Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-30
OUR YOUNG FOLKS.

thing OF interest.
The largest and finest geysers in the
known world are those of Yellowstone Ma
tional Park. In the space of few square
miles geyserS by the score and hot springs
BY the hundred hiss and bubble and fill the
air with a smell OF sulphur. The geysers
vary from little streams, that play almost
constantly. to colossal fountains that shoot
for hours. sending floods of boiling water
two hundred feet and more into the air,
and making the earth shake with the VIC
lence of their eruption. The term geyser-
an Icclandic word meaning gusher' or
" rager''-appics to stream of boiling wa
ter issuing from the earth and leaping into
the air nj certain intervals, under the i'm
pulse of a strong force underground. The
hole or crack from which the water pourS
extends so deep into the earth that the vol
canic hreS-fOr geysers are found only i'll
volcanic regions-heat the lower end OF the
tube like Il furnace. The geyser is sup
piled with water from the springs, or may
be from leakings ofponds or rivers, and so
intense is the heat in the lower part OF this
tube that it converts the water there INTO
steam and as water when 1t turns to steam
expands over LOGO times, the expansive
force suilices TO lift the everything water OF
the tube not only to the surface but AT times
itlgIl mo lnt dil. " liGil oNCtIiil CllCAAA
generated to blow off all the water in the
Iube above, Il bubbling and scattering are
first noticed al the surface, and presently Il
huge column of water bursts up into the
air with q rush and a roar, dense clouds OF
steam pouring up ut the same time and
drifting skYWard. Following an eruption
the hot vupur pOHrs out i'll great volumes,
some geysers stcaming for an hour or two
after the water has subsidized. The ire
quancy of an explosion depends on the
size Of the crater. If it is small and holds
but little water slight force will serve to
eject the water; but if the tube is large
more time will I've necessary to heat the wa
ter, and several days may be required to
form steam enough to hit one or two mill
ions of gallons in the upper tube. More
over. a wide tube allows a continued escape
of steam and delays the eruption. The
water of thc Yellowstone ycyserS is always
boiling, and little cracks and holes in sur
rounding rock give outlet to the steam. A
blast of steam So heated that it was inyisi-
bic. almost peeled the skin from the wri-
ter's knucileS when he thrust his hand
into & vent hole one day to pluck out Il
spccmcu of gcyscr-tOrmed stone. Mineral
substances are held in solution in the Gey-
ser water. and rs the water cvaporateS it
deuosits them about the mouth of the tube,
often IN fantastic and beautiful f0rms like
coral and hunevComb, and usually in such
quantity rs to build large cone about the
orifice. The cone of Castle geyScr which
sometimes plays 80 feet, resembles Il
ruined castle. The most powerful gcyscrs
of this wonderful region are the Giant, Gil
antcss, Old Faithful, Grand, Splendid, En-
celsior Castle Beehive, Monarch, Lion and
Grotto There is also in the park geyser
IL. mud frhn-n
in action from five minutes to twelve
hours, at intervals Of from one hour to
fourteen days. throwing streams from 20
to 800 feet in hight and from two to six feet
in diameter, exploding with such force
that the ground trcmbles, and their thun-
dering is heard mile away, while their
outflow raises the level of the Fireholc
! river until it resembles freshet. And
now, boys, if YOU want to start geySer of
| your own in the back yard here is the way
! to do it: Secure tube Of tim. iron or brass.
| n third of an inch to an inch in diameter.
enlarging toward the bottom like a horn,
| though not so broadly. ! dare say that the
| Tin man would make you such tube a.
you wish for fifty cents or less, or You can
get some old tubes of different sizes and fit
them into each other, telescope fashion.
Let the total length OF the tube be about
solidly, fill>it with water, brace it firmly
and set it over hot fire. Now place red
hot irons against the metal, from quarter
| To q third Of its length from the bottom, or,
better stin, build metal cup around the
tube IT that point, punch a few little holes
in the bctt0m OF the cup 10 secure 4
draught ID start charcoal fire in it, and
presently Your geyscr will spout. Punch Il
| hole in The bottom Of the old tin wash basin
| and a1iX tlE,t to the upper or spou5ing end
of the tub,a and it Will collect the falling
water, allowing it 10 pour back into the
tube that Che eruption may be repeated.
| The wash Etsin viii also furnish q means
of supporting the structure, a You can
| place old r4mrods or >tairrods under ii.
| Though nnure operates her gcy-crs with
only one Gre or heating poinI, your little
gcyser works on 50 limited scale that two
| fires viii b. necessary, the water turning
Steam mors quickly, and through longer
portion Of thc ruhe than if heat were sup
| piled from TIL bottom alone, in which case
the water would probably boi! away with
ont an erWtiou, unless the tube should be
| quite long and the fire intensely hot The
Mastery.