Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1922-12-27
WAITING for Supper at a Steam oven.

r at a Steam Oven.
quire a residence of several months.
The smokes in general, however may
be classed as coming either from
craters or assures.
Craters Are Active.
The craters are much less numerous
than the assures, but include some or
the largest and most active OF the
vents. All of them are located In the
floor of the valley, not around the
edges. They average about 100 feet
in diameter The rims are slightly
raised above the general level, snow
ing that they were produced by ex-
plosive action, but the amount or
material, in these crater rings is, in
general, very much less than enough
to fill the cavity. Within they are
perfectly conical pits. sl0ping down
into the throat at the bottom.
The steep sides, standing at the
critical angle, remind one of the pits
which ant lions dig in the sand. In
deed, little imagination is required to
picture the old devil at the bottom
waiting to devour whatever slips over
the edge; for the sides are so nearly
perpendicular that if one made the
first slip he could never get out again
The smoke from these craterS comes
out in such volume that often the hole
is completely filled and it's outlines
concealed, but by waiting a few mo-
ments at the windward side one can
usually see the inside Of the crater,
and sometimes for an instant catch
glimpse of the throat at the bottom
usually a perpendicular tube about
ten feet in diameter leading down into
the bowels of the earth. On favorable
occasions one may see as much as so
feet below the surface of the plain.
Much the greater part of the steam
in the valley comes to the surface.
not in these craters, but through the
innumerable assures. There are read
lily seen to be two sets of these-bands
Of marginal assures, several together.
running around the edge OF the valley
In parallel lines, and single central
assures, which crisscrosS the floor i'm
all directions
The marginal assures stand open,
like great cracks in the surface, int
which one might fall unless careful.
Sometimes the assures were formed
merely by the cracking open Of the
ground, but often they are lines Of
f&ulting, one side standing higher
than the other. They are often steam
Ing hot for long distances without q
break, and at intervals contain vents
from which issue some Of the biggest
smokes in the valley.
While the smoke from the crater&
comes cut quietly, in vast. rolling
clouds, that from the assures often is
emitted under considerable pressure
roaring and kissing. If one tosses
pebbles into the mouths of these
vents they are SO buoyed up by the
rising gases that they are either Inn
mediately spewed out again or they
sink slowly down through the rising
steam like feathers settling to earth.
Such vents are the hottest places In
the valley; the gases from them do
not condense for several yards be-
yond the Orifice
Fantastic Mud Formations.
All OF the vents, even the smallest.
whose fumes are too slight to be Wig
lDle, lncruSt the mud in their vicinity
with copious deposits giving the ad-
Jacent ground most fantastic ap-
pearance. These incrustations take
on all colors imaginable and in MANY
places give rise to very beautiful
formations. The prevailing hues are
perhaps those due to the gray and
green and yellow alums, which buud
out curious crystalline structures
Stimulating lichens growing on the
ground.
over large areas the ground has
Deen burned to bright red by the
neat. The variations in the intensitv
OF the color produced are extremely
beautiful, including, as they do. all
shades from orange and brick rad -
bright cherry reds, puppies, and on
GOWN TO black, with occasional CON
uasting streaks of blue. This type If
coioration is most pronounced in areaa
originally occupied by small fnmarol.u
Wmcn have burned out. Tn nlaca.
tne ground has the appearance AZ
having been burned with fire for
mile at stretch.
~ the size of the vents and the
quantity OF smoke given off the val
Icy IS 80 Tar beyond other volcanic
uiseilcts mat no other place can for
= moment be compared with It