Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-05-26
MORE WONDERS.
FRESH DISCOVERIES IN THE YELLOW
STONE NATIONAL PARK.
Remarkable Objects of Interest in thu
Lower Geyser Basin--B Boiling Paint
Bowls-Marvelous F1owers-The
Skull Geyser-Boiiing Sand.


lSt Paul Globe.
Among the recent arrivals in the city
from the north was Mr. G. l. Henderson,
one of the superintendent Of the Yellow
stone National park, who has resided in the
park since ISL During that period be has
made many valuable researches and dis
coveries. His investigations in that portion
of the park lying in forks Of the Firehole
river south of Marshalrs hotel were es-
pecially important Tho discoveries made
in the park last year are considered OF es-
pecial value and importance, both from
their extent and character. Mr.. Henderson,
replying to inquiries. said:
@The whole of last November and the first
half of December was so fine in the Geyser
basin that a 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 vol
canoes.
what the old guide books designate az
the Lower Geyser BASIN contained over
thousand objects of special interest, not over
three OF which have been named or even
noticed, and at best the whole was CONDENSED
into a few lines or single paragraph and
for the reason that it was both a terra in
cognita and Innominata.
~The Chemical Basin, of which there are
three divisions, contains vast bowls or
basins Of decomposed rock, pulverized and
in a liquid. jelly like form, of every shade
and color, and 50 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 seethiny abysses
The most remarkable of these boiling
paint bowls | nansd Liniren's Garden, in
honor of Baron Won Lndren. 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
inces santly and bloom u brief moment and
then fade away, to be succeeded by never
ending and ever varying display of lilies.
roses, sunfowers This Kaleidoscope floral
morphology is created on the surface Of a
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 Chemical Basin
and is even more wonderful, though in an
other way. IL contains over 30J miniature
mountains, each of which senis 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 successive eruptions of white lava sent
up vertically about three feet, when the
opening closed with snap, after which the
lava slowly trickled down the sides of the
noun ain and soon hardened into a crust
like putty. Another one close by had an
eruption, sending up at each discharge, n
few seconds apart, small marble shaped
balls, most of which fell back into the
crater.
'On 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 knobs ranged in rows as IL
phrenclosist had been collecting u cabinet
of craniumS. There were skulls of every
form and size, from that of an infant to a
giants in size, and from that of an idiot to
a Bacon's in form.
Near the Skull Gey>er AMI close by the
river is most singular boiling pool contain
Ing coarse black sand From some mex
plicible cause this black sand rises like a
huge bubble and fail, back, leaving the
water for an instant turbil. after which it
becomes clear as crystal. Each succeeding
globe becomes a larger until the seventh,
which bursts with a report like the crack of
n whil. The looker-on inStinctively makes
a step backward until lie becomes accus-
toned to this pugnaciou, manner of coming
to climax This geyser suggests its own
name. the Conclusion.
About two miles east of the road leading
past the Fountain Gey er to the Upper
Geyser basin is the largest lake of boiling
water in the park or in the world
"Walpurgia lake IS nearly two miles long
by one in width at the widest place. The
shores are lined with black lavatic scoria
similar To that found at VeSuvius There is
at the head of this lake powerful geyser
continually in action. Tae west side of the
cone nearest the lake cleaned like alabaster
through vast cloud OF vapor that filled the
basin and foated 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. 1t seemed
if black demon We're deluging an angel
with flood Of inIquity. IN spite OF which it
became purer and whittier. 1t was named
Mephistophelss and Marguerite
In >peaking OF the popularity of the park
a. n national pleasure rssort, Mr.. Henderson
predicted that the travel this year and num-
Der Of visitors wOull be more than double
that of any previous season.