The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1904-09-22

planets energy, her horrible and horri-
flying forces. And mingled with it is an
exquisite but deadly beauty, charm
that has in it something of fright and
dismay.
The first station in the park is Mann
moth Hot Springs, where the beautiful
terraces are quite unlike anything else
to be found in the precinct. The boiling
hot water in descending in vast volume
down tho hillside has formed these won
derful fiuted and corrugated incrusta-
tons, like Parian marble in places, in
others dyed with all the splendors of a
brilliant sunset. Falling from slope to
slope, it has formed exquisite pools, filed
with azure water of peculiar loneliness.
The scnlpturing of Pulpit Terrace is one
of natures masterpieces; and here in
deed are sermons in stones or what may
pass for such. The DEVILS Thumb pro-
trudes from the earth here, and his
Kitchen is not far off, where in deep
pit he seems to be busy about the COM
position of some dish that might excite
the imagination of aDante.
The first days stage ride of six miles
yields short respite before the forty
miles course of the following day. The
same stage, team of four horses and
driver, take you about the five and half
days of travel, and your fellow-travelers
go with you all the way. Our road lay
through some scenes of utter desolation
and some of wonderful charm and beauty,
especially Golden Gate Canyon with its
superb new road cut in the side of a
mountain, and supported on arches from
the bottom of the gorge. Between this
place and Norris Basin is the DEVILS
Frying-pan. You dip your hand into
the horrible hole of water and take it
out instantly, without a request to do so.
After passing Apollinaris spring, where
we take drink, one of the really i'm
portant objects looms ahead in beauty
and towering majesty. 1t is a great
mountain Of glass or obsidian, and from
it's fragments the Indians formerly fab
ricated arrow-heads. This place, so
tradition has it, was neutral ground, and
peace always prevailed between warning
tribes when in this vicinity.
Norris, mere luncheon station, is one
of the most wonderful of all these mar
vels. The ground teens with strange
things, and rumbles and roars, sputters,
boils, Kisses, and puts all its might into
there ebullient doings. Here is the
DEVILS Inkstand, the horrible black
growler that swirls about in it's black pit
with untold fury. It has been estimated
That the energy expended is equal to
10000 horse power. But one bit OF
beauty at Norris should not be overlook
ed-the exquise emeral spring that glows
soft and radiant in its bed like some
gigantic gem of purest water. The Twin
Lakes are reached earlier-those mys-
ferrous sheets Of water alphabetically
linked together, one of the most splendid
green, a hue not seen in sea water, in
grass or foliage, the other brilliant
| electric blue. Beside the greater won
ders, dozens of little hot springs bubble
and puff and steam away unnoticed.-
These are found in thousands, and are
not deemed, in view of the greater curl
osities, of sufficient Interest to invite
notice.
The geysers seem alike in their ex.
plosive fits, and yet there is difference
There is strong convulsion, a magnif.
cent burst of sound when they spout
and also considerable variation in tn,
height Of their columns. Faithful t.
some unknown, inward impulse, tn
geyser makes tentative efforts, throw
up short columns of boiling water, unit
at last, with growl and roar, by ;
mighty upheaval it filings itself into tn
air with the sudden up-rush Of a gigan
tic rocket. The break from the under
world, the glee with which the shinin,
drops like masses of pearls and diamond
are flung high in the air, the play OF tn
sunlightthrough the column of steam an
boiling water, make it an imperishabl
memory. Old Faithful is the most ia
nous geyser of the Yellowstone. ]
steams continually, like gigantic tea
kettle; but every sixty-five minutes
with commendcble promptness, it spout
in great thunderous burst of sound t
. the height of ninety feet. The larges
geysers in the park are the Grand an
the Giant. The Giant is supposed to 6
OF once in eight days, but may not com
, to time. It throws up column tw
hundred feet high.
, While in the park we are almost con
. tinuously in sight of the towering noun
tains on all sides, some over 1000 fet
high, with great masses of snow sti