The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-22
1T BEATS GIANT POWDER
A Pretty Good Lie Told By a Skill ful
PraYaFiCitOF.
PLUGGING OLD FAITHFUL
Three Men Who Attempted to Stop
the Operation of a Geyser-
Results of the
Experiment..

lou may ldlk aDOub tue pONCh Va pow
der, but tell you that whatever that
force is that runs them geysers IN the
Yellowstone park, and keep them spout
ing is darn sight stronger than any can
non or gun that ever l see."
A group sat about the fire hall stove and
had been talking about explosions and big
guns when William Bolinger made the
above statement. Surprise was expressed
at the remark, but knowing that there
was a story back of it,, several inquiries
drew forth the yarn which in substance
was this:
II don't suppose any of you young fell
lows or old ones either ever tried to plug
up a geyser, but did once and I'll never
tackle the job again as long as live. 1t
was few months before Uncle Sam took
possession of the National Park that
Ed Carmen, Billy Stranahan and were
prospecting on the upper Gallatin. We
were MOI having very good luck and we
gave up the search for gold for time and
started to explore the wonders of the
park. 1t was indeed an exploring trip
then, for no roads were built and the only
paths were those of the deer and bear
through the woods. We camped for some
days at the upper geyser basin and, in
spite of our search, we were unable to
such as Indians said were found in that
curious land, though the sights were
grand.
"The geyser known as Old Faithful was
our fdvorite spectacle and we told time
10y its hourly spouting. Around the camp
fire one night a discussion arose as to
what caused this freak of nature, the
hourly hurting of a column of water $50
feet in the air. In the end it was decided
TO see what the result would be If we
stopped the 'tarnal critters mouth as one
of the boys suggested.
"rhe dull routine of camp life made us
ready for anything, so all three fell in
with the proposition, and the next morn
ing we cut log about % feet long, that
tapered from a foot and a half up to
three feet in diameter. The spouter was
playing regularly, but we thought that
this was positively his last appearance,
and, waiting until disturbance had SUBJ
sided, the log was balanced on three
stout shoulders and carried TO the brink.
At the word we let ergo, small end down,
and away she slid down out OF sight,
into the steaming mouth OF the crater. 1t
was a snug fit, because mighty httlc
steam came out OF the main hole after
that, though the feeders. little vents
around it, pulled vigorously.
1--WE walked away to await develop
ments, and were not kept long In sus-
pense. As the time drew near for the
eruption, the vents Kissed and steamed !;
there was a gurglIng sound heard about
the mouth of the geyser and no water
came up into the crater as it usually
does.
The time passed and at last Old Faith
fal was 10 minutes behind time. The
boys were glorious in what they thought
was a triumph over nature. but suddenly
as they were capering about on the forma-
ton the earth trembled. The crust where
we stood ratified like dry paper and went
up and down like wave. We were en-
veloped in a cloud of steam tn at shut out
the view and with a roar the ike of which
l never heard before and trust never
will again, a column of water shot into the
air. On the crest of that column was the
log, carried like feather 200 feet into the
air.and when il came down fell in the edge
of the woods, $50 feet away.
I'VE were badly scalded by the dash of
the hot water that struck the ground be-
fore we could get out of range, as at first
we we're too badly scared to be able 10 run
at all. We used all the flour we had in
camp on our scalded bodies and broke
camp that afternoon, and have not been
in the park since, but that log is there
yet and is used as a htching post by the
stage drivers during their summer trips
through wonderland. If you don't believe
this story ask any of them if it is not
true"