Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1882-05-04
The Yellowstone Geysers.

-'HetVFnlH Jtnluty.
All geysers have not the same action,
and most of them, in style of action.
in the duration of their eruptions, and
in the intervals that elapse between
them, are apt Individually to vary
Some play with labOred pumping, 9th
era throw continuous stream, some
wear themselves out IN a single effort,
Others subside only TO reCOmmence
again repeatedly, Thus an eruption
may extend from two to twenty min
utes-the approximate time occupied
by the Grand; or even to one hour and
twenty minutes-a period that the Gi-
ant has been timed to play.
The colors that tinge the edges of
some craters, and stain The course Of
The streams that they send forth, are
iSdescribabIy beautiful. The snowy
whiteness of the grounding is relieved
by dainty Bluffs, pale pinks, and sOftest
ecrus, deep yellows shot with brown,
orange streaked with vermilion or
straying into crimson, chocolate merg.
ing into black, and interlined with
elG3u-by colors, in fact, run riot, and
all glistening wet beneath the clearest
crystal water, that in the centre of the
crater deepens into the heavenliest
blue. From such brilliancy it is a re.
lief to turn toward the sullen hills of
purple pines.
Extinct domes and craters, overgrown
with llOurisling trees, or mounds still
bare, and even steaming, with other
wise only their immense size to indi.
cate 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 be-
coming petriGed; while in the cophict
between desOlatiOn and verdurG which,
owing to the frequent variation Of the
centres Of action, is constantly in pro.
gress, the lowly bunch'grass steals
ground wherever it dare draw blade. |
OF all the geyser3 whose eruptions
we witnessed, the Grant was, think,
the most interesting. 1t played each |
evening at regular hour. We were
thus enabled to get comfortably into
front seats, focus cur glasses, and dis.
cuss the programme, as it were, before
the performance commenced. This il
did very abruptly, although the sctivi-
ty displayed by small vent hole, and
the furious bubbling in another oriice
connected with it, might be accepted
as premonitory symptoms. Suddenly,
with a single prefactory squirt, the
Grand shot vast stream Of water
over two hundred feet into the air.
For n few minutes this pressure was
maintained with unabated vigOr, then
it suddenly ceased, and the waters
5hrank back out of sight in the cavern
Gus hollow of the crater. Meanwhile
the vent and cluldron were still fUri-
Ously labOring, and subterranean thun-
der shook the ground on which we
stood. After a minutes cessation, the
geyser again burst forth without warn.
Ing, and with even greater violence.
This continued until nine successive
pulsatiOns had occurred. The latter
efforts, however, perceptibly diminished
in grandeur.
1t is impossible to cOnjure up in
words any idea of the majestic fury of
the scene. The maddened rush of scald.
ing water bursting for Il moments free
ION from its mysterious captivity, the
gigantic columns of dense vapor; the
clouds and clouds of lace-like falling
spray or diamond showers, the lance.
tipped water jets, penuOned with puffs
)f steam, the subterranean reports, the
effects of the evening sun OH
he silver sheaf of water spears that
With lightning rapidity flashed forth
md vanished, broke and reformed, and
he rainbow that shone through the
Irifting mass of gauzy mist, ballle en-
irely my powers of description. |
Ould only gaze and marvel