enginc. Here and there in
the shelving rock arc little springs and ba-
sins, bubbllng, blubbering, and only wait
ing for some carrot-haired Eastern tourist
to fall in, in order to transform the whole
ravine into savory spup-housc. Just out
side the "Devil's Kitchen" is the "Dcvirs
lnkstand," and the "Devil's Punch-bowr'
and "Geyscr Smoke stack, d" and "Witchcs'
safe:y VaWa Ts aSiEa sSu the sesmnos; ns1 .S;
Spring." and the "Dcvils Pulpit" and the
devil knows what else. These things have
been SO often described that it Is crime to
do it again. Suffice it to say, that there is
canyon filled with fretting steam and boil
ing. water, and spongy mineral -strcaked
ground that smokes like the ruins of a re-
Gently burned city. Commotion cvery
where. Water hot enough to boil eggs
harder than PharaOh'S heart. Steam that
pulls and blows and shrieks and whccZes
and climbs up your trouscIs-lcgs, and takes
all the starch out of the Boston school
ma'am's un.lerskirts, and brings the bando-
line out OF the New York girls hair, and
turns the bismuth powder on the San Fran
CISCO belle blacker than her bang. 1t is rs
though the devil had upset here his entire
apothecary shop and then turned on the
hydrant. Leaving The canyon, we come
suddenly on the "Postofllce,' and the
'Lover's Retreat 'and the "Lovcr's Leap, "
and the 'Lava Beds" and tho "lndian
Sweat. bath," where the natives in their
carly days used to parboil their old rhcu-
matte bucks. While pitching pebbles into
the nozzle of the Devils Tca-kcttlc,
''Koch' told us of all sorts of wonderful
springs-the iron spring, the hot acid
spring, the eycwatG spring, the lemonade
spring, and dom other springs-but
none Of them half as interesting or nimblc
as the "Iix spring, wncn he saw what he
took for "a bear rea;hing for leaf" A
bear skin had been stuffed and placed on
the hillside, and Ey strings clcvcrly con-
trlvcd and worked from behind tree tho
fraud was made to so through bear mo-
tions to life. One look was enough for
everybody, the guide included, and the
boys beat the lovcrs retreat all to pieces in
their frantic cndcavors TO shake the dust
of that hillside from off their flying feet
The bear adventure wound up the first
day to everybodys satisfaction.