The daily enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1884, 1884-05-22

requires a five days journey, free from
all danger and in railroad cars superior to
our own.
There are to-day three great railroad
Islines which unite the Atlant and Pacific
| Oceans, until fourth way of communi-
cation is afforded by the panama Ship
| Canal First-That from San Francisco
through Santa Ee, to New Orleans; along
this line there is nothing to fear from the
SHOWS of long winter. Secontl--Thc
second line, which was the first opened, Is
| the Union Pacific and connections from
| New York to San Francisco, which is al
most 5000 miles long. Third-The
Northern Pacific, which starts from ST.
Paul, MINI, via. several railroad lines, the
distance from New York to st. Paul aver
ages /, 500 miles; from st. Paul to Liv-
ingston, by the N. P. r. r., about 1000
miles; from Livingston to Mammoth Hot
Springs, the starting point of excursionists,
81 miles; total, 2,557 miles.
This last route is the one generally pre-
ferred, because ittraverses country richer
and more picturesque than that of the
Union Pacific and also because it lands
one directly at the entrance of the Park.
Until this last year neither hotels nor
protecting roofs of any kind had yet been
provided for tourists. Tents and complete
camping outfits had to be carried along,
as for crossing desert.
With the governments authorization
Messrs. Rufus Hatch g. Co., have now in
operation a vast hotel at Mammoth Hot
Springs, and are also building number
smaller ones near other scenes of interest
The Park occupies the northwest corner
Of the territory of Wyoming, between the
10th and 111th degrees of longitude,
and the 44th and 45th degrees of LATITUDE.
1t is bounded north by the territory of
Montana and west by Idaho; it extends
about 55 miles from east to west and 65
from north to south, with an area of about
$500 square miles. 1t is vast plateau,
having an elevation of from 6,00O to 5000
feet above the level Of the sea, containing
numerous valleys covered with frs, rivers
forming many falls, and mountains from
ten to twelve thousand feet high.
AS in our high Alpine valleys, excur-
sions are only possible from June to Sep
tember on account of the snow. In sum-
mer the thermometer shows from so de-
grees to So degrees in the morning and
occasionally from rs degrees to SIS de-
grees at noon, and water freezes nearly
every night.
The soil is of volcanic origin and alto
oether unfit for agriculture a. great
variety of basaltic rocks are observed as
we'll as most curious layers of fossilized
trees, principally in the northern portion,
where are also found the sources of sew
eral rivers.
All visitors are struck with admiration
when viewing the boiling springs which
cover the western portion of the park,
principally in the location called 'sFire
Hole Basin.' These, as will be seen by
figures and 5 lin the original) spring
from the soil in large numbers and take
variety of shapes; they have formed on
the surface deposits of lime, sulphur and
and iron salts which assume the most GU
rious forms and give to the scene the most
varied and extraordinary appearance.
There are within the limits of the Park
almost 5000 of these springs; they are
intermittent and vary in temperature from
so to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Some Of
them burst forth every hour, others three
times day, while some again have
periodic eruption of every three or four
days only. The wonderful display varies
in length from few minutes to half an
hour, and the principal gcysers eject vol
luminous columns Of steam and boiling
wafer which rise to an altitude Of more
than $50 feet above the-surface.
Besides these geysers the Park contains
numerous lakes, the principal of which,
Yellowstone Lake, offers d beautiful model
for our designers Of public pslrks to imi-
tate. Side by side with the geysers are