St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-19
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.
Supt. Henderson Graphically Describes Re-
cent ImpOrtant Discoveries.


Supt. Henderson Graphically Describes Re-
cent Important Discoveries.
Among the arrivals in the city from the
North yesterday was Mr.. G. L. Henderson,
one of the superintendent of the Yellow
stone National park, who has resided
in the park since 1882. During
that period he has made many
valuable researches and discoveries.
His investigations in that portion of the park
lying in the forks of the Freehole river south
OF Marshall s'hotel were especially Important.
The discoveries made in the park last year
are considered of especial value and import
ance, both from their extent and character.
Mr.. Henderson was seen by GLOBE re-
porter last night, and, replying to inquiries,
he said:
''The whole of last November and the first
half OF December was so fine in the Geyser
basin, that party, consisting of myself,
Assistant Superintendent W. j. Weimer and
George W. Marshall were enabled to make
the most thorough and careful search that
had ever been made in that region of hot
springs, spouting geysers and mud volcanoes.
"What the old guide books designate as the
Lower Geyser basin,' contained over
thousand objects of special interest, not over
three of which have been named or even
noticed, and best the whole was condensed
into few lines or a single paragraph and
for the reason that it was both terra incog-
nita ana in nominate.
THE CHEMICAL BASIN,
of which there are three divisions, contains
vast bowls or basins of decom-
oa6 vo,1Ir I'd in
liquid, ielly-like form, of every shade and
color, and so hot that it would be instant
death to any living thing which had the mis-
fortune to slip down the oily walls into one
Of these seething abysses.
''The most remarkable of these boiling paint
bowls I named 'Lindren's Garden in
honor of Baron Won Lindren of Amsterdam,
who, during his visit to the National park
last October, was the first to observe and
to sketch the marvellous floral forms that
rise necessarily and bloom a brief
moment and then fade away, to be succeeded
by never ending aud ever varying display
of lilies, roses, sunfowers. This kaleidosco-
pic floral morphology is created on the sur
face of thick cream colored paint, in bowl
thirty feet in diameter. Every flower form
is well defined and is never repeated. No
waste and no delay.
MICRoCoSM BASIN.
'This basin lies south of Chemical basin,
and is even more wonderful, though in an
other way. 1t contains over three hundred
miniature mountains, each of which sends
out puffs of steam, and several of them are
active mud yolcanes. One of these opened
at the top like the jaws of bull dog, and
there were five successive eruptions OF white
lava sent up vertically about three feet,
when the opening closed with q snap,
after which the lava Slowly trickled down the
sides Of the mountain and soon hardened
into crust like dry putty. Another one
close by had an eruption, sending up at
marble-sEaped balls, most OF which fell back
into the crater.
son the west bank of the Firehole
river an active geyser sent up every
fifteen or twenty minutes volume
of boiling water about ninety feet high. The
crater to the depth of thirty feet was lined
with series of skull-like knob. ranged in
rows as if phrenologist had been collecting
a csbinet of craniums. There were skulls of
every form and size, from that of an infant
to giants in size, and from that of an
idiot to Bacon's in form.
Near the Skull geyser and close by the river
is most singular boiling POOL con-
tanning coarse black sand. From
some inexplicable cause this black
sand rises like huge bubble and
falls back, leaving the water fo- an instant
turbid, after which it becomes clear as crys-
tai Each succeeding globe becomes larger
until the seventh, which bursts with report
like the crack of a whip. The loOker-on
instinctvely makes a step backward until
he becomes accustomed 20 this pugnacious
manner of coming TO a climax. This geyser
suggests its own name, the Conclusion.
about two miles east of the road leading
past the Fountain geyser to the Upper Geyser
basin is the largest lake of boiling water in
the park or in the world.
wALPURGA LAKE
is nearly two miles long by one in width at
the widest place. The shores are lined
with black lavatic seoria similar to that
found at Vesuvius. There is at the head of
this lake powerful geyser continually in
action. The west side of the cone nearest
the lake cleaned like aahaster through vast
clouds of vapor that filled the basin and
ioated away into the woods on the northern
shore. The east side was black as ebony.
The boiling torrent swept over the marble
front with periodical dash and
roar that was deafening. It seemed as
If a black demon were deluging an angel
with food of iniquiiy in spite of which it
became purer aud whittier. 1t was named
'Mephistopheles and Marguerite ~
In speaking of the popularity OF the park as
a national pleasure resort Mr.. Henderson pre-
dicted that the travel this year and number
of visitors would be more than double that of
any previous season.