The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-02
THE GIANTEss GEYsER.
Ono of the interesting Sights of the
Yellowstone Park.


Yellowstone Park.
Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone
Park, Wyo., July 25-Of the many Won
derful and interesting sights to be seen
in the park, perhaps, the grandest one OF
all is the Giantess geyser. It differs from
the other geysers in the park inasmuch
that it has no raised crater. but deports
itself from a large oval aperture thirty
four feet In length by twenty feet ia width.
The orihce has beautifully scolloped edges.
and is generally filled to the brim with
water at about 1872 degrees temperature. At
times it is possible TO see about 100 feet
down this orihce. the walls of which are
lined with cauliflower formations of sill
cate. The limpid water in the basin has
most pronounced sapphire tint.
To look at the aperture no one would i'm
agine It was a geyser but simply min
eral spring, such as crown
some other eminences near by.
But the great channels and wa
ter marks made by the descending torrent
as it rushes down the hillside after being
relieved from the heated chambers far
down in the bowels of the earth. go to
prove that all is not tranquility in that vi
cnity.
The water in the orhce heaves and
surges a a terrible rate throwing occa-
sional volumes, a score or so Of barrels
each, out of the crater to the hight of
fifty feet, which comes down with terri.
BILE crash. Then again the water will re-
cede entirely from view, affordng one the
opportunity of seeing 100 feet down into
the terrible cavity. made more gloomy by
the grim, dark walls.
The basin or oritice gradually fills with
water when an eruption is about to take
place. until within few feet OF the sur
face. when suddenly. with heavy concus-
sions, immense clouds of steam rise 20 the
hight of 400 or 500 feet and the whole
great body of water 34x20 feet, ascends In
one gigantic column TO the hight of some
80 feet. Through and out of the apex
OF this vast aques mass five and some
times six lesser Jets or round columns of
water. about a foot in diameter, are pro-
jected to the still greater hight of 30 feet
1t Is thought these lesser Jets proceed
from auxiliary pipes leading into the prin-
cipal orihces near the bottom, where the
explosive force Is greater.
When the sun Is shining. the CLEANS fill
the sparkling columns of water and spray
with myrlads of rainbows, which are con-
stanuy changing, dipping and huttering
hither and thther and disappearing only
to be succeeded by others, again and
again The minute globules into which the
spent jets are dlffused when falling. re-
semble "A shower of diamonds Around
every shadow cast upon the column, caus-
ed by the denser clouds of vapor inter-
rupting the SUMS rays can be seen a lum-
nous circle. radiant with all the colors
Of the prism. These circles remind one
OF the halo Of glory so often seen in paint
ings encircling the head OF Divinity.
This eruption continues for about TWEEN
ty minutes, and Is one of the most magnih-
cent sights Of its kind ever witnessed.
When it ceases the earth trembles under
the descending deluge from this vast
fountain, and a thousand Kissing sounds
are heard in the air. In falling, the water
ploughs up and tears away the shelly
strata, and the seething flood pours down
the slope and looses itself In Firehole rlv-
err. which Is near by The geyser sub
sides gradually; the water lowers itself
into the crater out of sight; the steam
ceases TO escape and again all is quiet.