Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-21
TITANIC HANDS AT WORK.
Ominous Rumbling Tn the Most Picturesq'
 Region In the United States.


 here that one of tho numerous gey- sers in Norris Geyscr basin has broken loose, with an accompaniment of shocks resembling an earthquake, does not occa- sion surprise to those who arc familiar with this weird and wonderful region.
 According to tho information, the erup- ton is of unusual force, considering the neighborhood, rocks weighing 25 and 80 pounds being thrown to a height of 200 feet and the steam and water rising 50O feet amid a roar that may be heard for several miles. It is also said that every gcyser in the basin has been agitated for hours, but this is not an unnatural condi- ton when one remembers the tremendous volcanic forces that are continually at work and must find vent somewhere in Q region where exist so close to the surface evidences of subterranean fires.
 Other volcanic disturbances arc taking place in the mountains of Arizona and Wyoming, and the belief of the Indians who formerly inhabited this neighborhood may yet be verified-that the future is des- tined to witness an entire upheaval of this portion of the country. Not long ago your correspondent rode to the base of a noun tain of sulphur, the heat of which was un- bearable 10 feet above the level. No in
 iucement could induce the Indian guide to approach within 100 yards. This is true of numerous places in the locality, the simple minded rcd men believing it to be the abode of evil spirits.
 Every student of geography knows that the Yellowstone park is situated in the most elevated portion of the Rocky noun tains. From the nearby summit of Mount Washburn may be seen the peaks in which are born the rills that grow into the mightiest rivers of the United States, the dividing wall, us it were, to the east of which flow the waters that feed the At lantic and to the west those which merge in the Pacific ocean. By act of congress in 1872 the land was withdrawn from the public domain and devoted in perpetuity to the use and pleasure of the people as a national park. It is 55 miles from east to west and 65 miles frQSn north to south, n tract of territory comprising about 3, 575 square miles, or an area 200 miles greater than the states of Rhode Island and Dela- ware combined.
 The lowest elevation of any of tho val leys being 5000 feet above the sea, the nights are seldom free from frost, and yet so marvellous is the formation that with in 200 yards of your campfire you may boil an egg or blister your hands in the neigh boring stream. Everywhere are pictures that excite wonder, terror or delight. There arc mountains capped with snow, precipices the sides of which glow with all the cOlors of the rainbow, mighty cata- racts that make one forget the grandeur of Niagara, woods carpctcd with beautiful mOsses, forests abounding in game and lakes with fish. When President Arthur and General sheridan visited the park a few years ago, they more than once caught trout in one stream, and without moving from their tracks cooked them in another without taking them from tho line. This feat has been frequently repeated within n mile of the Mammoth Springs hotel and no longer forms the theme of some worn- out fish story"
 The Norris Gcyser basin, in which the recent disturbances have occurred, is only 20 miles distant, but by reason of the mountains to be climbed and the difficult ties of travel 1t Is a long days journey. When rCachcd, however, ono Is well repaid for his trouble. The entire basin is n col lection of hot springs and pools greatly varying in color, some being jet black, others brown. still others white as snow or yellow as sulphur The air is filled with noisomc OdOrs, and the earth shakes and rumblcs. Iicrc and thcrc you sec irrcgu- larly shaped masses of crystals, to which, according to their fancicd resemblance, names are given, such as the Twins and the 'TriplctS. some arc alive and hT NDTIlllII- some or the springs arc paint pots which boil inces- sanity their pasty clay of divers Colors and sPuttcr angrily. The whole scene is strange and picturesque. The contrasts arc won dcrful. For instance, just at the left of the road, within n rod or two of n mud pot, is the Emerald pool, " so called be- cause its large deep bowl Is brimful of tho purest water of the bluish green tint of n beryl Immediately behind this pool, at tho foot of n ridge, Is what is known as The Minute Man." because from an ori- fec in the rock about inches in diame- ter spurts n bold stream to the height of p or 30 feet every 50 seconds. Near by in a small cove, CnShrinctl, as it were, among rough powders of gorgeous colors, is the "MonarCh, which Spouts once in 24 hours a stream from 100 to 125 feet high The flow of hot water Is immense.
 Why an earthquake or volcano should cOnCcHtratc its force in one locality more than another is beyond scientific ken, in asmuCh nS wherever you turn similar conditions arc found and even stranger phenomena are tn bc seen. In the Mon uInCnt Gcyscr bnsin," for instance, ono has to exercise caution in fortling the strcnIns lest the horses feet be scalded in the boiling springs that line the banks. Most remarkable among all the gcysers, however, is the Excelsior, the monster gcyser of the world. It is in the form of an immense pit 33O feet in length and 200 feet wide at the widest part. When this breaks loose, as it does at long and irregu- lar intervals, the roar and rumble of the vast volume of water ascending 500 or 600 feet may be heard and felt for miles.
 The ncighboring 'Firchole' river over flows its banks, and the entire valley is thrown into state of commotion. When n h.Nr kntl can be so described, the surrounding scene Is of marvellous beauty, one of its loycliest features being the countless tiny rivulets toward the river on n field of white in which you discern every possible shade of color from vivid scarlet to bright rose and every shade of yellow to a delicate cream. Some of the channels are lined with silksn flbrous material that vibrates with every movement of the water. They arc the one redecming trait of what has been aptly described as Hell's Half Acre.
 It was hero that tho writer in one of his early visits to tho park found Chester A Arthur. The president was wrapped In meditation, gazing in silence on these manifestations of nature. With his escort he had come up from the Indian Territory and had seen much, but he con- fcssed that nothing rivaled the mingled grandeur and beauty of this spot.
 Not the half has been told, yet from tho imperfect description alrcady given 1t may be easily imagined that if any place In the United States offers Inducements to the pentup forces of Mother Earth for \ first class ''shakc up," such as appears to have taken place on a small scale in Norris Gcyscr basin, 1t Is right here in tks Yellowstone National park
 +. G. DE FoNTAINE
 Icruhardt.s RecortI nr..Ltuu r~
 Sarah Bernhardt has just finished a rec | ord breaking tour through tho provincial | cities of England After appearing for a | month on an average of eight times Q week | In her most exhausting characters she | ,areercd around the United Kingdom with | her company, giving morning-and after noon performances. Tho company trny-