The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-26
YELLOWSTONE PARK.
A Drive Through One Of Natures
Wonder Lands.
HOW JOHN L. STODDARD GETS MA
TERIAL FOR HIS LECTURES.

An Unpleasant Incident of the Journey
Stranded Wagon Top in The Ice
Cold Water of Mountain Stream.
An observant writer says, cit is better
to travel hopefully than to arrive" So
thinks the traveller who starts ont for
each days coaching In his trip through
tho Yellowstone National Park. Breath
ing the bracing air of an altitude exceed
ing eight Thousand feet proves perpetu-
al tonic, gives this traveller an exalted
sense of the joy of being, and fills every
moment with inspiration. And as each
dey's journey in the Park provides it's
own peculiar sort of interest, there are
always novelty and variety, never mo-
notony.
Early on the morning of our second
day In the Park a comfortable looking
surry was standing before the Mammoth
Springs Hotel, awaiting our use. The
driver. known far and wide as Clutch
LOUIE" clad In butternut homespun,
would have looked formidable in his
blue glasses, but for the quiet, three
cornered smile with which he greeted
US, and which made us friends on the in
slant. He SCENE ed to look with pride at
his pair of plump horses, and We started
off, feeling that we were in good hands.
The wraps which we wore at frat were
soon she'd; but we found our busters,
necessary, and the bright sun, shining
on the white soil, proved very dazzling
and mads our colored glasses as indis-
peasabie an we had found them when
traversing the sands of the Nile. Though:
our ride was often in the sun we were
NOT overheated. for the clear. rarifed air
was cool about us. Clim bing steadily,
we assembled HOO feet in thee and half
miles. when we came TO a narrow open.
ing ia the road which had been cut ont
Of the side of the mountain, a large
boulder being left on the outside, like a,
colossal gate post. Like the mountain
from which it had been cut, it was bril-
liant with color. and we did net won
der that the pass was called the Golden
Gate. Soon we came to broad, greer.
mountain prairie, forming a basin, sur
rounded by the snow fecked Quadrant
Mountain, which had four graceful
peaks. Electric Peak, more than two
miles high ESQ named because, owing to
the great deposit of minerals in its SOIL
oompassss will not work there) and by
other mountains. Not long after we had
left this plain we approachedsa bold clif,
almost mountain, the sides of which
glistened with what appeare to be
black coal. This is known as Obadiah
cliff, and it is composed of mineral
glass; mostly black, yet streaked in places
with red and yellow. The road skirts
tie base of this cliff. and its construction.
seemed at first impossible, as the fiinty
soil defied all attempts to reduce 1t, I'M
til some genius tried the effect of budil-
ing fires upon it and then dashing water
over it This broke the hard and brittle
texture of the rocks into million frag.
ments. which were turned into a road
bed. At the base of the cliff lies Beaver
Brook, which was at our side for long
distance, its waters blocked here and
thsrs by the ouEving dams which the in
dustrious beavers have built. A slight
noise on our left as we drove along
caused as to look up, and to our aston
ishment we saw q puff of curling steam
ascending from a mountain top which
enoissss boiling spring. Then came
Twin Lakes. the first a beautiful blue
like the color of Lake Geneva, separated
by narrow neck of land from its COM
paaion in deep green. The contrast at
point where we could look over both
lakes. was very striking. Our driver
pointed to some ducks swimming over