Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-04-07

tourists, and under this arrangement
several large hotels have been built al
prominent and convenient points. Nc
private settlement Ia allowed and abso'
lutely no hunting il tolerated. Hence
the animal life and feathered beauty !:
surprisingly plentiful about one half OF
all the remaining buffalo are within the
Park limits. Hence also no railroads
penetrate the wilds and the government
charges itself with the building and
maintaining OF an intricate system of
| carriage roads. To which fact owe my
own opportunity To explore the region
inexpensively and at leisure.
NV service CONNIE need at Livingston,
some fifty miles north of the Park, whence
branch railroad leads TO Cinuabar, and
we were at once started on the ears for
our labors. This bit of road follows up
the Y Yellowstone River Valley almost TO
Cinnabar and presents many varied
scenes. now running smoothly across
some wide aud level field aud again twist
ing and turning In It's course around
huge boulders or following the tortuous
river course through some narrow cany-
Won. A few miles from Ciunabar we see
| the Devils Slide. On thewest side OF the
track we see steep hill about three
hundred feet In height and down its side
run two ribs Of dark rock about fiffv
feet apart. Between these and extend
ing clear TO the plain below. Is a smooth
red stripe, having a polished appearance
AS IL il had actually submitted to the
friction OF the said honorable gentleman's
pantsloons.
Arrived at Cinnabar | find that |, "a
ranking officer, am provide with bug
w. uhich | share with the cook, be be-
Ing a Dc ,cessity; the rest OF the boys
have To cover the seven weary uphill
miles on foot and reach Mammoth Hot
Springs tired and hungry aud with not
a few mutterings OF discomfort.
The road follows directly up the
course OF the Gardner River, and by
many devious crooks and turns 1t man
ages TO wriggle along In places onlv
wide enough apparently for one without
the other. Steep ani high cliffs rise on
either side Of Ia and eagles nests, dot the
sides in many inaccessible places. Once
ae observe needle-like stone standing
alone aud rising TO "a height OF some six
tv perpendicular feet on top OF which an
eagle has located her neat. La the town
OF Gardner weeDier the Park, the bound
ary passing along the middle OF the
m In street. Since the government al
lows no houses TO be built by private
parties In the park, Gardner presents the
strange sight of town with all It's
houses on one side. Five miles farther
we come to Mammoth Hot Springs, by
far the largest aggregation OF wonders
Of all
\ triangular shaped plain. with steep
hills rising IN regular slope from the
two sides while from the south end
gradual slope wreathed in clouds OF
steam, 10 the centre large and elegantly
appointed hotel and stable, Is the sight
we see as we enter from the north. We
soon traverse the plain and begin 10 ex-
plore the steam clouded slope at the
other end. Acres and acres OF hot springs
here meet our eyes, rising in terraces,
step by step. The steps are caused by
crusted deposits from the water aud
glisten with all the Colors OF the rainbow.
Steaming hot water is constantly run
ming over the sides aud the varied glis-
tenings form most bewilderiDg ana
beautiful effect. Nearly all the mytho-
logical gods and goddesses are here hon
ored, Jupiter's Terrace and Minerals
Terrace being the names applied TO the
largest ones. Hot water Is everywhere
in this enchanted country, and turn
where we will We see clouds OF steam
rising from other springs. And Ia All
shapes. here terraces as already describ-
ed, there mound, now a long crooked
hog back. and then steep hard face on
the il.side. But with so many won
ders the mind soon fails 10 take in the
beauties and wonder Of each and the
chief and the largest ones only nov hnd
room Ia my memory.
The issuance OF heavily laden water
through narrow slit some twenty feet in
length. depositing its burden as IL cools,
has given birth 20 the White Elephant.
Standing on point some few feet above
this mound one can readily see the fancy
that suggested the name. for the mound
bears "A decided resemblance 10 our old
friend OF the circus. This is but the
largest OF type as one might say, for
there are many other good resemblances
Of elephants backs, but all are much
smaller than it. \ majority OF the
spring formations are of clear white, ex-
cept the terraces and few other in-
stances. :.
Orange Geyser is the name applied
to one. This is really hot spring,
which in its issuance and deposits, has
built up cone around its aperture which
both i'm shape and color Is a close coun-
terpart of our delicious fruit on large
scale. il being about fifteen feet In d.
ameter.
There is lake at this place, covering
about an acre, and known as Bath
Lake. | visited this spot again one
day in November and had swim In lis
water. As issued from my bath the
falling snow mantled my bare shoulders
and made me hustle for my clothes.
| Like all the rest this is a hot spring and
the lake Is at all times at a comfortable
temperature for bathing. Returning TO
the plain below we see the Liberty Cap
and close behind IL the Devils Thumb.
These are both believed 10 be extinct
geyser cones and present weird ap-
pearance as they stand by themselves.
| The Liberty Cap is about double the
size of its companion and is tall slender
rock, the back rounding over TO meet the
front much after the style of Columbia
uegligee headgear. About seventy feet
in height, it presents an imposing hgure,
the ground. for some distance around IT,
being level. The Thumb, some years
ago. showed indications of An inclination
| TO crumble away, but IL was preserved
by conveying the water from the hot
springs above, on TO its top and letting
the deposits form on it.
| Articles left in the water OF these
springs, in a few days, become coated
with the deposit OF the springs, when
resembles brittle chalk, and Is "a form
alton of lime and, in some places, ol
silica.
We pitched our tents for the night 8
little south of the hotel and slept sound
ly despite the frozen ground and the
cold winds that crept under the unbank'
ed tent sides. Our tent stakes mani
tested decided unwillingness to b.
driven at first, but would suddenly yield
and 90 farther, often, than we wanted
But that is characteristic of this geysei
country, and look out you don't walk Oh
such places where the crust is thin
"Geyser Bob" of the army, gained III;
name and fame by scalding his foot II
such n scrape.
Next morning we started for the Gold
en- Gate, three miles away and twelve
hundred feet higher. Two miles on oul
road we passed the Limestone Hoodoos
a number of thumb-like stones, all tn
way from ten to twenty feet high, ant
four to five In thickness. They are scat
tered over about an acre and present TIT
appearance of petrified grove OF stumps
tnother mile and we reach the Gold