The Bossier banner., 1881-12-22

lutely on Old Faithful giving a<exhi
bition every hour and four minutes AZ
he can upon the rise of the sun at the
time specified in the almanac. Oul
party has been camped here ten days
In which time Old Faithful has been as
regular as Connecticut clock. The
stated intervals of her activity have moi
varied in the memory of the oldest
habitue of the park. Other geysers are
variable in the time of their action. In
fact all of the others seem to be subject
to changes. The Bee Hive is becoming
more active every season. She now
gives an exhibition from two to three
times every twenty-four hours, with
mo postponement on account of the
weather" The Giant and Giantess and
Castle can not always be counted on,
but they are all worth Watching, for
they make a magnificent display when
In action. The Giant averages an ex-
hihition about every six days and the
Giantess about every eleven days. The
tourist who is favored with view of all
these must make up his mind to pitch
his tent for two weeks and watch
through the long and weary vigils of
the night; but In the end he will feel
fully compensated. for his perseverance
and for his faith.
AS the tourist lies rolled up in his
robes at the dead hour of night in this
romantic region, he may feel the earth
tremble, hear the rushing of water and
the Kissing of steam, and, if he will
look out OF has tent. he may see near
by, or in the dim distance, as the case
may be, limned in shadowy outline
against the starlit sky, a column of
water from five to ten feet in eircumfer-
ence and from 200 to 800 feet in height,
throwing off dense volumes of steam.
This phenomena will continue for ten
or fifteen minutes, and then all will be
comparatively calm, with nothing to
break the solemn stiffness but the roar
OF the receding waters as they rush
down the steaming crater back to the
deep seated chambers, from which, in
due course of time, they will again be
forced above the surface by another col
umn OF steam, generated at the source
OF heat. The problem for scientific So
luton is whether this steam is genera
ted by chemical action or internal fire,
IL IS only the purpose of this paper to
describe the phenomena. A geyser irrac-
ton is the grandest spectacle to be seen
on this continent. Your correspondent
will take the Giant as a sample geyser
in action-day exhibition-and it is one
Of the grandest in the basin, descrip-
lion of which will suffice for all of the
cone varieties. BY the side of the main
cone is small fissure, which performs
The functions of an escape pipe to a
boiler. When the chambers of
The main crater become fully charged,
short puffs of steam come kissing
through this fissure, followed in a few
minutes by a tremulous movement of
'he hollow formation under your feet.
i you happen to be standing near the
yeyser, and a volume of steam forces its
way through the orifice of the main
'rater with detOnations, and an omi-
lous stiffness ensues for q. sec.
md, which the tourist improves
~ beating precipitate retreat
rom the brink. Finally the
'lements of disturbance seem to com
line their forces for final conyulsive
fort. simultaneously with stunning
mock, caused by a pent-up volume OF |
team, column of water, ten feet in
circumference, is precipitated hiphinto |
he air, emitting volume of steam go |
lense that it is difficult to define the
utlines OF what appears to be massive
iliar OF parian marble. A puff of wind
7afts aside the shadowy substance, and |
he transcendent beauty of the column
tands revealed in all of its grandeur.
he drapery has been removed, and
ne parian pillar stands out against the
zure background of an autumn sky.
Eliminated by a dazzling sunlight.
hen comes the transformation scene.
his column is shattered by an invisi-
le force into fragments, which descend
ke brilliants through the fierce blaze
the sun. The laws of gravity have
sserted themselves, and the water,
'hich went up in a volume, is falling
showers of spray. The delusion is
spelled. 1t was not dream. The
snses are no longer stupefed. The
henomena have ceased, and nothing
ow remains to be seen or heard but
le flooded cone and the rushing of the
sceding water down the deep-throated
eyser, and the ascent of wreaths of
cam, which form fantastic shapes un.
er atmospheric influences. The great
oiume OF the discharge falls again to
le crater, and the overflow finds its
ay into the Fire Hole River, whose
yift current courses through the three
asins. fed by hundred geysers and a
lousand boiling springs,-Cor. So.
oIis Globe Democrat. ET<
A Tough Horse Story. y 3s3 II