The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-04-22

president Of Massachusetts Agricultural COL
lege, to deliver a lecture on "Wnderand"
or an account orhis trip through fllowstone
Park. Mr.. Stocl;bridge was introduced by
Prof Davidson and for two hours entertained A
thoroughly interested audience, Thelollow.
ing is an outline Of his lecture. Wonderland
or the Yellowstone Park is portionpf the
country which has been set apart by 6ngress
as q sort of national pleasure ground 1t is
situated 1900 miles West Of the ,Atlaic and
in the Rocky Mountain range at an citation
of 6ooo feet 1t extends 6s miles NOD and
south and 90 east and west. making itbout
the size Of Delaware aud Rhode lsld to-
gether. The climate is similar to ournti
mental centre, differing however in tina thile
the days of mid summer are very wanthe
nights are quite cold and frosty. Thain
fall is very light, averaging about ten les
per year. Along the rivers are found du-
niper, cottonwood, will,w, red pine etc. N
er up 'evergreens, chiefly pine, while ole
plateaus, sage bush and bunch root fun
sustenance TO the wild animals. The anls
founG here are the grizzly bear, mountain,,
antelope and numerous small kinds, ande
streams are well stocked with fish. Howl
the park is wild barren region with NO,
fractions for man, other than its display
natures beauty, and were it not for this
might well be used for cariol, 1t is uny
the control of the National department Of 4
interior, and the officers who have charge
it are superintendent, three assistant supei
intendents and police force varying at dill
ferent times the year. The killing of an.
game, other than the bear and lion, defacinl
the springs or taking specimens is forbidden
under penalty Of 500. The park contain
and Wyoming, bnt chiefly Of the latter. Tit
trunk line, branch road, extends within eigh
miles Of the park, and wagon roads are beinl
built facilities for travelling are fast increasing
but people travelling here must camp, as TO
those who 60 to be seen rather than see. it il
hardly the place.
In September party Of 26, boys and girls
left Fitchburg for Wonderland, there to re-
vel in the beauties of nature. Through Hoosat
Tunnel past Niagara Falls, through the love.
iy cities of the West, on across wheat fields
then across the "bad lands" of Dakota anc
Montana, they are hurried till Sept. 10th
which finds them a cold and hungry crowt
dumped on the hotel piazza. Sept nth is
cold and windy, snow covering the mountains
and flats, but the party are not TO be discour-
aged now, at night gentleman introduces
himself to the crowd as a guard sent from St
Louis by The Uuited States government. He
had with him stout pony, rifles and revol,
vers, and was pronounced by the company to
be about as fierce looking as any thing they
would be likely to encounter. Next day they
started out in wagons for six, drawn by four
horses, and then commenced that wonderful
tour. They first went to Mt. Terrace, then
Swan Lake basin, then across divide twelve
miles from here where are found the ObsidiaI
Cliffs of oxide of iron formation clear as glas
and Jet black. One stands four or five hun
bred feet high and four miles long At tn
foot a road has been built, but because of ther
hardnes it was only done by piling logs agains
it, then burning them and throwing water from
the stream upon it thile heated, which caused
it to break off like glass. There are no valleys
here but the rivers run in gorges and canyons.
This whole region is said to be volcanic. but
we would not think it so, nearly all proofs are
obliterated. Igneous rocks are scattered
throughout the region, probably carried in the
great ice sheets and currents Of water. The
basins here have great rims of conglome, ate
rock piled in hillocks and drifts, but the bottom
of Frehole and fe 1 Is rSfrs ags at Sana
5000 feet, 1000 feet above the highest point in
New England, and from here may be seen
mountain after mountain in every direction.
The water of the hot springs contains lime,
magnesia and soda, yet only in small quanti-
ties, they constituting only about six.thous-
ardth part Of one per cent, but in this dry
atmosphere where the water evaporates so rap
idly this causes a great quantity Of deposit
There are some 1000 of the springs here, some
very copious and others not as much so as the
deposit after time fill them up but others
burst out to take their place The waters are
not simply warm but hot enough to cook meats
rapidly. and il is clear as crystal and takes on
the colors Of surrounding objects The forma-
ton of the basin may be pink, yellow or white
and have a perfectly scalloped edge, and is
perfect representation Of morning glory, hav-
ing the beautiful pink shades and also the
shape of that flower. In some parts the
springs seem 10 have changed into what are
called paint-pots. a large basin is filled with
a muddy substance which boils and sputters
like hasty pudding, and all colors immaginable
are to be found owing to the mineral substance
in the waters. The number of geysers in tie
park is about seventy, each one having name
peculiar to itself, among them are Hopeful.
Oblong, Turban. Old Faithful, Saw Mill
and Old Grand. Nearly all have stated times
for spouting and are usually on time, some act
ing once minute, others once an hour or
once in several days as the case may be.
The formation of the geysers is different from
the springs, it is cone shaped the sides ofwhich
are in terraces which are filed with water as it
spouts. The crater or mouth OF some is about
twenty feet across. Old Grand was one of the
largest to act while we were there, at first a
terrible rumbling, seemingly deep down in the
earth, was heard then the whole body Of wa
the lifted at once prehaps six feet then sank
back. again it raised and this time to send a
spout of water about the size OF barrel at the
lower part, up 200 feet it was thought, it con-
tnued this by regular pulsations for four or five
minutes, the stream rising several hundred
feet above the water then sank back to pre-
pare for another action. The Saw Mill was
so named because it SO perfectly initiated the