The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-04
1T Is A VALLEY OF DEATH.
A Ravine in Yello wstone Park where
Game is Asphyxiated-
From The San Francisco Chronicle.

Game is Asphyxiated.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
"In Yellowstone park there is a ravine
that proves as deadly to animal life as that
Death Valley of Java, where wild beasts
perish by the score" said Henry w. Nc
Intyre at the Palace hotel last night The
gentleman was connected with the party
who surveyed the reservation, under the
leadership of Arnold Hague, the park
geologist. While following the streams to
trace the extinct hot springs the explorers
reached ravine in which the bones of
many animals, bears, deer, rabbits and
squirrels, we're found. the presence of the
remains caused the party much wonder.
and a solution of the strange affair was
found only when crow that had been seen
to fly from the side of the valley to a car
cass that was yet fresh lit on it's prey, and
almost Immediately fell to the ground
THE death of the bird" continued Mr..
Mcintyre, was caused by gaseous exhala-
tious, whose presence in the park had beel
before unsupported. The larger game also
met its death by inhaling the deadly gas
The ravine is in the northeastern part of
the park in the vicinity of the min
ing camp of Cooke Creek, and not
far from tho line of the mail route. All
about this region gaseous exhalations are
given Off, which form sulphurous deposits.
In the almost extinct hot-spring areas of
Soda butte. Lamar river and Cache and
Miller creeks the ravine was found. This
region Is rarely visited, althoug it is an ad-
mirable spot for game, which, however,
goes unmolested by man, the laws against
hunting being very severe. The road to
the valley has few attractions, and the Wis
itors to the Fossil forests and Hiudoo basin
seldom make the trip
In the center of a meadow, reached by
an old elk trail, is a shallow depression that
was once the bed of hot spring pool. This
Is now dry and is covered with slight de-
post of salt, and that is the bait That at
tracts the elk and other game of the region.
The 'lck' extends for Seve Ity-five yards up
the ravine and ia thicker ard more palpable
toward the upper end. The creek runs past
along the side OF the valley and boilS and
bubbles as If it were the outlet of a hot
spring. But the water is cold and the dis
turbance in its surface is caused by the
emissions of gas, mainly carbonic acid. 1t
also contains sulphur, as particles of that
are seen on the sides of the creek AS we
went up the stream the odor of
sulphur became very strong and caused
Irritation Of the bronchial passages. About
eighty yards above Cache creek were the
bones of large bear and near by was
smaller grizzly decomposed, but with the
skin and hair yet fresh. Only short dis
lance farther on were the skeletons of many
more animals, such as elk and deer and
other large game. Squirrels, rabbits, birds
and insects were lying about in quantities,
and the ravine looked as if it had been the
scoop Of drive into which the animals of
the park had been hunted and had there
been left to die of hunger out of mere wan
tonnes. There we're no woun Is apparent
on the bodies be ore us; all the animals had
been asphyxiated by the deadly gases that
hs,,a g. Al A..
gulch in dense, palpable curtain.
The first bear we saw was a good way
down the gulch, where a neck is formed. To
that point the gas must have been driven by
the wind, and its deadly nature may be
easily guessed when it is remembered that
the slightest motion causes a diffusion of
the ether that would tend to decrease it's
noxious properties. Here is the explana-
ton of the oft-repeated assertion that game
was being exterminated by hunters in the
Yellowstone, notwithstanding the stringent
laws that had been passed for the protec-
ton of animals there. | had seen it noted
that each year bears, deer, mountain tigers
and other wild animals were disaopearine
from the reservation, and it was asserted
that friends of the people who had charge
of the park were allowed to hunt there ia
defiance of the law. There were
probably $50 bodies of wild animals in the
gulch when | was there. But, although
there were skeletons entire and single bones,
it must not be supposed these were the re-
mains of all the game that had found death
IN the ravine. They had accumulated ONLY
since the last rainstorm Through this
gulch n mountain torrent runs when the
SHOWS have melted from the mountains or
after hard rain. Then all things, stones,
bones and bodies, are tumbled together on
their way to the mouth of the gulch whence
they are carried away in the creeks or are
left to mark the course of the stream and
bleach on the table lands. l had noticed
near the Mammoth hot springs the bodies
of mice and bugs, but had never attributed
their presence to the deadly gases that
were so rapidly killing off the large game
Of the park"