Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-04-03
CONCERNING THE RULES
OF YELLOWSTONE PARK.

| As | sat listening to Mrs. Cary'S talk
on using soap to cause the eruption of
geyser, / thought / would like to say
a few words on the subject. Yellow
stone Park is under military rule. At
Mammoth Hot Springs is two-com-
pany cavalry post, the. commanding
officer being superintendent of the
park. There are other posts located in
different parts of the park. There is
set of rules printed on linen and put up
in conspicuous places. During the
visiting season there are squads of cav
airy never less than two) to be met
often throughout the park, Their duties
being to protect the various objects of
interest from vandalism, see that no
specimens are removed, that no poach-
ers enter the park, aud to prevent the
spread of campfres. The rules laid
down to each party entering the park
are definite, and will be forced with
military precision Yon are liable to
be met by the guard at any point and
have the wagons or baggage searched
on the least suspicion. You are not al
lowed to write your name on an incrus-
tation, or in any way to break or deface
the mineral deposits, or to throw any
thing into spring or geyser vent. She
said, "Some tourist, in order to see an
eruption, will be tempted to throw his
piece of soap into the geyser vent"
Welll no, not if he has arrived at the
age of reason. As you stand looking
at or into a geyser vent, you are stand
ing on crust of mineral deposit, per-
haps over a pool of boiling water, you
can have no idea just how thick the
crust may be. | have stood at short
distance from hot pool and heard the
water boiling under the crust at the
side of the trodden path | have seen
small cracks right in the pathway from
which hot steam issued giving us very
visible proof of our danger. Now do
you think any one of sense would wish
to cause a commotion that might close
the inner vent of a spouter and thereby
cause the crust to open beneath your
feet? The Excelsior geyser is said to
stand as specimen If soap expert
ment At present it has crater of three
hundred feet in width, by three hundred
and thirty in length. Itthrew out tons of
rock. Some pieces fell five hundred
feet from the crater. The man was
never found, SO you see the tourist
will be better off to wait for natural
eruption.
Much credit is due to the military
scouts, yet l saw display that missed
their vigiience While our outfit was
in camp near Firehole river in the Up
per Geyser Basin, we had watched for
an eruption of the Fan but had missed
it by being attracted elsewhere AS the
time of its display drew near, we seated
ourselves on the hillside near by de-
termined not to move until we had seen
the pink wonder. While we sat wait
ing & party from another outfit came
up the road. One of them threw a
rock into the Fan, causing fine erup-
ton. 1t pleased her so well that she
threw some into the Mortar with like
effect, and also into the Artemisia near
by, causing in all the most beautiful
display we saw on the entire trip As
she was not seen by the scouts she es-
capped punishment by fine of not more
than one thousand dollars, or imprison-
ment not exceeding two years, or both,
and pay all costs, to say nothing of blow
ing herself and party into eternity.
A story is told of woman that wrote
her name on the white edge of a pool.
She was given the choice of walking
back seven miles with the scout and
erasing it, or be legally punished. She
walked. While in the park you may
catch all the fish you wish for eating;
you may use all the dead wood you
wish for fuel, but must not cut any
growing timber. Fires may be lighted
when necessary, but must be carefully
extinguished All camp refuse must
be buried but it is likely to be dug up
and inspected by bears. No animals
are ever killed except too friendly
bear once in a while, by order of the
superintendent. They will sometimes
get bold and walk into camp and de-
molish anything they get their paws on.
You may take dog along, to warn you
of the near approach of bruin, but you
must keep him chained.
Mrs j. A. SHIELDS