HOT SPRINGS OF GARDINER'S RIVER.
Ten miles above the Devil's Slide, Gardiner's River, a mountain torrent
twenty yards wide, cuts through a deep and gloomy gorge and enters the
Yellowstone at the lower end of the Third Cañon.
At this point the Yellowstone shrinks to half its usual size, losing
itself among huge granite boulders, which choke up the stream and
create alternate pools and rapids, crowded with trout. Worn into
fantastic forms by the washing water, these immense rock masses give
an aspect of peculiar wildness to the scenery. But the crowning wonder
of this region is the group of hot springs on the slope of a mountain,
four miles up the valley of Gardiner's River. The first expedition
passed on without seeing them, but they could not escape the vigilance
of the scientific company that followed.
The lower reaches of the valley of Gardiner's River, and the enclosing
hillsides, are strewn with volcanic rock, having the appearance
of furnace cinder. The tops of the rounded hills are covered with
fragments of basalt and conglomerate, whose great variety of sombre
colors add much to the appearance of desolation which characterizes
the valley. Here and there are stagnant lakes fifty to a hundred yards
in diameter, apparently occupying ancient volcanic vents. Crossing a
barren, elevated region two miles in extent, and three or four hundred
feet above the river-bed, the trail descends abruptly to a low "bottom"
covered with a thick calcareous crust, deposited from hot springs, now
for the most part dry. At one point, however, a large stream of hot
water, six feet wide and two feet deep, flows swiftly from beneath
the crust, its exposed portion clearly revealed by rising steam. The
quantity of water flowing from this spring is greater than from any
other in this region; its temperature ranges from 126° to 132° Fah. A
little further above are three or four other springs near the margin
of the river. These have nearly circular basins, six to ten feet in
diameter, and a temperature not above 120°. Already these springs have
become the resort of invalids, who speak highly of the virtues of the
waters. A short distance up the hill are abundant remains of springs,
which in time past must have been very active. For nearly a mile the
steep hill-side is covered with a thick crust of spring deposits,
which, though much decomposed and overgrown with pines and cedars,
still bear traces of the wonderful forms displayed in the vicinity
of the active springs further up the hill. Ascending the hill, Dr.
Hayden's party came suddenly and unexpectedly upon these marvellous
deposits, which they agreed in pronouncing one of the finest displays
of natural architecture in the world. The snowy whiteness of the
deposit, which has the form of a frozen cascade, at once suggested
the name of White Mountain Hot Spring. The springs now in active
operation cover an area of about one square mile, while the rest of
the territory, three or four square miles in extent, is occupied by the
remains of springs which have ceased to flow. Small streams flow down
the sides of the Snowy Mountain in channels lined with oxide of iron of
the most delicate tints of red. Others show exquisite shades of yellow,
from a deep, bright sulphur, to a dainty cream-color. Still others are
stained with shades of green, all these colors as brilliant as the
brightest aniline dyes. The water after rising from the spring basin
flows down the sides of the declivity, step by step, from one reservoir
to another, at each one of them losing a portion of its heat, until it
becomes as cool as spring-water. Within five hundred feet of its source
Dr. Hayden's party camped for two days by the side of the little stream
formed by the aggregated waters of these hot springs, and found the
water most excellent for drinking as well as for cooking purposes. It
was perfectly clear and tasteless, and harmless in its effects. During
their stay here all the members of the party, as well as the soldiers
comprising their escort, enjoyed the luxury of bathing in these most
elegantly carved natural bathing-pools; and it was easy to select, from
the hundreds of reservoirs, water of any desired temperature. These
natural basins vary somewhat in size, but many of them are about four
by six feet in diameter, and one to four feet in depth. Their margins
are beautifully scalloped, and adorned with a natural beadwork of
exquisite beauty.
[Illustration: BATHING-POOLS (DIANA'S BATH.)]
The level or terrace upon which the principal active springs are
located, is about midway up the sides of the mountain, covered with the
sediment. Still farther up are the ruins of what must have been at
some period more active springs than any at present known. The sides
of the mountain for two or three hundred feet in height, are thickly
encrusted with calcareous deposit, originally ornamented with elegant
sculpturing, like the bathing pools below; but atmospheric agencies,
which act readily on the lime, have obliterated all their delicate
beauty.
