86 HOT SPKINGS, ARKANSAS. 



The landscape gardener has modified the old slopes, filled up the gullies, 

 and built roads and footpaths, until the hot-spring area is a beautiful 

 park and a fitting setting for the springs. 



The great contrast between the present appearance of this area and 

 that of a half century ago is shown by a comparison of the sketch made 

 by Prof. David D. Owen, State geologist, in 1859, which is reproduced 

 in Plate I, and the present aspect, shown in Plate II and the frontispiece. 



The diagram accompanying this report, Plate IX, shows the location 

 of the hot springs with reference to the buildings on the reservation. 

 The numbers on this map correspond to those given in the table of analy- 

 ses. Professor Owen's sketch map is also reproduced for comparison. 



The topography of the district is shown in Plate X, which is part 

 of a general sheet prepared by the United States Geological Survey. 

 This shows that the springs occur at the southwest end or "nose" of 

 Hot Springs Mountain. There is nothing unusual or remarkable in 

 this topographic position, for it accords with that of many other springs 

 of the region — as, for example, Bonanza Springs and Big Chal}'beate of 

 the plate. 



It is difficult for the average visitor of to-day to form an idea of the 

 natural appearance of the springs. The larger springs formerly issued 

 abruptly from the tufa slopes and did not possess the bowls and basins 

 seen at the Mammoth Hot Springs of the Yellowstone. An artificial 

 cutting made into the mound of the Cave spring (Plate V) shows a sec- 

 tion of the hot-spring deposit, and if the door be opened the waters will 

 be seen flowing into the basin cut to collect them, and depositing creamy 

 alabaster-like tufa, and the brilliant emerald-green tufa, whose color is 

 due to the growth of hot- water algse. Many of the smaller springs 

 are mere oozes, with no well-defined channel. A considerable number 

 of these are gathered into one reservoir at the base of the tufa bluff 

 between the Arlington Hotel and the Superior Bath House. Another 

 spring is seen near the Hale Bath House, where it issues from a cavity 

 in the tufa and flows into the basin seen in Plate VI. There is a con- 

 stant flow from the tufa wall back of this masonry platform, forming 

 the dripping spring, where thousands of visitors daily drink hot water 

 direct from the rock. At this place also the green algous growth may 

 be seen. Owing to artificial protection given the springs, but few 

 notes could be taken of their present appearance, and these are recorded 

 in the following table: ( x ) 



TABLE OP HOT SPRINGS. 



1. Egg spring. — Arched over and covered by soil and grass. Water about 8 feet 

 below surface of ground. 



2. Arsenic. — Under cover of Arlington Hotel. 



3. Arlington spring. — Spring issues from between rock ledges. Water level 7 feet 

 below ground. Spring lies beneath gentle grassy slope. 



4- Cliff spring. — Outflow from base of tufa cliff back of Arlington Hotel. Spring 

 arched over and can not be seen. 



5. Avenue spring. — This spring is covered by an arch that is above ground. Out-' 

 flow resulted from excavations and spring is not on the old maps. 



6. Bath House spring. — In rear of Arlington Bath House. Outflow arched over and 

 runs into tank to south. 



( J ) The numbers and some of the names of these springs were given by Mr. J. K. 

 Haywood and Mr. Martin Eisele, superintendent of the reservation. 



