791 



YELLOWSTONE NATION A I. PARK. 



into varied and fantastic forms. On the Fin-hole 

 River the -tup^M- two lari:e ^rcnip>. in- 



cluded within an area of about '.'< square miles. 

 Here much of the ground is covered with a Kiiowy 



Mud Volcano. 



deposit from the peyser waters, while the mi-fare 

 of the variously shaped mounds fiot-i whi-h the 

 witers spring is in gome cases exqnisilelx orna- 

 mented by deposits like scalloped embroidering 

 set with pearly tnbcrciiles." In other c 

 deposit of silica assumes the most fantastic forius. 

 Occasionally it is deposited in a nelatiuous condi- 

 tion to a depth of 3 or 4 inch,--, re-embling starch 

 Trunks and branches of trees immersed in 

 these waters quickly become covered with a stone- 

 like deposit of silica; or ure petrified, in popular 

 hingu 



Of the two geys-er bnsins on the Fin bole, the 



Lower P. ,iu- a number of Interesting gey- 



scrs, about half a dozen in all. one of which throws 

 a column of water lo the height of i',n feel and an- 

 r to half this height. Its boiling -prill'.-* number 

 in all. lieiwien the two La-ins are the Half- 

 way Springs, the principal one of which is a large 

 :on ofj:,il feet diameter, with walls of about :IO 

 hi.'h. From it rise con-lant clouds of steam, 

 while Itt Overflowing waters make their way to the 

 river over a snowy platform of their <>wu 

 III this locality is (he r.i r, who-c 



eruption irregular, but who-,- L'nat power 



U attested by the roar which accompanies iis out- 

 Imr-ts, and") volume of.-t.am which it 



emits. 



The I'pp, r o r (in at (. n i. far more 



WOnderfUl than the lower 'in its manifestations of 

 rraiieaii activity, and as a L< i;i has no 



parallel in th<- world. It covers an ana of about 

 -quarc miles, extending I miles along 



river, with a width from half a mile to a ]. 

 river banks here are composed of silicious ,],.. 

 s of the springs, and, in the words of J 



literally honey -combed with sp, h 

 p 'ols ami ge\-ers that are constantly gurglin". spit- 

 in-, roaring and exploding.'' .V 

 tin- springs and gcxsers arc near (hcrix- 



ings are very numerous, there being 414 boiling 

 ngs, and many others of lower temperature and 

 tranquil. The average temperature i.s al>out 1 

 The large gexsers number I'll in all. At the head 

 ol the valley, near its southern extremity, ap] 

 the remarkable geyser, known as Old " Faithful, 

 from the frequency and regularity of its disc ha: 

 At intervals of about an hour it shoots up a cob 

 of water li feet in diameter to a height of from 1ml 

 lol.'iii feet, continuing to play for about li mini: 

 When it ceases the \x aler disappears, but an under- 

 ground bissof steam indicates the continued activity 

 of the eruptive lop . 



On the other side of the river from Old Faithful 

 is the lici-hixc, so called from the shape of iis 

 mound. It throws a column of _' or:! feet dia- 

 meter to a height of from Inn to -jjn f, el. and con- 

 tinues to play from ', to 1.1 minutes. About -JlK) 

 iislant is the GiantCM, one (.f Ihe largest of 

 the gc\sers. This has an oval aperture of IS b\- _'."> 

 feet, down wliich one can look for a hundred 'feet 

 without seeing water, though it can be heard gurg- 

 ling below. At intervals of about 11 hours, how- 

 ever, the water is hurled upwards in a grand column 

 of 20 feet diameter, to a height of 60 feet, while several 

 smaller JctS rising through this carry the discharge 

 occasionally to the extreme h, iijii o't -_'.'n fei t. The 

 eruption continues for about I'll minutes. Ala 

 short distance. Sawmill (Jevser throws an almo-t. 

 contiaooni steam to a height of in ,, r i:> feet ; while 

 near by i- <iran,l (ieyser. one of the most powcrlnl 

 its ciihiimi ofti feet diameter at bottom lx-ing thrown 

 in a succession of jets to a height of 17:. lo 200 feet, 

 and continuing for -_'ii minui- ri.,,1 of emp- 



lion i> irregular, and is preceded by rumbling n. 

 and shaking of the ground, while the cloud of Steam 

 which accompanies ihe eruption use, nds loa hci-'ht 

 of more than lIHHI fiet. 



.Near ( Irand is a small geyser, known as (lie Tur- 

 ban, from the peculiar shape of its mound, and 

 beyond this is (Jiant tievscr, whose water is thrown 

 from a com- in feet high and -2f> IK -t diameter at 

 base, diminishing to 8 feet nt top. This throws 

 a column of (i feet diameter, and plays for hours. 

 In ls71 ]>r. Ilavden found it to play 1 hour and 

 20 minutes, the water being thrown to a height of 

 1 III feet, but I.ieut. Doane, who visited the locality 

 in the preceding year, dc scril , s it as placing :\\ 

 hours at limes, ami throwing its Column froi'n BO !> 

 -'IK I feet. In addition to the geysers described max 

 named (he Castle, which in 1S70 threw a colniun :> 

 feet in diameter to a height of 14(1 feet for :i hours 

 together, and in 1S7I played for -In minutes to a 

 licight of -j:,u feet : Ihe (Jrotlo, throxviiig iis stream 

 from ^."> to mi feet ; the Punch Howl, (he Soda, the. 

 Pyramid, the Hath, etc., nil named from certain 

 peculiarities of form or character, while others 

 worthy of notice are yet unnamed. 



Another geyser basin exists at the vest end of 

 the western arm of Shoshone Lake, its springs and 

 ing said by Prof. Ilavden lobe uoi siir- 

 l in beauty ana hardly lew active than tb 



i'- Creek. North of the Fin-hole r-yser 

 basin is the Xorris basin, which contains two' im- 

 portant pex MI-S the Monarch and the Hurricane, 

 'he l.itici : -.and one of (he most 



