The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-05-31
MORE WONDERS.
Fresh Discoveries in the Vel
lOwstOne Park.
MORE OBJECTS OF INTEREST.
In the Lower Geyser Basin-BOiling
Paint Bowl s-MsrvelOus Flow
ers-The Skull GeYser.

Among the recent arrivals in the city
from the north was Mr.. g. l.. Hender-
son. one of the superintendent of the
Yellowstone National park, who has
resided in the park since 1882. During
that period he has made many valuable
. researches and discoveries. Hisinvesti-
cations in that portion of the park'iying
in forks of the Fire Hole river south of
Marshall's hotel were especially impor-
tant. The discoveries made in the park
last year are considered of especial
value and importance, both from their
extent and character. Mr.. Henderson,
replying to inquiries, said:
1.-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. ].
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.
"Wnat the old guide books designate
as the Lower Geyser Basin contained
over a thousand objects of special in
terest, not over three of which have
been named or even noticed, and at best
the whole was condensed into few lines
OF a single paragraph and for the reason
that it was both a terra incognita and
innOminata.
The Chemical Basin, of which there
are three divisions, contains vast bowls
or basins of deeomposed rock, pulver-
lied and in a liquid, jelly like form, of |
every shade and color, and so hot that |
it would be instant death to any living |
thing which had the misfortune to slip |
down the oily walls into one of these
seething abysses.
The most remarkableof these boil
ing paint bowls l named Lindren's
Garden. in honor of the Baron Won
Lindren, of Amsterdam, who during
his visit to the National park last Oc-
tober was the first to observe and to
sketch the marvellous floral forms that
rise necessarily and bloom brief
moment and then fade away, to be sue
ceeded by a never ending and ever vary
ing display of lilies, roses and sunfow
erS. This kaleidoscope floral morpho
1ogy is created on the surface 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.
''This basin lies south of the Chemical :
Basin. and is even more wonderful, ,
though in another way. 1t contains
over three hundred miniature noun
tains, each of which sends out puffs of
steam and several of them are active
mud volcanoes. One of these opened ,
at the top like the jaws of a bulldog,
and there were five successive eruptions
of white lava sent up vertically about
three feet, when the opening closed
with snap, after which the lava slowly
trinkled down the sides of the noun
tain and soon hardened into crust like
putty. Another one close by had an ,
eruption, sending up at each discharge
few seconds apart, small m srble shaped
balls, most of which fell back into the
crater.
On the west bank of the Fire Hole
river and 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
knobs ranged in rows as if phrenolo-
gist had been collecting a cabinet of
eraniums. 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
containing coarse black sand. From
some lnexplicible cause this black sand
rises like huge bubble and falls back. {
leaving the water, for an instant, tur-
bid, after which it becoms clear as $
crystal. Each succeeding globe becomes {
larger one, until the seventh. which
bursts with report like the crack of a
whip. The lOOker-on instinctiyely
makes a step backwards until he be-
comes accustomed to this pugnacious
manner of coming to climax This
geyser suggests its own name, the Con- 5
cussion. !
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. ~rf+ Na
"Walpurgia lake is nearly two miles !
long by one in width at the widest place.
The shores are lined with a black lava
tic scoria similar to that found at Vesu-
Vius. There is at the head of this lake
a powerful geyser continually in action. J
The west side of the cone nearest the
lake cleaned like alabaster through /
vast clouds Of vapor that filed the
basin and floated away into the woods
en- the northern shore. The east side
was as black as ebony. The boiling tor Z
4Cht oWCPs CtCI NbAC mai DlC A1OlJ Will q ii
periodical dash and roar that was
deafening. 1t seemed as if a black
demon were deluging an angel with q
food of iniquity, in spite of which it
became purer and whittier. 1t was named
MephistopheAe and Marguerite"
In speaking, Of the popularity of the a
park, IS a national pleasure resort, Mr.. 6
Henderson predicted that the travel this 0
year and number of visitors would be o
more than double that of any previous
season. a
A Startling Discovery.