Omaha daily bee., 1889-03-11
IN The WIND RIVER VALLEY.
General Brisbin's Interesting Ac-
count of a Recent Outing.
SOME TALL TROUT STORIES.
Great Sport in Wyoming Streams For
the Worlds Isaac Waitons-
Pools Which Swarm With
the SpeckIed Beauties.
The Fish Kent Them Busy.

Especial 10 THE BEE. Leaving the
Hot Springs OF Little Wind river val
ley, crossed the river, and after rid
ing about mile along the bank came
to the great natural oil wells of Wyom-
ing. They are situated on a plateau
and surrounded by high hills. Riding
up the slope / entered u basin and be-
gan TO pass over n bed Of asphaltum,
caused by the sun-dricd oil. 1t rang be-
meath the horses feet us if | were rid
isg over silver bars. The a5phaltum
was black us tar. The lead of asphal-
tum is in some places six or eight feet
thick and contains millions of tons.
The natives of the valley often use it
for fuel and it burns rs freely as pitch
pine with a bright red blaze, but emits
an unpleasant odor OF coal oil.
AS / approached the wells the as
phaltum began to get softer and bend
beneath the weight of the horse and
the guide warned me not TO go any
nearer. Dismounting, picked my way
on foot over thick tough layer of mat
ter that resembled dried tar, and which
bent under my feet. The coppered oil
completely covered the mouths of the
wells, the discharge holes being no
longer visible. The wells are three in
number, and not more than twenty feet
apart. Over the mouths Of these wells
the oil was agitated and bubbliug up
through the asphaltum in about equal
parts of oil and water. One OF the
wells had a spasmodic discharge and
seemed hotter than the rest. This well
would be still for few moments and
then, with noise much resembling
that made By a man when vomiting,
only great deal louder, the center
would rise up AID about quart OF oil
and water be emitted and left on the
congealed surface of former discharges.
The oil was running in little rivulets,
showing all the tints OF the rainbow and
all that dld not CONCEAL before it got
there, ran into the Wind river and
floated on the water. The formation
about the wells indicated that they had
been running for hundreds of years.
Here, for ages perhaps, the oil has been
wasting away in these far-off mountains,
while millions and millions Of people
were burning dips or tallow candles and
longing for oil lights.
Some one had built cabin and laid
out claim about the wells, but
no one lived there. The guide told
me that the asphaltum when melted
made good roofing material and would
turn water perfectly. We melted some
on n shovel and mixing it with sand
poured it on the ground. When dry it
was almost as nard as stone and layer
an inch thick would bear the weight of
heavy man: 1t could not be broken
through by stamping upon it. and it
certainly would make good roofing or
pavements.
The next day was devoted to fishing
for trout, of which there were great
number in the streams. A short ride
brought us to the north fork of Wind
river. where we halted and some of our
party went to fish up the river while
the rest fished down the stream.
All were soon busily at work with rod
and line trolling huge grasshoppers
over the surface of the water, and our
labors we're rewarded by numerous bites
and the capture OF several speckled
beauties. In abont two hours | bad
taken some twenty trout, and my string
was so heavy put up my rod and line.
Major Russell, who was with me, had
taken nineteen, and deciding we had
enough, we determined to go in, as the
wind was blowing very hard and made
it difficult to manage our lines. We
having taken in all only ten
trout aud then given 1T up
on account of the wind. A
hearty dinner on trout, antelope and
fresh bread, with coffee and n sleep OF
two hours so refreshed us that we de-
termined, the wind having fallen, to
take fresh start and fish for big trout
in the deep pools of the Wind river.
The ambulances were brought up, and
we were off for the stream about II mile
distant. The first line thrown in was
taken under and the hook carried off.
A lieutenant near me mt the same mo-
ment hooked Il trout that would have
weighed three or four poun Is, but he
foundered off the hook. Major jack
son, who was just below us,
called loudly for help and
we ran down to him, he
was paying n game trout in deep
water but could not land him on ac-
count of tho weakness of his rod. The
line was so slender we feared every
moment it would break, but it held on
wonderfully, resisting all the luuges
and plunges OF the trout. After par
TALLY drowning him the major sue
coeded in drawing him into shallow
water, so the lieutenant got hold OF him
and landed him. When dressed he
weighed nearly three pounds and was n
fine specimen Of Rocky mountain trout.
Soon afterwards, while fishing at this
same spot, hooked trout that broke
my line. l had the line tested and il
showed Il strain Of twenty-eight pounds.
How large this fish was that seemed to
break it with ease | have often Won
dered. BY sundown we had taken an
abundance OF smaller trout and had
enough To last US for two or three days.
/ found the valley of the Little Wind
river about twenty-five miles long, and
from two to thu ee miles wide. There
were some settlers, aud the crops looked
we'll. Wheat, corn, oats and potatoes
were growing finely. There were
some patches Of melons, squashes, tur-
nips, tomatoes and radishes. Tho soil
of the valley seemed excellent. The
pasturage was abundant, and the eli
mate SO mild. that / was told the cattle
ran out all winter long without any
other food than that which nature pro-
vided, All the cattle we saw were very
fat. The land is on the Shoshone
reservation, and learned all the farms
] sax belonged tosquaw men aud friends
of the Indians.
a soldier in the evening brought IN II
bucket full of ripe red wild raspberries
and we found them excellent eating.
Wild gooseberries, currants and sarvis
berries were found in abundance along