News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-03-28
DEATH GULCH.
A DEADLY GAS SPRING IN VEL
LowsToNE PARK.
Remains of Animals Found That
Had Been Asphyxiated by the Ir-
respirable Vapors in the Fatal
Ravine.


Had Been Asphyxiated by the Ir-
respirable vapors in the Fatal
Ravine.
The familiar fable of the upas tree,
living in a valley of death wherein all
life was killed by its deadly exhalations
and the ground was strcwn with the
bones of its victims, has been proven,
like many travellers tale, to be high
ly colored and exaggerated account OF q
natural phenomenon. The upas tree is
now well known to have poisonous sap,
but not poisonous 'apors. But the
story survives in the accounts given OF
the Death VALLEY of Java, which it was
long believed no Traveller eeesd cross,
''wherein every living being which pen
etrated the valley falls down dead, and
the soil is covered with the scarcasses OF
tigers, deer, birds, and even the bones
of men, all killed by the abundant ex-
halations of carbonic-acld gas, With
which the bottom of the valleyls filled.
Such is the description given by Lyell,
of this famous valley; while another To-
cality is described as place where ''the
sulphurous eXhalations have killed
tigers, birds and innumerable insects,
and the soft parts of these animals are
perfectly preserved, while the bones are
eroded and entirely destroyed. The re-
searches of Jumghuhn have shown that
these accounts are much exaggerated,
the "Valley of Death" being a funnel
shaped depression but 100 feet in diam
eter instead of valley half n mile
across. In the bottom of this depression
there is hole fifteen feet i'll diameter,
from which gaseous emanatious are
given out, which at times accumulate to
a depth sufficient to envelop and suffo-
cate animals on the bottom of the hol-
low. Repeated visits by Junghuhn, ex-
tending over period of twelve years,
showed that the amount of gas varied
greatly from time to time, but rarely
ever rose over two to six inches above
the bottom. At the time of his earlier
visit he found the body of a Javanese
native in the depression, but expert
enced no difficulty or oppression while
there himself. This same body was still
undecomposed, owing to the preserv-
ative effect of the layer of gas, when he
repeated his visit eighteen months later.
The only other remains seen during his
subsequent visits were the carcasses of
six swine, which were decomposed and
putrid At this time the absence OF the
gas was shown by the presence OF crow
feeding upon the dead bodies.
Though thus shorn of much of its
former glory, the Pakamman, or poison
hole, is the largest and most dangerous
of the gas springs of mofettes of Java,
and indeed of the world, and really de-
serves the title of natural death trap.
Though such emanations are common
in all volcanic regions, this has been the
only place known where the gases have
accumulated and caused the death of
the larger animals
In the Yellowstone National Park,
now so well known as the vonderland
of America, there Is o. place equalling
this famous death valley, and where the
gaseous exhaIations iiave proved fatal to
numerous bear, elk and many smaller
animals.
This place, to which the appropriate
name of death Gulch" is given, was
discovered by the writer during the past
summer 1SSS) while making geologi-
cal examination of the region for Mr..
Arnold Hague, the geologist in charge
of the survey of the park. 1t is situated
in the extreme northeastern portion of
this reservation, short distance south
of the mail route, which, leaving Lamar
river. follows up Soda Butte creek to
the mining camp of Cook City. In this
region the lavas which fill the ancient
basin of the park rest upon the fianks of
mountains formed of fragmentary vol
canic eiecta, and tertiary andesitic brec-
cias, which rest in turn upon nearly
horizontal paleozoic strata; while the
hydrothermal forces, which are repre-
sented by the geysers and hot springs
of the central portion of the park, where
the lava sheet is thicker, show but feeble
manifestations of their energy in the al
most extinct hot-spring areas of Soda
creek, Lamar river, Cache creek and
Miller creek. Although hot water no
longer flows from the vents of these
areas, the deposits of travertine, sinter
and decomposed rock attest the former
presence of thermal springs, Gaseous
emanations are not given off, however,
in considerable volume, producing eX-
tensive alteration in the adjacent rocks,
end giving rise to sulphurOus deposits.
1t is at one of these places that the
fatal ravine is found. Situated on
Cache creek, but two miles above its
confluence with Lamar river, it is
easily reached by horseback ride of
some miles from the mail station of
Soda Butte. The region is, however,
rarely visited for hunting is forbiddt n
in the park, while the place has not
been known to present any attraction
for the few visitors who pass near it on
their way to the well-known Fossil forests
and the weird scenery of the Hindoo
basin.
The gllch ends, or rather begins, in a
"scoop" or basin about $50 feet above
Cache creek; and just below this We
found the fresh body of large bear, q
silver-tip grizzly with the remains of
companion in an advanced state of de-
composition above him. Near by were
the skeletons of four more bears, with
the bones of an elk yard or two above,
while in the bottom of the pocket were
the fresh remains of several squirrels,
rock hares and other small animals, be-
sides numerous dead butterflies and in
sects. The body of the grizzly was
carefully examined for bullet holes or
other marks of injury, but showed no
traces of violence, the only indication
being a few drops of blood under the
nose.
1t was evident that he had met his
death but short time before, as the
carcass was still perfectly fresh, though
offensive enough at the time of a later
visit The remains of cinnamon bear
Just above and alongside of this were in
an advanced state of decomposition,
while the other skeletons were almost
denuded of flesh, though the claws and
much of the hair remained. 1t was ap-
parent that these animals, as we'll as the
squirrels and insects, had not met their
death by violence, but had been asphyx-
lated by the irrespirable gas given off in
the gulch. The hollows were tested for
carbonic acid gas with lighted tapers
without proving its presence; but the
strong smell of sulphur and a choking
sensation of the lungs indicated the
presence of noxious gases, while the
strong wind prevailing at the time,
together with the open nature of the
ravine, must have caused a rapid
diffusion of the vapors.
This place differs, therefore, material
ly from the famous Death Valley of Java
and similar places in being simply a
V-shaped trench, not over rs feet deep,
cut in the mountain slope, and not a
hollow or cave. That the gas at times
accumulates in the pocket at the head
of the gulch is, however, proven by the
dead squirrels, etc, found on its bottom.
Science.
J. T. FLETCHER, of Jenkins Bridge,
Va, was in his grave and men were
IL