The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-10-26
A FATAL RAVINE.
A Place in Yellowstone Park
Where the Air is Poisonous.
The Bones of Many Animals
Found in the Deadly Gulch.

vine that proves as deadly to animal life
rs that Death Valley Of Java, where wild
beasts perish by the score" said Henry
". Mcintyre at the Palace Hotel the
other night. The gentleman was con-
uected with the party who surveyed the
reservation, under the leadership of Ar
mold Hague, the park gcologist. While
following the streams to trace the ex-
tinct hot springs the explorers reached
ravine in which the bones of many ami
mals, bears, deer, rabbits, and squirrels,
we're found. The presence of the re-
mains 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
q carcass that was yet fresh lit on its
prev, and almost Immediately fell to the
grouhd.
"The death of the Bird" continued
Mr.. Mcintyre, "was caused by gaseous
exhalations, whose presence in the park
bad been before unsupported. The
larger game also met its death by inhal-
ing the deadly gas. The ravine is in
the northeastern part of the park, in the
vicinity of the mining camp of Cooke
creek, and not far from the line of the
mail route. All about this region gas
eous exhalations are given of, which
form sulphurous deposits. In the al
most extinct hot spring areas of Soda
Butte, Lamar River, and Cache and
Miller creeks the ravine was found.
This region is rarely visited, although
it is an admirable spot for game, which,
however, goes unmolested by man, the
laws against hunting being very severe.
The road 10 the valley has few attrac-
tons, and the visitors to the fossil
forests and IEindoo basin seldom make
the trip.
'In the centre of meadow, reached
by an old elk trail, is shallow de-
preston that was once the bed of a hot
spring pool. This is now dry and i:
covered with slight deposit of salt
and that is bait that attracts the ell
and other game of that region. The
slick extends for seventy-five yards VI
the ravine, and is thicker and NOR
palpable toward the upper end. TIT
creek runs past along the side of the
valley and boils and bubbles as if il
we're the outlet of hot spring. Blu
the water is cold, and the disturbance
on its surface is caused by the emission
of gas, mainly carbonic acid. 1t als'
contains sulphur, as particles of that ar
seen on the sides Of the creek. As W
went up the stream the odor o
sulphur became very strong and cause'
irritation of the bronchial passages
About eighty yards above Cache Cree
we're the bones of a large bear, an
near by was a smaller grizzly decom
posed, but with the skin and hair ye
fresh. Only a short distance farthe
on were the skeletons of many nor
animals. such as elk and deer and othe
large game. Squirrels, rabbits. birds
and insects were lying about in quaint
ties, and the ravine looked as if it ha
been the scoop of a drive into whic
the animals of the park had been hum
ed and had been left there to die
hunger out of mere wantonness. The
were no wounds apparent on the bodl
before us; all the animals had been a
phyxiatei by the deadly gases TIL
hung a few feet from the surface OF Il
gulch.
''The first bear we saw was a goo
way down the gulch, where neck
formed. To that point the gas mu
have been driven by the wind, and
deadly nature may be easily guess'
when it is remembered that the sllSl
est motion causes diffusion OF eth
that would tend to decrease its noXio
properties. Here is the explanation
the oft-repeated assertion that game W
being extcrminated by hunters in t
Yellowstone, notwithstanding the strl
gent laws that had been passed for t