The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-11
he FOUND DEATH eULcH.
Walter Harvey Weeds Work in the
Field of Geology.


Every one has heard OF Death guIch,
that remarkable valley in the Yellow
stone park where every now and then an
suffocated by the carbon 6ioxide gas that
wells up in astonishing volume from the
sands and stones of the valley floor, and
death trap is that of the enterprising and
daring man of science, Walter Harvey
Weed of the United States geological
survey, who. in 1887, discovered this re-
markable natural feature while surveying
that most wonderful Of all natural Won
ders-the Yellowstone park, Mr.. Weed
was born in ST. Louis, NO. on May ], 49,,
and was educated in the public schools
of that city and the Columbian school OF
mines in New York City, becoming
member of the United states geological
survey in 1883.
He could not have entered the survey
at better time, either for himself or fer
that was the golden age so to speak,
of the geological survey; days when al
was enthusiasm and hustle, and when
one discovery after another was being
made IN the, till then, great terra ineog-
nita west of the Mississippi Major Pow
ell had Just completed his second descent
Of the Grand canyon Of the Colorado
solving the last great geogra phical prob
lem remaining on the western conunentsi
Professor McGee was then performing
the task Of surveying over half of the
state Of Iowa single-handed and alone,
and other great enterprises were unoef
way-enterpriseS that made the geologlcal
survey famous and known througnous
the civilized world. Young and full OF
life and ambition, Mr.. Weed also en-
tered the great field of the west max
ing discoveries that have made his name
famous the world over.
The year he became member OF the
survey he was assigned to the dlfilcuit
task Of surveying the Yellowstone park,
locality about which almost nothinS
was known outside the wild stories
brought back by trappers and traders
from that natural wonderland
I,a4 OIL
discovery that the brilliant red, yellow
and green tints with which the rot
springs deposits are so richly coIoIs
were not iron, or sulphur, or arsenic, put
of VEGETABLE origin and due to micro
Scopic algae living in the hot waters, even
at temperature of 1S5 degrees Fanren-
it will cook all ordinary food. 1t is prob
able that such lOWly organized plants
were the very first forms of life on this
earth. existing while it was still not
The result of this discovery was en-
bodied in a general paper on HOT
Springs Deposits" followed a year after
the most complete discussion of that
unique phenomenon. In the course Of MS
exploration of the Yellowstone park the
famous Death gulch was discovered, a
white rift in the pine-cOVered mountain
side, where unseen but deadly gases are
given off by an old and dry hot spring
vent, which, accommodating on quiet
nights, have killed numerous elk ana
smaller game. as well as many bears that
have come to feast on these dead ami
mails. II is TO this place that Seaton-
Thompson brings his bear Wahb, in ms
famous story, for his voluntary death
After the survey of the Yellowstone
park and the discovery of the phenOm-
ena above mentioned, Mr.. Weed made
valuable discoveries while engaged in a
general geological exploration of the state
of Montana, and was the first TO an
nounce and publish the theory of that
most remarkable of all meteorological phe-
nonlena-the secondary enrichment of ore
deposits-and since then has remained
steadily engaged in preparing the work
OF mapping, exploring and writing re-
ports, descriptions and bulletins upon the
geological conditions and phenomena OF
the great northwest
From the foregoing brief resume of Mr.
Weeds work one can see that he has
the advancement of knowledge and the
progress of science. Many would have
been satisfied and would have regarded
their life work finished with discovery
such as the finding of Death gulch, but
with that modesty so characteristic OF
the true man of science Mr.. Weed IS dis
posed to look upon this achievement as
thing of secondary importance. The
manner in which ne discovered this IA
nous death trap forms of itself a very
interesting narrative.
The party in working about this local
ity had frequently noticed animals enter
Death gulch never to return, and an IN
Vestigation as TO the cause led TO the dis
Weed found that the carbon diOXide gas
which proves the death of bears, elk and
other animals that wander into this VAL
ley, came from an extinct hot spring that
lay beneath the surface and which at one
time had been active Mr.. Weed has been
a very prolific writer, and his works all
of them of the utmost Importance,
amount almost 70 a small library.