The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-04-23
THE PRESIDENTS TOUR.
He is Taking a Well-Earned Vacation Amid
the Wonders of the Yellowstone Park

the Wonders of the Yellowstone Park
President Roosevelt has thoroughly de-
monstrated that a man who really does
not desire to pose in the newspapers does
not have to. He said when he was getting
ready to start on his long Western trip
that he did not want to have whole
herii of newspaper men trooping after him.
He wanted to rest and he wanted to take
that rest in his own way. The reputable
newspapers of the country have taken
him at his word, and they would take
any other public man at his word, the
minute they felt sure that he said and
thought the same thing. Only one news
paper in the whole country made any at
tempt to invade the privacy of the Prcsi-
dent. and the representative of that paper
got lost in the SHUTTLE or. rather, he went
out in the discard and has not been
heard of since.
The word that comes out to the world
from the President, who is scouting round
in the Yellowstone Park, is brought by
the Military couriers. They report that
the President is in the best of health. He
takes long traInps over the trails, and
when feasible enjoys riding the big troop
horses that have been placed at his dis
posal. There is a good deal of snow in
the Yellowstone, which somewhat inter
feres with some of the plans that were
made for the enjoyment of the President.
for some of the trails are impossible at
this time. the drifting snow having filled
canyons and gulches. lie the beautiful
would freeze good and hard all would be
well. but it is light and shifty and liable
to ''let down. heavy-weights in unexpect-
ed places. 1t would be unwise for the
President to risk an accident of this char
acter. ,a... -....
A wonderful story has gone out about
the President being determined to visit
Death Gulch in the Yellowstone Park.
where, it is gruesomely told. nothing with
lungs can live 1t is even circumstantial-
iy related that there are horrible hot sui
phur springs in the '.gulch" which send
up deadly gases and vapOrs so that every
thing that ventures in dies, and that the
floor of this terrible grIlch is covered knee
deep with the bones of creatures that are
lured by some dread fascination into the
deep, damp. dark, death chamber. 1t all
reads like 4 real blood thriller ought to,
but it isn't so. $40
Col. George Anderson. a big cavalry
man who is in Washington and who was
in charge of the Yellowstone Park for
many years. says that the story is an idle
tale, Hlaue out OF WDOle ciOtD. Inefe Is
a place called death Gulch." and that is
the extent of the truth of the story.
There is gulch," he says, "and it has
some disagreeable and rank odors, vii
famous smells as one ever encountered.
They come from the sulphur springs, but
they do not poison anyone. In this gulch
are some small salt springs. and animals
go in there to lick the salt. Some hunters
found this out and placed poisoned meat
in the gulch to capture the animals for
their pelts and furs. 1t was an easy
method. as the animals would die in the
gulch instead of wandering away into the
woods where they could not be found.
An exploring party went up the gulch and
found a number of animals that had been
poisoned. More than this there were hun
dreds of skeletons of animals, such as
mountain lions, bob cats. foxes and
wolves, for the hunters had skinned the
animals and left the carcasses in the
gulch. The exploring party Immediately
decided that the animals had been pois-
oned by the doors and that report became
generally believed. The hunters naturally
wanted it spread, as it insured them I'M
interrupted profits. An visitors would go
to the mouth of the gulch, or far enough
to get a Whit of the odors and sight of
the bones. and would at once accept the
story as true"
The President has accepted the invita-
ton to lay the cornerstone of the new
gate at the North boundary of the Yellow
stone Park. The ceremony will occur
during the afternoon Of April "a. which
is the Presidents last day of freedom.
The exercises will be conducted by the
Grand Lodge of Masons of Montana, and
will be very impressive. 1t was designed
fr, hnII hn late hut
when it was found that the President
would assist, the matter was hurried up
quite a good deal.
The Park is being patrolled in a very
efficient manner by the mounted police.
man who belonged to the transportation
company of the Park, but who seems to
have been unknown to the police, was
found within the prescribed limits, and,
despite his pr0testations that he had a
right there, giving his name and business,
the police trotted him off to headquarters
and locked him up over night, until his
case could be looked into. He was able to
clear himself when daylight came. but he
was so badly scared that he declared he
would quit the employ of the company.
Secretary Loeb went up to meet. the
President when he came in from Fort
1ellDWStOIe ana some routine
business for the President TO transact, the
first that he has done since he went into
the hill country. On his return to Cinni-
bar. Secretary Loeb sent out the follow
ing dispatch:
'The President and his party have just
returned from their eight days horseback
trip in the north of the park and along
the Yellowstone. The party consisted of
the President. Maj. Pitcher, Mr.. John
Burroughs, with an orderly, the scouts, and
the packers with the mule train. All of
the party are in excellent health, and not
an accident of any kind occurred. On
| entering the park the President informed
Maj. Pitcher that he would not, under any
circumstances, fire shot at anything
while in the park, and he took neither
rifle nor shotgun with him. The party
had some good fishing, and the President
and Mr.. Burroughs spent large part of
their time in following and watching at
close quarters the great herds of game,
chiefly elk, but also mountain sheep, deer
and antelope. The party will go to the
interior Of the park, visit the geysers, and
perhaps the Falls of the Yellowstone,
They will go in sDeighs, on horseback, or
on skis, according to the condition of the
snow. WILLIAM LOEB, Jr.,
Secretary to the President