The Yellowstone National Park Part 20

_Terry Engr. Co._ _First sketch ever made._[BD]

Castle Geyser Cone.]

[BD] See foot note, page 168.

Crossing the river to its right bank, nearly opposite the Castle, there are found within a narrow compa.s.s three noted geysers, the _Sawmill_, _Turban_, and _Grand_. Of these, the last is by far the finest, and ranks among the very greatest geysers in the world. It was not seen by the Washburn Party, in 1870, but it seems to have been the first geyser to welcome to the Upper Basin the Hayden and Barlow parties in 1871. Captain Barlow says of its eruption:[BE]

"This grand fountain continued to play for several minutes. When dying down, I approached to obtain a closer view of the aperture whence had issued such a powerful stream. A sudden gush of steam drove me away, following which the water was again impelled upward and upward, far above the steam, till it seemed to have lost the controlling force of gravity, and that it would never cease to rise. The roar was like the sound of a tornado, but there was no apparent effort; a steady stream, very graceful and perfectly vertical, except as a slight breeze may have waved it to and fro. Strong and smooth, it continued to ascend like the stream from a powerful steam fire-engine. We were all lost in astonishment at the sudden and marvelous spectacle. The proportions of the fountain were perfect. The enthusiasm of the party was manifested in shouts of delight. Under the excitement of the moment, it was estimated to be from three to five hundred feet in height."

[BE] Page 25, "Reconnaissance of the Yellowstone River."--See Appendix E.

Further up the river on the same side and at some distance back, are the _Lion_, _Lioness_ and the two _Cubs_, an interesting group, including one notable geyser. Half way up a high mound of geyserite which covers a large area on the north side of the river, is an exquisitely beautiful formation called, from its appearance, the _Sponge_.

[Ill.u.s.tration:

_Terry Engr. Co._ _Haynes, Photo., St. Paul._

The Bee Hive Geyser.]

On the top of the mound is another of the great geysers, thought by the Washburn Party to be the greatest in the world, the _Giantess_. It belongs to the cla.s.s of fountain geysers, and when not in action strongly resembles a quiescent spring. Its eruptions are infrequent and irregular, but when it does play it is a sight not to be forgotten. Mr. Langford thus describes the first eruption known to have been seen by white men:[BF]

"We were standing on the side of the geyser nearest the sun, the gleams of which filled the sparkling columns of water and spray with myriad rainbows, whose arches were constantly changing--dipping and fluttering hither and thither, and disappearing only to be succeeded by others, again and again, amid the aqueous column, while the minute globules, into which the spent jets were diffused when falling, sparkled like a shower of diamonds, and around every shadow which the denser clouds of vapor, interrupting the sun's rays, cast upon the column, could be seen a luminous circle, radiant with all the colors of the prism, and resembling the halo of glory represented in paintings as encircling the head of Divinity. All that we had previously witnessed seemed tame in comparison with the perfect grandeur and beauty of this display."

[BF] "The Wonders of the Yellowstone." See Appendix E.

Between the Giantess and the river is the _Bee Hive_, also one of the most prominent geysers. The symmetry of its cone is only surpa.s.sed by the regularity of its water column. From an artistic point of view it is the most perfect geyser in the Park. Its slender jet attains a great height and is vertical and symmetrical throughout.

Crossing again to the west bank of the stream and ascending to the very head of the basin, we come to the last and most important of the geysers, _Old Faithful_. Any other geyser, any five other geysers, could be erased from the list better than part with Old Faithful. The Giant, Giantess, Grand, Splendid, and Excelsior, have more powerful eruptions. The Bee Hive is more artistic. The Great Fountain has a more wonderful formation. But Old Faithful partakes in a high degree of all these characteristics, and, in addition, has the invaluable quality of uniform periodicity of action. It is in fact the most perfect of all known geysers.

To it fell the honor of welcoming civilized man to this region. It was the first geyser named. It stands at the head of the basin and has been happily called "The Guardian of the Valley."

It is located in the center of an oblong mound, 145 by 215 feet at the base, 20 by 54 feet at the summit, and about 12 feet high. The tube, which seems to have originated in a fissure in the rock, has an inside measurement of 2 by 6 feet.

