The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-12
YELLOWSTONE'S GEYSERS ARE DOOMED.

Prof. E. II. Barbour, of the State Uni
versity Of Nebraska, on returning from
a visit this fall to the Yellowstone Ma
tional park, advised friend who had
been contemplating a visit there some
year when he was not too busy to post
pone his. trip no longer than was ALSO,
1utely necessary. This advice constitutes
the essence of a report which the pro-
fessor, has since made 10 the National
Geological society, in session at Column
bus, o.:
In 1894 the professor visited the park,
making a thorough study of it's principal
features and supplementing his notes by
means of photographs and colored draw
ings. This fall, when he went through
the park for a second time, he was
shocked to find that five years had wit
messed the extinction of a number of the
most brilliant of. the show pieces. The
claim of the park people has Always been
that the energy of the district remains
practically constant and that when q
geyser dies it is only to break out in
some new form Prof. Barbour investi-
gated this phase of the question, but
could find no encoura cement in the cases
that were submitted for his inspection
In practically every instance the newer
outbreaks are weaker than those they
have superseded.
CHANGES IN FIVE YEARS.
The gradual exhaustion of the heat of
this district has long been predicted by
scientists. The flow of water upon an
immense pocket of lava left over from
a volcanic disturbance is the cause COM
monty assigned for the tremendous en-
ergy of the geysers. The gradual cooling
of this lava has been frequently dis
cussed, but the matter will come before
even the scientists in new and startling
light when it is known shat Prof. Bar
bour has recorded the destruction in the
interval between 1894 and 1899 of the
Minerva Terrace, the Beehive Geyser,
many of the Paint Pots and the great
Fountain Geyser, to say nothing of
others of more or less note, all telling of
general lessening of the energy of the
whole district. Even "Old Faithful
has dropped back from an hourly appear
ance to an eruption every hour and a
quarter.
In this connection a story of what hap
pened similar natural phenomena In New
well told by G. R. Falccner in the last
issue of the Windsor Magazine. These
geysers and terraces of the Hot Lake
district were distant 1870 miles from Auck-
land, and no traveller ever thought Of
leaving the island without seeing them,
wild and inaccessible though the district
was
NEW ZEALAND'S TERRACES.
The white terraces OF Rotomahara rose
up in Il series of twenty platforms in the
form of a gigantic stairway. Each ter
race was perfectly horizontal and of q
| dazzling whiteness. The top step was
vertically eighty feet above the base and
sat 300 feet back. From every platform
! dubbed copious clouds of steam. A
stream Of boiling water continually
flowed from the geysers, and as 1t fell
slowly from tier to tier the silicates with
which the water was heavily cha ged be-
| came deposited and on its exposure to the
| air wonderful lace work designs of in
finite variety and dazzling whiteness and
purity were formed Not far from the
white terrace was another termed the
''plnk terrace" where, owing to some
coloring substance in the sllicious waters
falling from the geysers, the deposits
were of a delicate pink hue. from which
was derived the name pink terrace"
June 10, 1886, the night was clear and
calm Heavy rumbling sounds like rolls
of distant thunder filled the air, but there
was no very great alarm. The next day
dawned dull and gloomy. About 1880
o'clock the morning grew darker, and
light gray ash. very fine, began to fall
Mr.. Falconer, who was then living only
about forty miles away, says that al
though they surmised an eruption, was
taking place in the Hot Lake district.
there were no definite tidings. About II
o'clock the darkness lifted All around
the ground was covered with thin, f1lmy