St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-13
MARVELS OF NATURE.
A Visit to the Yellowstone National Park
in Mid Winter Monuments in
Toe and Snow.
A Scene of Chilling Grandeur That Has
Not Its Parallel in All the
World.
InnumerabIe Ice Palaces, Ice Bridges
and Ice Mountains Majestic and
Sublime spectacles.
Cinuabar (Mout.l Letter.

paper correspondents. all of whom have
visited it during the summer time. But
which one Of all these writers has seen the
park in dead of winter? Your correspond
ent has just returned from the depths of
the park. visiting Mammoth Hot Springs,
the Norris geyser basin, Upper and Lower
geySer basins Yellowstone lake and the
gorgeous upper and lower fails of the
Yellowstone and found that the park
bears i'm winter totally different aspect
from what il does during the opposite
season. The geySers spout with their
usual regularity. the snowfall is the same
as upon the surrounding country and the
cold streams freeze up just about the same
as they would elsewhere. But place the
geySeT basins i'm the midst OF Snow-white
valleys. with their thousands OF steam vents
spouting and suffering rs they always do.
and the picture is far grander than when
beheld in midsummer. and one seldom wit
messed except by the Indians and a few
hunters who pass through il and the en-
ployes who patrol the park the year
round. At Mammoth Hot Springs l
found the whole basin boiling and
bubbling as usual, except that the
odor OF sulphurous gases appeared 10 be
stronger and more unpleasant than In the
Mammoth Hot Springs, As has been stated.
The sulphurous fumes overcome all birds,
| beetles, butterflies and even the humming
birds. when they venture too near. L
found. however. great numbers of the sala-
mander fly and few galliniper mosquitoes.
These two insects are about the only living
creatures that dare venture with impunity
within the space occupied by this deadly
touid abyss.
OVER SUMMIT MOUNTAIN.
From the Mammoth Hot Springs / rode
up an old trail over the top OF Summit
mountain, and here | must say the scene
| spread out before upon miles and miles Of
natures canvas was simply sublime. Close
| by on the right lowered the majestic Flee
! trio Peak. which is the Hottest eminence
within the confines Of the parks. The
mountain was clothed from its dome 10 its
base in a soft, snowy covering of white.
which lent TO il picture of such sublimity
that would be difficult TO describe in words.
| Continuing along the trail descended first
into a valley and then rode along
the edge of a piece of timber which finally
brought me to the first crossing of the
| GibbOn river. l knew this stream was fed
by hot springs and was somewhat curious
TO see what effect the severe temperature
| of Montana, 6. 600 feet i'm the air, would
have upon this stream. There il was rush
| Ing along pell-mell. as usual. its surface
| uncOngealed, but at a very low depth. The
stream was not more than two feet deep at
any place. In the summer time, when the
SHOWS melt. this branch of the GibbOn river
Is from eight to ten feet in depth. On each
side the banks were lined with snow. which
rose up like a white wall of solid material,
between which rushed the waters of the
river.
A FROZEN LAKE.
Travelling on for some miles crossed
another mountain, upon the summit OF
which is situated the beautiful Lake OF
the Woods" The surface of this beau
.tiful body Of water was frozen from
shore To shore i'm one CLASSY sheet. Ii APP
peared that there had been a heavy snow
fall on this mountain recently, but that the
winds had blown the fiaky substance en-
tirely from the surface of the lake. Along
the edge OF this mountain / skirteC
for some distance and looked with becom'
ing awe down the awful chasms, where
the snow must have been piled in places at
least 200 feet deep. 1t was in one of these
notwithstanding ravines that not long
, since a traveller on mule back was carried
down with a snow-slide at railroad speed
which covered him and his mule completely
out of sight. He spent the night IN tie
: drift. but somehow succeeded in gettin.
, both himself and animal out next day, no
much hurt either of them, but both very
much frightened. At the Norris Geyse
basin l again crossed the Gibboi
river, also unfrozen ut this point. ant
climbed the trail which brought me on
near the Minute gevser and Steamboa
vent. The former was still going off wit
= its usual regularity. while the latter ais
i pulled and snorted away like stealnbOa
2 letting of steam. The principal geyseTs i
Z I this basin are the Constant, throwing up
q column of wafer every thirty seconds; tn
Fountain. Twins and Triplets; Blac
Geyser. Opal Spring. Mound GeySer. Mu
Geyser. hurting mass of paint. like mud
: ten feet high every twenty minutes; Minut
f Man GeySer. sputtering out steam and he
a water thirty odd feet high every minute
d Monarch GeySer. largest in the basin; Ne'
a Crater Geyser and the Vixen.
i LIFE AMID DEsoLTIoN.
o This whole basin was overlooking wit
Y scaldng hot water, which not even tn
o sixty odd degrees below freezing point wa
d able to cool. When l came in sight {
: Lower GeySer basin the sight was on
/. which l shall never forget. / was standin
on lofty precipice. the country before NJ
II spread out like panorama on gigant
h scale. In the distance was the main divId
e of the Rocky Mountains, the backbone {
% America. sending the head waters of ii
e. Columbia river down one side an
}, the springs of the Missouri systel
o down the other. The ridge stood out bo
e and white in the distance. While stan,
d ing and admiring the beauties of u;
IN ture in this wonderful region | was su
prised and delighted to see in the valley b.
-. i IL. a e 4 -
that must have numbered at least 500. II
a noble animals saw me at about the san
time / first esped them. and taking alar
- at once they went trooping down throue
the timber and out of sight. Ii is indies
+ a blessing that there are a few regulation
now being Enforced 10 spare what fe
vi game animals we yet have left in the Yt
lowstome National park. | descended q
5. valley and followed for some mil
is i'm the beaten trail made
the band of elk. In a little VIII
| discemed far ahead what appeared to
jets of steam rising from the factories OF
manufacturing town. Ii was steam but
ed came from the hot springs and fountains
he the Lower Geyser basin. Directly over II
e. basin lowered a cloud of frost or mi.
IS which was caused by the hot steam risii
ar and coming in contact with the cold
Ipr dDoNcs Il TIC ECA Stio III lNln Ddclu are II
N clustered, but are scattered indscriminatt
IA over an area of about thirty square mil,
avs Within this area are nearly 700 hot sprin
80 constantly sputtering and bubbling a
- seventeen geysers in active operation.
te. HEAT AND COLD.
= This basin was covered with snow {,
lid depth of from two TO six feet. Here n
ur there could be seen great bare places. VIII,
of the hot springs and geysers were busily
I'm work. / observed especially new wOnC
nv which had never been named or noticed l