[Ill.u.s.tration:

_Terry Engr. Co._ _U. S. Geological Survey of the Territories._

Castle Geyser.

Geyser in action.

Crater of Old Faithful.

Upper Geyser Basin.]

[Ill.u.s.tration:

_Terry Engr. Co._ _U. S. Geological Survey of the Territories._

Old Faithful.]

The ornamentation about the crater, though limited in extent, is nowhere surpa.s.sed for beauty of form and color. In particular, the three small pools on the north side of the crater and very close to it are specimens of the most remarkable handiwork which Nature has lavished upon this region. A singular fact is that the waters in these three pools, although so close together as apparently to be subject to the same conditions, are of different colors. Speaking of these marvelous appearances, Lieutenant Doane says: [BG]

"One instinctively touches the hot ledges with his hands, and sounds with a stick the depths of the cavities in the slope, in utter doubt of the evidence of his own eyes.... It is the most lovely inanimate object in existence."

[BG] Page 29, "Yellowstone Expedition of 1870." See Appendix E.

In its eruption this geyser is equally fascinating. It always gives ample warning, and visitors have time to station themselves where the view will be most perfect. The graceful column rises, at first with apparent effort, but later with evident ease, to a height of 150 feet.

The noise is simply that of a jet of water from an ordinary hose, only in intensity corresponding to the greater flow. The steam, when carried laterally by a gentle breeze, unfurls itself like an enormous flag from its watery standard. The water is of crystal clearness and the myriad drops float in the air with all manner of brilliant effects. To quote Lieutenant Doane again:

"Rainbows play around the tremendous fountain, the waters of which fall about the basin in showers of brilliants, and then rush steaming down the slopes to the river."

The uniform periodicity of this geyser is its most wonderful and most useful characteristic. It never fails the tourist. With an average interval of sixty-five minutes, it varies but little either way. Night and day, winter and summer, seen or unseen, this "tremendous fountain"

has been playing for untold ages. Only in thousands of years can its lifetime be reckoned; for the visible work it has wrought, and its present infinitely slow rate of progress, fairly appall the inquirer who seeks to learn its real age.

It is worth while, however, to note the enormous work which this geyser daily performs. A conservative estimate, based upon an extended series of observations made in 1878 by the United States Geological Survey, shows that the outpour for an average eruption is not less 1,500,000 gallons, which gives 33,225,000 gallons per day. This would supply a city of 300,000 inhabitants. The combination of conditions by which the supply of heat and water, and the form of tube, are so perfectly adapted to their work, that even a chronometer is scarcely more regular in its action, is one of the miracles of nature.

[Ill.u.s.tration:

_Terry Engr. Co._ _U. S. Geological Survey of the Territories._

Kepler Cascade.]

CHAPTER XVII.

A TOUR OF THE PARK.

_Upper Geyser Basin to the Yellowstone Lake._

Distance, nineteen miles. The route ascends the Firehole River to the mouth of Spring Creek, which stream it follows to the Continental Divide. For seven miles it then lies on the Pacific slope, after which it descends the mountains to the Yellowstone Lake. The drive is one of the most pleasant in the Park, and the scenery is unconventional and wild.

_Kepler Cascade_ (1.25 miles) is a fascinating water-fall. Lieutenant Doane, who first wrote of it, says:[BH]

"These pretty little falls, if located on an eastern stream, would be celebrated in history and song; here, amid objects so grand as to strain conception and stagger belief, they were pa.s.sed without a halt."

[BH] Page 27, "Yellowstone Expedition of 1870." See Appendix E.

We counsel the tourist not to so pa.s.s them.

Half a mile up the Firehole, above the mouth of Spring Creek, is the _Lone Star Geyser_ (4 miles). This geyser is conspicuous chiefly for its fine cone. It plays frequently to a height of 40 or 50 feet.

_Madison Lake_, ten miles further up the valley, is the ultimate lake source of the Madison River. This lake, with possibly the exception of Red Rock Lake, the source of the Jefferson, is further from the sea by direct water-course than any other lake on the globe.

Returning down the Firehole, we enter the mouth of _Spring Creek Canon_ (3.5 miles), which the road traverses for a distance of two and one-half miles. This narrow, winding, rocky canon, under the shadow of the Continental Divide, is full of picturesque turns and surprises.