The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-01-24
IceIandic Features.

The Ledger Iceland offers such
exceptional advantages and opportuni-
ties to the sportsman, the tourist. the
naturalist. the mountaineer, and the
seeker OF health that. in no distant fu-
ture, It Is destined to become the tour
list field OF Europe The glaciers Of
Switzerland, the fjords. the salmon riv-
ers, and the midnight sun Of Norway
are all there, and. moreover, the vol
canoes, grottoes, ana soifataras Of
Italy, on a grander scale; the pure and
clear atmosphere OF Italy, the mineral
springs Of Germany, and the geysers.
or hot springs, OF the Yellowstone
Park are all there. Nowhere has Ma
ture been so spendthrift In assembling
wonderful phenomena in one spot.
The summer lasts from June till the
first week in October. A feature no
dced by all travellers is the olearness
and purity Of the atmosphere, rivaling
that Of Italy; mountains are distinct at
distance Of 100 miles.
There Is no country in the known
world where volcanic eruptions have
been so numerous as In Iceland, or
have been spread over SO large a sur
face No part Of the isle is wholly free
from the marks Of volcanic agency; and
It may be truly called the abode Of sub
terranean heat Nesuvius is dwarfed in
to insignifcance by the twenty volca-
noes Of Iceland, all OF them larger
The lava food at the eruption in Ice
land in 1875 has been computed to
contain $1,000 millions OF cubic feet,
while the largest eruption Of Vesu-
vius on record, that Of 1874, threw out
only 730.000,OoO Of cubic feet Of lava.
Some Of the Icelandic lakes are studded
with volcanic isles. miniature quiescent
Srombolis, whose craters rise from
bases green with a prolific growth Of
angelica and grasses. Even in the bos-
ON OF the sea. on the coast. there are
hidden volcanoes. About the end Of
January, 1888. flames were observed ris-
ing from the sea some thirty miles CT
Cape Reykjanes; they lasted several
months. until a terrible eruption COM
meneed 200 miles away, Ia the interior,
when they disappeared. A few years
ago rocks and islets emerged from the
sea in this place. Another volcanic
feature is the solfatara valleys. plains
studded with a number Of low. cone
shaped hillocks. from whose tops jets
Of steam ascend. In other places boil
ing mud issues from the ground six
to eight feet in the air. as in New Zea-
land. Standing on the feeble crust
where literally FIRE and birthstone are
IN incessant action, having before your
eyes terrible proofs Of what is going on
beneath you. enveloped In vapors. your
ears stunned with noises. is a strange
sensation.
AS to the hot springs. those in Reyk-
jadal, though not the most magnificent
are perhaps the most curious among
the numerous phenomena Of this sort
in Iceland On entering the valley
you see columns Of vapor ascending
from different parts Of it. There is a
number Of apertures In a sort Of plat
form Of rock. The water is 212 degrees
Fahrenheit. and Il rises two or three
feet into the cir. A river flows through
the valley. in the midst Of which Jet
Of boiling water issues with violence
from rock raised but a few feet
from the icy cold water Of the river
Not far from this place Is the grotto
or cave Of surt. which IS SO large that
no one has penetrated to its inner end.
In forming these scenes Nature seems
to have deserted all her ordinary oper-
ations and 70 have worked only in COM
bining the nest terrific extremes