The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-04-20
YELLOWSTONE GEYSERS.

! All geysers have not the same action,
and most of them, in style of action, in
tbs duration of their eruptions, and in
the intervals that elapse between them,
are apt individually to vary. Some play
with iabored pumping, others throw 9
continuous stream, some wear themselves
ous in single effort, others subeide only
to fecommence again repeatedly. Thus
an aruption may extend from two to fif-
teea minutes-the approximate time oc.
Gu led by the Grand-or even to one
hoar and twenty minutes, a period that
tbs Giant has been timed to play.
The colors that tinge the edges of some
critters, and stain the course of the
streams that they send forth, are inde.
scribably beautiful. The snowy white
ness of the grounding is relieved by the
daintiest buffs, pale pinks and softest
ecrus, deep yellow shot with brown, or
ange streaked with vermlllion or straying
into crimson, chocolate merging into
black and interlined with lemon-by col
ors. in fact, run riot, and all glistening
wes beneath the clearest crystal water,
that in the center of the crater deepens
into the heavenliest blue. From such
bri,liancy it is relief to turn toward the
suisen hills of purple pines.
Extinct domes and craters, overgrown
with hourishing trees, or mounds still
bare, and even steaming, with otherwise
only their immense size to indicate the
mighty power that formed them, are
found here and there among those well
known to be still active. Many craters
are surrounded by the skeleton trunks of
trees that they have killed. and which,
under the action of their mineral waters,
are rapidly becoming petrified; while in
the conflict between desolation aud YER
dure, which, owing to the frequent vari-
alton of the centers of action, is always
in progress, the lowly bunch grass steals
ground wherever it dare draw blade.
Of all the geysers whose eruptions we
witnessed, the Grand was, I think, the
most interesting. 1t played each evening
at regular hour We were thus ena
bled to get comfortably into front seats,
focns our glasses, and discuss the pro-
gremme, as it were, before the perform.
ance commenced. This it did very alb
ruptly, although the activity displayed
by small vent hole, and the furious
brbbling in another orifice connected
with it, might be accepted as premonitory
symptoms. Suddenly, with single pre-
faiory squirt, tie Grand shot vast
stream of water over two hundred feet
into the air. For few minutes this
y,rpssssre ~~es -A~istainnd with r.r,etutcd
vigor, then it suddenly ceased, and the
waters shrank back out of sight in the
Governors hollow of the crater. Mean
while tie vent and carldron were still
funously laboring, and subterranean
thunder shook the ground on which we
stood. After a minutes cessation, the
geYser again burst forth without warn
irg and with even greater violence. This
continued until nine successive pulsa-
tipls had occurred. The latter efforts,
hovever, perceptibly diminished in vio-
lehse and grandeur.
Il lis impossible to coniure up in words
aiy idea of the majestic fury of the
seae. The maddened rush of scalding
wlter bursting for moments freedom
fpm It's mysterious captivity, the gigan-
I'll columns of dense vapor, the clouds
All clouds of lace like falling spray or
dimond showers, the lance tipped water
Jds penuoned with pufts of steam, the
sipterraneous reports, tho wonderful eff
fets of the evening sun on the silver
shsf of water spears that with lightning
raidity flashed forth and vanished, broke
aH reformed, and the rainbow that
sine through the drifting masses of
guy mist, battle entirely my powers of
deription. could only gaze and mar
vet-THe Nineteenth Century.
! n