The daily enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1884, 1884-08-05

For one who APP reciates the wonder.
ful and admires the beautiful, at least
several days can be prohtab)y spent in
the immediate vicinity of the National
Hotel at Mammoth Hot Springs. One
day was thus occupied by the writer
and crowded with enjoyment, and yet
but few of the points of interest
were visited that exist within a radius
of four or five miles Of the hotel.
The formation at the Mammoth Hot
Springs is 10y all odds the most inter-
esting. On Saturday evening as the
shades of night were falling we took
a hasty run over the terraces and were
sufficiently impressed with the unique
and indiscribable beauty of form and
color. On Sunday afternoon we form
ed one of party under the kind guild
ance of assistant superintendent G. L.
Henderson that leisurely and carefully
explored great part of that wonder.
full formation. Mr.. Henderson has
lived three years at the Springs and,
being a man of much scientific knowl-
edge. rare intelligence and high appre-
citation of nature. he is better competent
than any man living to he the guide
and instructor of the stranger visiting
Mammoth Hot Springs. He knows
all the most interesting spots and how
to reach them; his long residence
there enables him to explain how the
formation of the terraces has pro-
ceeded from year to year, and what
changes are taking place-how one
part is falling into decay, while an.
other is assuming the beauty and
freshness of new life as the invigor-
ating water, charged with lime, mag
nesia, sulphur, arsenic, etc., forms
for itself new channels, builds new
terrace or re-clothes an old one with a
delicately-tinted or. gaudy robe. His
explanation Of the cause of the phe.
nomenon is doubtless the true one,
and it is worth recording. Southward
and eastward of the Springs is lofty
mountain of solid limestone. called
Limestone Mountain. This mountain
has evidently at one time extended
northward to the Gardiner river, and
it's bare face looks as though it had
been broken off and had settled to u
much lower plane. All the lower
ground is a lime mot limestOne) for
nation; a vile area of the ground is
covered with those peculiar irregular
hummocks called rhinestone hOOdOos"
masses of half-burned lime rocks
standing above the surface in the
grandest confusion. Everywhere in
that neighborhood may this partially
burned limestone he seen on the sur
face, and excavation shows all I'M
provement or nearer approach to true
lime at little depth. The theory is
that in the formative ages this noun
tain of limestone was subjected
to great heat. lasting an indefinite
time; that a process identical with
that in a lime kiln went forward-that
the lime rock was burned into lime;
that with the cooling of the internal
fire came shrinkage. and the gigantic
kiln settled down much below its orig
inal level with the unburned portion.
now called Limestone M0untain; that
the "hoodoos' are the half burned
lime that may be seen on the surface
of the smallest kiln where it was
wholly or partially in contact will
open air; that at little depth is good
lime. carrying beside calcium, magne'
sia, sulphur and other substances
When the cooling process was fully Ell
footed came the water which is still
running through that mammoth lime
bed. Then was enacted All effect iden
tical with what takes place in the pro
cess called shaking lime for the prepa
ration of mortar. The water and the
unslaked lime have All affinity, and il
their chemical union produce heat
The water running in plentiful streams
through the lime bed is not all con
sumed bv the lime. but seizes upon the
calcium, the sulphur. the magnesla
the arsenic, and carries them along tt
End an outlet. That outlet was tnt
c.nton which was formerly the tOpO'