The Portland daily press., 1896-03-18
A NATURAL BEAR TRAP.
Animals venturing Near Are Killed by Car
bonic Acid Gas.
(From the St. Louis Republic. }

tfrom the st. Louis Republic
In the Yellowstone National Park there
Is locality to which was given the ap-
propriate name of Death Gulch. 1t was
discovered in July, 1888, by W. Ii. Weed
of the Geological Survey and the writer.
1t is situated in the extreme northeastern
portion Of the park, on Cache Greek, sew
eral miles above its confluence with
Lamar River, or the east fork OF the Vel
lowstone, as it is often called. 1t is easily
rachel by horseback ride of about five
miles from Soda Butte, the mail station
on the route between the Mammoth Hot
Springs and the little mining town of
Cooke City, Mon.
In the centre of the former hot spring
area of Cache Creek the creek makes a
broad pool which "boils" furiously from
the action of escaping gas, and is, in fact,
a natural soda water fountain. Small
PARTICLES of sulphur are also floating in
the water, and are being deposited about
the edge of the pool. Just above the pool
the creek has cut through bank of sui
phur and gravel, and a few yards beyond
is the debouohure of small lateral gully
or gulch coming down from the noun
tain side. Following this gulch we come
within quarter Of mile to the end, or,
rather, beginning. which is scoop"
or basin about 300 feet above the creek.
The sides Of the gulch, except at tn Q
head, are very steep, and in the bottom
flows tiny stream of cold, clear water,
sour with sulphuric acid
We were making our way UP this gulch
and had just entered the terminal portion
when our attention was directed to a
huge silver-tip grizzly bear within TWEEN
ty feet of us. He was in such natural
position that we supposed him to be
him to be dead. The body was perfectly
fresh, and could hardly have been dead
two hours. We examined the body very
carefully for bullet holes or other marks
Of injury, but beyond few drops Of
blood under the nose there was not the
slightest trace of violence. But during
this examination we were conscious Of
the near presence of other decomposing
matter, and short examination revealed
the presence of the more or less decom-
posed bodies of four more bears, an elk,
several squirrels, rock hares, besides
numerous dead butterflies and other in
scots. One of the bears was good sized
cinnamon bear. and was in an advanced
stage of decomposition. The other skele-
tons were almost denuded of flesh, al
thouzh the claws and much of the hair
remained.
At first we were unable to account for
this strange accumulation of dead bodies
of animals until choking sensation of
the lungs suggested the presence Of nox-
ious gases, and the death of the animals
by asphyxiation. The hollows were test
ed with lighted tapers for the presence of
carbonic acid gas, with only slight re-
down the gulch at the time. the gases
would have been rapidly diffused. A
strong sulphurous odor was present. On
subsequent visit, however, there was
no wind, and the presence of carbonic
acid gas was more manifest.
1t is likely from the nature of the sur
roundings that there is ever very great
accumulation of this deadly gas for it
would naturally tend to flow down the
ravine, and be rapidly dissipated. II the
head of the gulch was a more marked
basin the accumulation of gas would un-
doubtedly have been very marked, and
the consequent fatalities mora numerous.
The first animal dou btless wandered in
and was overcome, and thus served as a
bait to lure the others in turn to their
destruction. Certain it was the body of
the bear that was fresh on our first visit
was widely advertised bait on a second
visit some weeks later.
AS Mr.. Weed has suggested, this guloh
has doubtless served as death trap for
very long period of time, but these
bodies and skeletons must be the remains
only Of the most recent victims, for the
Tayine is so narrow, and the fall SO great
that the channel must be cleared out
every few years, if not annually.
Since the discovery in 1888, Death
Gulch has been visited ny people in the
vicinity, and it stands without peer as
a natural bear trap.