The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-10-13

serve TO exhibit plainly the process OF
growth. 1t is astonishing what an enOr-
nous bulk has been built up by the
ceaseless flow of water impregnated with
various chemical elements. How long
one is in process of building no ore of
course knows; the springs appear and
disappear from time to time, now here,
now there; shifting about; it is not even
known how or why. One series of
springs has built up what is called the
Elephant" from its close resemblance
to that beast; of beautiful cream color,
feet wide, so long and 20 high, the
spring rising with the deposit. Near
this was an opening in the rocks, and on
descending a rude ladder placed in it,
found myself in a good sized cavern
about 80 feet deep, and perfectly dry, the
temperature of which however was many
degrees higher than the outer air. Further
on were two large cones rising 20 feet
above the surface of the ground, similar
to the dead one near the hotel; each
building up from springs on the top:
one was about 40 feet in diameter A
large boiling spring close by is used as a
laundry by the workmen of the vicinity,
clothes put into it in few minutes come
out beautifully clean. Promptly at s a.
M, next day the stages awaited their
occupants; this is now the only place in
the United States where stage route of
such length remains in operation. The
central plateau is reached after lhard
climb of three miles up steep hills. The
first mile the road and adjacent fields
were alive with gophers scuttllng out of
the road and into their holes as we came
near them, they looking not unlike big
rats, but sat up like plairie dogs; this
was the only place in the whole trip that
we saw them. Just before the plateau is
reached the road enters narrow defile
between towering cliffs, down which
small stream flows. A shelf has been
blasted out of the face of the cliff, and
the great mass of debris thrown down
has completely covered the stream 30
feet below, and hidden it from sight.
AT one spot it was necessary to erect a
sort of bridge for the roadway, the outer
side of the timbers being supported by
strong trestle work. and the inner side
by the cliff. At the entrance to this
stands by itself great rock pillar 10 feet
square and 30 feet high, just far enough
from the precipice to allow a coach to
pass through; this is called the Golden
Gate" AS we drove across the plain an
icy wind from the snowy mountain tops
blew in our faces, so that even wearing
heavy clothes and overcoats and with
robes wrapped about us, we could not
keep comfortable. A few miles beyond
we drove over the only glass road in the
world, at the foot of the great cliff COM
posed of obsidian or volcanic glass, as
true glass as any turned out at the
glass works nowadays, and pieces
of which were formerly used by the In
dians to make into knives or the points
Of arrows and spears. When this partof
the road was built, the engineers had
lots of trouble with this section of it.
They finally hit upon an expedient which
did the work easily and thoroughly.
Great fires were kindled on the obsidian
and when it was red hot cold water was
thrown on the surface which instantly
| split into thousands of fragments. The
whole region is volcanic, many of the
hills and mountains are simply masses
of volcanic sand, exactly like the cone of
Vesuvius, while all through the park
plumes of steam. were rising everywhere
from the numerous hot springs, some of
them far up on the mountain side. Not
far from the obsidian cliff in the woods
| Just back from the road was the "Apolli-
nairis" spring, named after the famous
European spring, and we found the taste
of the water to be very much like that
for which it was named. A little further
on the road crossed a small stream
called Screen creek" whose water, with
the addition of sugar would make very
passible lemonade.
Soon after we passed small lake,
formed by dam built across stream,
such peculiar looking dam that we said
is not that beaver dam, and sure
enough it was and from the lake rose
the conical top of one of their houses,
built of rough sticks and twigs. Such
sight is extremely are, people would be
obliged to go hundreds of miles into the
wilderness to see the like elsewhere, for
the beaver is an extremely shy animal,
and retreats into the great northern
woods las fast as man appears. There
would be many of them in the park, hut
during the winter when the soldiers
are withdrawn, barbarians from Idaho,
Montana and Wyoming invade its pre-
cincts and kill most of them. They also
drive out of the park limits all the game
that can be found, that they may kill
them off at pleasure without risk of ar
rest for so doing For the sake of few
patry skins they are willing to spoil the
pleasure of the thousands of people who
have or will visit the park, depriving
them of rare and beautiful sights they
cannot, as a rule, see otherwise. 1t is a
surprising fact that the animals and
birds know perfectly well that they are
comparatively safe within the park linn
its, at any rate far safer than outside
them, they flock into it from near and
far Driving along one day big part
ridge stood in the road only little way
ahead, and as we came close to him he
slowly stepped to one side and quietly
looked at us; any where else he would
have been off like a fash as soon as he
heard the sound of the wheels. Our
driver SAID he had walked through
herd of elk which would hardly move out
of his way, showing less fear than herd
of cows; while outside the park limits
they would have bounded off like the
wind. Bears come almost nightly to
some of the hotels to eat the refuse and
are often seen by the visitors. We no.
ticed hundreds of trees that had been
scraped in spots by the claws of porcu-
pines, who love the gum that exudes
from the wound. One Like is set apart
for wild swans; we saw a number of
them sailing about in stately beauty A
few ducks we're also seen, the only game
apparently that did not seem to know
they were protected. Eternal vigilance
x r Al. l..