West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1891-08-06

formations insisted OH aii ~o-4.ng
heavy shoes, soft hats and rough
apparel generally; said that plug
bats were not allowed in the Park.
Many Of the crowd purchased fan
mel shirts, gum coats, over-shoes,
mosquito nets, and many other
things entirely unnecessary, as we
had beautiful weather all. tho time
and needed none OF the articles emu
merated. We were also ADVISED not
to drink the water in the Park, as
it was said to be facilitating. This
advice was superfiuous for some of
our crowd, who never drank water
anyhow when they could help il,
and We found out afterwards that
this was evidently intended to rush
the GROWER and increase the bust
ness OF the liquid department, since
all the hotels keep beer, wine and
liquor for sale. Beer fifteen cents
per glass or fifty cents per bottle,
and other spirits in proportion.
Everything in the Park is very high.
Even the valleys are higher than
the mountains are here, and the
only thing we could get for the same
price as in this country was postage
stamps. Board at the hotels S4.OO
per day, shave 25 cents, hair cut so
cents, and other things in proper
ton.
There are several first. class hotels
in the Park, one at the Mammoth
Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin,
Lower Geyser Basin, Upper Geyscr
Basin, Shoshone Lake, Yellowstone
Lake and the Grand Canyon. They
are all under one management and
located at convenient distances, near
objects of interest. Colored walters
are employed at the first one and
white girls at the others. The
Fountain Hotel in the Lower Basin
is just now building and an i'm
mense affair, capable of holding 400
guests when finished. Besides these
there is the Hotel Elk OH Trout
Creek, presided over by Larry
Matthews, one Of the liveliest, iol.
liest and wittiest Irishmen that ever
breathed the air of Erin. His
place is merely Lunch station on
the road from the Lower Basin
across to the road on Yellowstone
River leading from the lake 10 the
Grand Cannon. ''IIotel Elk," as
it is called from two large piles of
elk horns in front, is merely two
large tents, one waiting room and
the other dining room Tor tent
yather.) We think everyone ate
heartIer here and enjoyed the meal
more than at any place on the route.
1t was clean and well cooked and
served mp with so much Irish wit
and rollicking good humor, that
everybody WIS IN the best Of spirits
and the ride across Mary's Noun
tains, 5000 feet above the level of
the sea, had sharpened our appctitcs.
There arc some of the best roads in
the Park to be found anywhere, as
they have been co lstructed By the
government under the direction of
experienced engineers. Large sums
OF money has been appropriated
from time to time, and this year
seyenty-five miles of new road is
being constructed. The last Con
gross appropriated SIS, 600, and a
hundred men and teams are at work
grading new roads. In some places
the view is grand, for instance, at
the Golden Gate, four miles south
OF the Hot Springs. Here the road
runs along a rugged pass between
BunseeD's Peak and Terrace Mour-
tain. The sides of these rocky walls,
which extend 200 or 800 feet above
the roadway, are covered with a
yellow moss, suggesting the name
the pass now bears, "The Golden
|
Gate" The construction of this
road, scarcelya mile in length, cost
$4,000. One Of the greatest curl
osities on the road is the Obsidian
Cliff, a mountain of volcanic glass
The vertical columns Of pentagonal
shaped blocks of Obsdian rising $50
feet above the road, present glis-
tening, Birror-like effect when illu-
mined by tho suns rays. The
greater part Of this mineral glass is
jet black and quite Opaque, with
traces Of yariegated formation. This
\ III