Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-12-31
FAMOUS GEYSERS.
Description of the Marvellous Boiling
Springs of Iceland.

Springs of Iceland.
The most remarkable natural phe-
nomenon in Iceland at the present
time is the geysers, or boiling springs.
They are to be found on slightly
elevated table-land in the valley OF
Hankadal. In the small space of about
twenty acres there are no less than
one hundred and fifty, reckoning pools
and jets. 1t is supposed that the whole
of these twenty acres is crust cover
ing bo}ler, and that these springs are
the safety-valves.
The first object that the traveller no.
tees is a shallow stream, fed by the
overfowing of pool of unfathomable
depth. This stream has the power of
incrusting whatever is left in its cur
rent. Even its bed has undergone this
process, and might be mistaken for
white cement. The pool from which
it issues is filled to the brim with the
clearest water imaginable, of tenn
perature bordering on boiling. Its
sides expand as it deepens, leaving the
impression that it is a part of vast
cauldron covered with thin crust.
The principal fountain is the Great
Geyser, which is at the extremity of
the eminence. The basin resembles
shallow bowl, gradually deepening to
the orifice of the pipe in the center,
where it reaches the depth of three
feet. The diameter measures about
fifty-six feet. 1t is, however, not quite
circular, there being an indentation in
the circumference. The pipe is per-
fectly round and about twelve feet
across. The depth is reckoned to be
more than sixty feet. Mr.. Dillon saw
two eruptions of this geyser; one was
of more than ten minutes duration,
and presented column, or rather py.
ramid, of at least ninety feet.
The day was calm, and consequently
the jet was not broken into parts.
After raging with incredible fury, it at
once burst. and leaving the basin
emrty, deluged the outside with hot
water, while running down in number
less rills, joined again in stream at
the foot of the gcyser. The first
glance at the geyser is said to be all
absorbing. 1t holds the spectator, as
it were, under the influence of spell,
only broken by the final bursting of
the giant column.
The other very remarkable geyser is
called the Stokr, which means in Ice
landic the piston of churn. 1t is
higher than the Great Geyser, but not
SO large. 1t has no basin. There is
seen merely round hole, about ten
feet in diameter, with water bubbling
at depth of fifteen feet. An eruption
is sometimes effected by choking this
hole with earth. Mr.. Dillon
and his two companions, on their
celebrated visit, collected abou.
wagon-load of turf and peat. They
put it round the edge of the hole, and,
on given signal, tumbled it into the
pipe. For second or two the boiling
ceased; the water then suddenly rose to
the top, and, darling through the air,
formed column about one hundred
and twenty feet high. The turf was
hurled out and lifted even higher than
the water. The violence of the erup-
ton exceeded that of the Great Geyser,
and the column was much smaller in
diameter. For thirty-five minutes it
continued in an uninterrupted Jet,
tossing up large stones which were
thrown at it, and casting them out like
balls from a cannon.
The height of these two fountains
has been estimated yariously by differ
ent travellers. Some have given it at
three hundred and forty feet, and
others at seventy. Sir John Stanley
measured them with a seXtant. ard
found the Great Geyser to be ninety
six feet and Stokr one hundred and
thirty. The eruptions are not always
the same height, but it is believed that
they have not varied much for many
years.-GOlden DdyS.