The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-08-10
WITH oousLe CURRENTS.

PsculisritSss Of Creek on the Divide 3.
Yealowstoos Rsrk.
The Yellowstone park abounds with
wonders, but one Of which little has
been published II q section Of the park
which has recently become the study
Of scientists; IL 10 1.-TWO Ocean pass."
Here II . stream Of water which flows
In two directions This spot 10 the sub
ject ofsn interesting article by Barton
w. Evermann Of the United States dsh
commission. He says:
Many years ago the famous old
guide, Jim Bridgsr, told his incredu-
lous frienda that he had found, ON the
divide west Of the upper Yellowstone,
. creek which flowed In both direc-
tions-one end flowing east In the yell
lowstons, the other west into Snake
river. But, a. he also told about many
other strange and to them impossible
things which he had seen-among
which were . glass mountain, and q
river which ran down hill 30 fast that
the water was made boiling hot-they
were not disposed 70 acknowledge the
existence Of his 1.-TWO Ocean creek"
Subsequent events vindicated Bird ger.
Atlantic creek was found to have
two forks entering the pass. At the
north end Of Q low, square meadow Ia
q small wooded canyon, down which
flows the north fork. This stream
huRs the border Of the Fat very close
ly. The south fork comes down the
canyon ON the south side, skirting the
brow Of the hill q little less closely
than does the north fork. SThe two,
coming together near the middle of
the eastern border of the meadow,
form Atlantic creek, which, after q
course Of . few miles, flows into the
upper Yellowstone. But the remark.
able phenomena exhibited here remain
to be described.
Each fork of Atlantic creek. just af-
ter enterine the meadow, divides IS II
to fow around an island, but the stream
toward the meadow, instead of return
ing to the portion from which It had
parted, continues its westerly course
across the meadow. just before reach
ing the western border the two streams
unite, and then pour their combined
water into Pacific creek; thus are At
lantic and Pacific creeks united, and q
continuous waterway from the mouth
Of the Columbia, via Two Ocean pass,
to the gulf of Mexico Is est established.
Two Ocean creek Ia not q myth, but O
verify, and Jim Bridger is vindicated.
We stood upon the bank of either fork
of Atlantic creek just above the place
Of the parting Of the waters" and
watched the stream pursue its rapid
bat dangerous and uncertain course
along the very crest of the great con
~tinental divide. Acreek flowing along
the ridgepols of q continent Is unusual
and stfange, and we'll worth watching
and experimenting with. So we waded
to the middle of the north fork, and,
lying down upon the rocks in its bed
We drank the pure Icy water that wa.
hurryinR to the Pacific, and, withou,
rising. but by simply bending q little
to the left, we took q draught from
that portion of the stream which wa
Just deciding to 60 east, via the Mis-
souri, Mississippi route to the gulf o.
Mexico. And then we tossed chips
two At q time, into the stream. Though
they would strike tho water within al
inch or 30 Of each other, not infre
quently one would be, carried by tn,
current to the left, keeping in Atlanti,
creek, while the other might be car
ried q little to the right and enter tn,
branch running across the meadow t.
Pacific creek; the one beginning a jour
uey which will finally bring 1t to tn,
guilt, the other entering upon a Ions
voyage In the opposite direction to Bal
boa'S ocean. Popular Science MONTH";