Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-06-25
For the Ellsworth American. !
The Yellowstone Park.

! For the Ellsworth Americana
The Yellowstone Park.
According to the Portland Transcript as
quoted from Populdr Science Monthly
Prof. G.. +. Wright can see but little to
applaud in Yellowstone Park as wiines.
the following:
Scenery of Y,lo'rstoae PIrk The mer-
lts OF the scenery of Yellowstone Park APP
pear to Prof. &. +. Wright to have been
iderab.y exaggerated. He rode through
II under favorable conditions for ohserva-
ton blt found his trip, on the whole. DIS
appointing. The figures representing the
height of the mountains around it above
the sea are deceptive. \ mountain 10 900
or 1000 feet high does not look extraor-
dnarly large and massive when 1t rises
not more than 2OOo or 5000 feet above the
elevated plateau on which it stands As
base; but those 2o00 or 5000 feet are all
that Is shown Of the mountsinrm of the
park, while the glimp>e> to the outside
mountains are few and far between. The
grande>t views are those on entering the
park as one looks outward from the en-
clrclinc rim. Those who reside In the
| Atlantic States do not need 10 go 10 the
| Rocky Mountains for scenery" Even DR..
Hayden acknowledged this substantially
after he had been to the Crawford Notch
! Tie who has seen the Aiir0ndacks and the
/ White Mountains has seen some of the
/ best artistic effects of which Nature Is cap
able. Even he who has looked over the
parallel ranges of Pennsylvania has no
need to pine for the mountain scenery of
| Yellowstone Park" The beauty of the
! Yellow canon
unique combinations OF rock-carsin and
varlcgated color. which artists are put to
/ shame in their attempts 20 initiate can
/ hardly be surpassed. The geyscrs. Prof.
1 Wright says. in the Boston tDHgre yrtiOn-
di'st, are decidedly vulgar and one can af-
/ ford TO die without seeing them. Boiling
| paint-pots, with only one dull color in
them. are not inspiring. Acres Of land
lald waste by >nlphurous waters and gases
such "a greet one on every hand in these
geyser basins, can be seen at any time In
Pennsylvania where the refuse water Is
pumped from the coal mines to spread its
desoiation all around The Upper Geyscr
basin, with its score or more of steam Jets
| looks from distance like fiouI shing
manufacturing town. The odors can be
matched In the calico-printing mills. The
geysers differ from steam flre-eDgnes in
throwing hot water instead Of cold and
even the Excelsior is not A. impressive ~
the ocean surf of the New England coast"
But the author thinks that the scientific in
terest of the park can hardly be eXaggcra-
ted Popuidr Science NoHhiy
suppose what gives value TO picture
depends altogether on the eyes through
which the observer behold- it. and wheth-
er he exsctly comprehends the subject or
not. If the mind does not arrange and at
once classify the thing looked at. the
>earcher might as well not search To
find possible thing existing under sup
posedly impossible conditions is to behold
world of monstrous creations; e. =, sa-
! tyr. faun, banshee, &C. But where a
mind, fashioned after an organized plan
| is 10 perfect touch and complete harmony
| with other creations of the same great
| law, that mind ought TO and will rise equal
TO the moment and be able to comprehend
all lis surroundings. If we know the law
| We are able TO account for the MYSTERIOUS.
| but the mystery must not be deeper than
| the law on which it and kindred things are
| based. That is to say. we have a PROPOSE
ton that may be proved by a chain of
reasoning and become to US universal
theorem, but to follow II would be of
profit only to the utlitarian.
1t is a comparison of situations that
arouses the mind. To dwell constantly
among mighty hills and beetling noun
tains will hll the routine of life with as
much monotony as to have been born and
to live on boundless prairie. But to
travel for months over a far reaching
plain and suddenly to become environed
with mountains that lift their awful heads
into the sky, fills the mind of the traveller
with pleasurable emotions, such as awe,
wonder and delight.
| have seen herds of the wild buffalo
come down to drink out of the ocean; and
there We're ruined castles with broken ga
bles; there were towers, and colonnades,
and multitudes of men; and there were
ships plowing the main, and could See
the winds fil the bellying sails, and huge
waves rise up and toss the ships about :;
and in the far distant haIbor, perfectly
outlined, could see long piers reaching
out into the water and on them were tall
rows of warehouses, and all, though in
verted, were mirrored in the CLASSY sur
face of the sea. And yet not one of these
things was nearer than hundreds of miles,
nor human being, save my companion
But | saw them, saw them as plainly as
| now see Observatory Peak from my win
dow where l write. 1t was mirage, a
marvellous deluson, that was before me-
/ well knew that was deceived, but the
imposition was SO delightfully."- managed
that turned in my saddle and watched
the charming phantasmagoria till it faded
out Of sight l have seen many like this
on q smaller and more imperfect scale, but
not one approached this that l saw on the
, great plains in fine morning of the early
summer. And this wonderful mirage was
not more astonishing than objects and
scenes that one constantly encounters In
, Yellowstone Park. OF course there are
some people who would go to sleep the
: first night among the Egyptian pyramids
or compute its worth from the amount OF
stone wall it would build.
Once. at midnight, l stood looking down
into the awful hell of Kilauea. We had
chosen the hour advisedly. There was nc
moon, and heavy clouds shut out the stars
The fame came up from the pit of Halemau
mau, five hundred perpendicular feet down
from where we stood, and made the terri
flying darkness more visible and the Sty.
gian gloom cling closer to the vitrifed
fianks Of Mauna Loa. We heard the com.
planning ocean beat on the lava cliffs al
Hilo and Keahou. We were moved as
never before by the fierce believing, the
half human means, the buildings and his