Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-02
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK.
New objects of Interest that have
Been Discovered

Mr. Vt. Ii. IlSuu0fSOu. OAS Vi Tie
superintendent of the Yellowstone
National Park, was in Salt Lake City
recently, where he was interviewed
by a representative of the Herald.
Replying to inquiries, he said:
1.-THE whole of last November and
the first half of December was so fine
in the geyser basin that q party con-
sistiug Of myself, Asst. Supt. wv.
Weimer, and George w. Marshall
were enabled to make the most thors
ough and careful search that bad 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 a thousand objects of special
interest, not over three of which have
been named or even noticed, and at
few lines or single paragraph. and
for the reason that 1t was both terra
incognito and nominate.
1.-THE chemical basin, of which
thcre are three divisions, contains
vast bowls or basins of aecomposed
rock, pulverized and in 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 remarkable of these
boiling paint bowls I named
Lindrens garden in honor of
the Barron Won Linden,
of Amsterdam, who during his visit
to the National Park last October was
the first to observe and to sketch the
marvellous and floral forms that rise
necessarily and bloom a brief NOM
ent and th.n fade away, to be sue
ceeded by a never-ending and ever
varying display of lilies, roses and
sunlowers, This kaleidoscope floral
morphology is created GA the surface
of thick, cream colored paint in a
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 chem
zeal basin, and is even more wonden~
full, though in another way. It CON
tains over three hundred miniature
mountains, 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 bulldog, and there were five sue"
cessive eruptions Of white lava sent up
vertically about three feet, when the
opening closed with a snap, after
which the lava slowly trinkled down
the sides of the mountain and soon
hardened into a crust like putty.
Another one close by had an eruption
sending up at each discharge few
seconds apart small marbIe-shaped
balls, most of which fell back into
the crater.
ION the west bank of the Fire Hole
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 a series of skulI>like
knobs, ranged in rows as if phrenoS
logist had been collecting a cabinet of
craniums. There were skulls of every
form and size, from that of aR 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 inexplicable cause this
black sand rises like huge bubble
and falls back, leaving the water for
an instant turbid, after which it be-
comes clear as crystal. Each sue
ceeding globe becomes larger one
until the seventh, which bursts with
a report like the crack of a whip.
The looker-on instinctively makes a
step backward until he becomes &C.
,ustomed to this pugnaciCus manner
# coming to climax. This geyser
It's own name, the conclusion.
''About two miles east Of the road |
leading past the FOutain geyser to the |
upper geyser basin is the largest lake
If boiling water in the park or In the
world.
''Walpurgia lake is nearly two miln
IS long by one in width at the widest
place. The shores are lined with a
black lavatic scoria similar to that
ound at Vesuvlus, There is at the
.ead of this lake powerful geyser
ia action. The west side
D1 lIl0 COHc nearest buO IdhC S1Sau1Cu
ike alabaster through vast clouds of
-apor that filled the basin and foated
way into the woods on the northern
hore. The east side was as black as
bony. The boiling torrent swept
yer the marble front with a period
cal dash and roar that were deafens
ng. It seemed as if black demon
we're deluging an angel with food
f iniquity, in spite of which it be-
anne purer and winter. It was mans
Mephistopheles and Marguerite. ="
In speaking of the popularity of
ne park as national pleasure resort, r
Ir. Henderson predicted that the '
ravel this year and Number of visit !
RS would be more than double that
{ any previous season. j
Brooms and broom brushes in Eng L
md, France, Belgium and Denmark =
re now generally made from a sort Z
palm known in Brazil as piassava. Il
he foer of this palm is also employ Il