Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-04-25
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upon space for OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
YELLOWSTONE PARK ATTRACT
I'VE AS EVER.

Captain II. NJ. Chittenden, who IS in
charge Of the government work on the
Missouri river at this place and also
of work being done by the government
in Yellowstone Park, in a communi-
cation to tie New York Tribune con
troyerts some statements to the effect
that the geysers in the park are be-
coming extinct. Captain Chittenden
says:
There was recently published in a
French scientific paper, aCeil ct Ter
re-" Of Paris, an article on the Yellow
stone National Park, in which the
writer, who had lately visited the
park, holds that the geysers are rap
idly approaching extinction The ar
ticle has been widely copied through
out the United States, and has gone a
long way toward creating an impress
sion that the Yellowstone wonderland,
SO far as the hot springs and geyssrs
are concerned, is practically a thing of
the past.
Both in his premises and .conelu-
sions the author of this article IS
wholly astray, and it is a good ex-
ample Of how even a scientific OBJ
server may draw wrong conclusions Il
he fails to examine all sides of a aues-
ton. a. few examples will illustrate.
Roaring Mountain, which the author
of the @Cie1 ct Terre" article did not
hear o never has Toared to any
noticeable extent. Some enthusiastic
explorer in past years happened by
this hill when there was an excessive
escape of steam, heard the loud, shrili
sound which it caused, and dignided
the eminence with the name Of Roar
ing Mountain. But it is doubtful if
any one has ever heard it roar any
more than it does now; certainly it is
as active as it has been for fifteen or
twenty years.
The Grower is another example in
which the authors conclusions are ex-
aetly the opposite of the facts. This
steam vent a quadrupled in power
in the last ten years. a close OBJ
seryer.%wouId have seen this, if he
had taken note of the great desuruc-
ton which is going on in the sur
rounding trees. There are several
acres of ground around this spring en-
which the trees have been killed dur
ing the last six years. Obviously It's
force and volume have greatly in
creased, or its destructive influence
would not be much extended. little
inquiry would further have shown this
Investigator that close by the Grower
the government has in recent years
been compelled to change its road be
cause of the outbreak of new springs
and geysers Of great energy and power.
In fact, this entire basin, called the
Norris Geyser Basin, is steadily in
creasing in activity
The old Fountain Geyser in the
Lower Firehole basin has indeed be
come extinct, but its energy has been
transferred to another ear by which
appeared simultaneously with the dis
appearance OF the old. The Great
Fountain Geyser displays the same ac-
fiVity that it did when first described
by Folsom in 1863. Excelsior Geysel
has been active but two OF three times
since the discovery Of this region. Il
is the most powerful geYser in the
park, and during its last eruption II
burst through the rim which sepa,
rates it from the Firehole river. This
let the water in the pool escape ane
lowered its level several feet. Ths
relief Of pressure thus brought abou
probably accounts for its failure II
discharge IN recent years, but its vol
ume is as great as it ever was. OIL
Faithful shows no perceptible change
either in regularity or height Of erup
ton. The Bee Hive is less frequen
in eruption than it used to he, blu