Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-08
THE GEYSERS
Travel to the National Park
Was Light
DURING THIS SEASON
The Mud &c ysers are Behaving Very
Unbecomingly-Tr0ut Fish
ing in the Park.

''The number of visitors to the yell
lowstone National park was not up to
the expectations of the transportation
companies during the month of july"
said a resident of Helena, who has re-
Gently returned from a trip through the
nations wonderland, to the Independent.
"The wreck Of the school teachers tx
cursion in California diverted a large
number of the educators who had
planned to do the park on their return
trip. However, the season bids fair to
be a record breaker, as during the first
week of August tourists were arriving
at the rate OF nearly eco a day. So not
w~ithstanding the discouraging outlook
at the opening of the season the finish
will probably be entirely satisfactory.
THE famous Dewey geyser. which
came into existence with such 4 flourish,
like the illustrious man for whom it was
named, seems to have accomplished it's
purpose, at one fell stroke. as it's initial
eruption was it's last. From what could
be learned, the Dewey was not much of
a geyser at best, and spouted only a few
feet high. There arc indications that the
Excelsior may be active at least once
this season, a contamination not alto
gether desirable, as it takes on the pro-
portions of a fair-sized volcano. The Elk
celsior is due to play every seven years,
but has been quiet now since 1890, and is
two years overdue. It's last eruption is
said to have been caused by an injection
into Its crater of 100 pounds of soap,
which has an effect on geysers similar
to the combination of positive and mega
tive seidlitz powders. The result was
certainly astonishing in this case, as the
old Excelsior promptly got down to bust
ness and sent up a great column of water
200 feet high. tearing it's formation to
pieces. 1t continued to play at this ter
rific rate for two weeks, its waste waters
raising the Fire Hole river a foot above
normal conditions and killing every trout
in the stream. The former site of the
geyser Is now a deep. boiling lake. about
half an acre in extent and is one of the
| wonders Of the park. a.,
"Old Faithful. however, continues to
be the only geyser of large proportions
that can be absolutely relied Upon to
play at regular intervals. The most as
tonishing of the geysers is the Economic.
Myself and two school teacher from Ne
braska We're standing a few feet from it's
crater, When, without a moments warm
ing, it shot 30 feet into the air. We shot
off toward Lake Michigan to escape the
deluge of hot water, and after going
several rods at a 2:40 clip turned to watch
the fun. But the Economic had subsided
as quickly as it came and the laugh was
on us. The Bee Hive is said to be the
most distinctively American geyser in
the basin. Due to play only once a year,
1T has chosen the nations birthday as a
fitting time for activity, II for the last
TWO VlQr re has n1QvnH nrnr,et1xy NV tlo.
4th of July.
The Mud geyser went on a rampage
early last winter, and for several DAYS
conducted itself in a very unbecoming
manner. even for a geyser, hurting tons
of hot mud 40 feet above its crest and be-
scattering the surrounding country for
hundreds of yards. Since then the Mud
geyser has apparently been content with
belching it's foul contents against the
belching it's foul contents against the sides
Of it's own crater. After watching it's ac-
tons for several minutes the late Bob In
gersoll solemnly said: Hell isn't 200 yards
away from this spot Mr.. Ingersoll was
we'll remembered by the transportation
company employees, who say he was un-
commonly interested in everything he
saw on the trip, and proved to be almost
as much of an attraction to his fellow
travellers as the formations themselves.
1T is not generally known that a saw
ings bank has been established in the
park, but such is the case. This bank
is different from others, in that while
money can be deposited, none can be
withdrawn. In fact, the depositors hard
ly expect either interest or the return Of
the principal, and no record Of transac-
tons is kept. Emerald pool, a large,
deeD-blue basin of the hottest kind of
| water, has been made the natural depos-
itory of sundry loose change, ranging
from pennies to dollars, that are plainly
! visible along it's tinted, sloping sides.
These coins, a considerable sum in the
aggregate, are gradually incrusted with
the blue sediment of the waters and will
remain unmolested till the crack of doom.
The fad was probably inaugurated by
some one having money to boil.
Speaking of fads, the latest in connec-
ton with the park is to make the descent
of the grand canyon, trusting to luck to
get out safely. Some notion of the bur-
den of this undertaking becomes appar-
ent when it is known that the distance is
1900 feet. The ~abruptness of the descent
is such that a stone can be thrown from
the crest of he canyon into the river at
it's foot. The descent is comparatively
| easy, being for the most part a slide
down the sand, with a board as the We
hicle of conveyance, the feet being used
to regulate it's speed. Regaining the top
of the canyon requires different tactics.
of course, and is not always accomplished
without assistance. Three young women
who attempted it this season came to
grief and their friends above were
Obliged to come to their assistance with
a squad Of soldiers, who played out a
thousand feet of rope. by means of which
the un~fortunates We're dragged to the top,
fairly exhausted. The soldiers charged
SIS for the job.
Fishing in the Yellowstone lake and
river has reached that paradoxical stage
| where it is so good that it is Dad Catch