File:Wonders of the Yellowstone region in the Rocky Mountains - being a description of its geysers, hot-springs, Grand Canon, waterfalls, lake, and surrounding scenery, explored in 1870-71 (1874) (14764592122).jpg

Identifier: wondersofyellows1874rich (find matches)
Title: Wonders of the Yellowstone region in the Rocky Mountains : being a description of its geysers, hot-springs, Grand Canon, waterfalls, lake, and surrounding scenery, explored in 1870-71
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Richardson, James
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Publisher: London Glascow Edinburgh : Blackie & Son
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University

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tly into thevalley, and now—what a sight! In its swift course,forming rapids after rapids, the Waikato was plung-ing through the deep valley between steep-risingmountains; its floods whirling and foaming roundtwo small rocky islands in the middle of the river,were dashing with a loud uproar through the defileof the valley. Along its banks white clouds ofsteam were ascending from hot cascades falHng intothe river, and from basins full of boiling water shutin by a white mass of stone. Yonder a steamingfountain was rising and falling; now there sprungfrom another place a second fountain; this alsoceased in its turn; then two commenced playing si-multaneously, one quite low at the river bank, theother opposite on a terrace ; and thus the play con-tinued with endless changes, as though experimentswere being made with grand waterworks, to seewhether the fountains were all in perfect order, andwhether the waterfalls had a sufficient supply. Ibegan to count the places where a boiling water-
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NATURAL HISTORY OF GEYSERS, I95 basin was visible, or where a cloud of steam indicat-ed the existence of one. I counted seventy-sixpoints, without, however, being able to survey thewhole region, and among them were numerous inter-mittent geyser-like fountains with periodical erup-tions of water. The picture is admirably drawn, but could theartist have done so well with the stupendous chasmof the Grand Canon? or the thousand volcanicvents of Firehole Basin with their deafening detona-tions, their immeasurable evolutions of water andsteam ? It is possible, but scarcely probable. Theincomprehensible grandeur of the scene would haveawed, astounded, bewildered him, and hke our Yel-lowstone explorers, he would have despaired ofgrouping the myriad marvels into one grand effect,and contented himself with setting down a few de-tails of form and color. In following the exploration of the Yellowstonecountry and Firehole Basin, the reader has doubt-less observed, in the passage from the quiet spr

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