The largest living spring is near the outer margin of the main
terrace. Its dimensions are twenty-five feet by forty, and its water
so perfectly transparent that one can look down into the beautiful
ultramarine depth to the very bottom of the basin. Its sides are
ornamented with coral-like forms of a great variety of shades, from
pure white to a bright cream yellow, while the blue sky reflected in
the transparent water gives an azure tint to the whole which surpasses
all art. From various portions of the rim, water flows out in moderate
quantities over the sides of the hill. Whenever it gathers into a
channel and flows quite swiftly, basins with sides from two to eight
feet high are formed with their ornamental designs proportionately
coarse; but when the water flows slowly, myriads of little basins
are formed, one below another, with a semblance of irregular system.
The water holds in solution a great amount of lime, with some soda,
alumina and magnesia, which are slowly deposited as the water flows
down the sides of the mountain. Underneath the sides of many of the
pools are rows of exquisitely-ornamented stalactites, formed by the
dripping of the water over the margins. All these springs have one or
more centres of ebullition which is constant, though seldom rising
more than four or five inches above the surface. The ebullition is due
mainly to the emission of carbonic acid gas. The springs in the centre
of the main basin are probably all at the boiling point--194° at this
elevation. Being inaccessible, however, it is impossible to determine
their actual temperature. The hottest that could be reached was 162°
Fah. The terrace immediately above the main basin is bordered by a long
rounded ridge with a fissure extending its whole length, its interior
lined with beautiful crystals of pure sulphur. Only hot vapors and
steam issue from this fissure, though the bubbling and gurgling of
water far beneath the surface can be distinctly heard. Back of this
ridge are several small springs which throw up geyser-like jets of
water intermittently to the height of three feet.
On the west side of this deposit, about one-third of the way up the
White Mountain from the river and terrace, where was once the theatre
of many active springs, old chimneys or craters are scattered thickly
over the surface, and there are several large holes and fissures
leading to vast caverns below. The crust gives off a dull hollow sound
beneath the tread, and the surface gives indistinct evidence of having
been adorned with the beautiful pools or basins already described. At
the base of the principal terrace is a large area covered with shallow
pools some of them containing water, with all the ornamentations
perfect, while others are fast going to decay, and the decomposed
sediment is as white as snow. On this sub-terrace is a remarkable cone
about 50 feet in height and 20 feet in diameter at the base. Its form
has suggested the name of Liberty Cap. It is undoubtedly the remains
of an extinct geyser. The water was forced up with considerable power,
and probably without intermission, building up its own crater until
the pressure beneath was exhausted, and the spring gradually closed
itself over at the summit and perished. No water flows from it at the
present time. The layers of lime were deposited around the cap like
the layers of straw on a thatched roof, or hay on a conical stack. Not
far from the Liberty Cap is a smaller cone, called, from its form, the
"Bee-hive." These springs are constantly changing their position; some
die out, others burst out in new places. On the northwest margin of
the main terrace are examples of what have been called oblong mounds.
There are several of them in this region, extending in different
directions, from fifty to one hundred and fifty yards in length, from
six to ten feet high, and from ten to fifteen feet broad at the base.
There is in all cases a fissure from one end of the summit to the
other, usually from six to ten inches wide, from which steam sometimes
issues in considerable quantities, and on walking along the top one
can hear the water seething and boiling below like a cauldron. The
inner portion of the shell, as far down as can be seen, is lined with
a hard, white enamel-like porcelain; in some places beautiful crystals
of sulphur have been precipitated from the steam. These mounds have
been built up by a kind of oblong fissure-spring in the same way that
the cones have been constructed. The water, continually spouting up,
deposited sediment around the edges of the fissure until the force was
exhausted, and then the calcareous basin was rounded up something like
a thatched roof by overlapping layers.
[Illustration: THE LIBERTY CAP.]
Near the upper terrace, which is really an old rim, are a number of
these extinct, oblong geysers, some of which have been broken down
so as to show them to be mere shells or caverns, now the abode of
wild animals. Dr. Hayden attempted to enter one of them, and found it
full of sticks and bones which had been carried in by wild beasts;
and swarms of bats flitted to and fro. Some of the mounds have been
worn away so that sections are exposed, showing the great number
and thickness of the overlapping layers of sediment. Many mounds
are overgrown with pine-trees, which must be at least eighty or a
hundred years old. Indeed, the upper part of this mountain appears
like a magnificent ruin of a once flourishing village of these unique
structures, now fast decomposing, yet beautiful and instructive
in their decay. One may now study the layers of deposit, sometimes
thousands on a single mound, as he would the rings of growth in a
tree. How long a period is required to form one of these mounds, or to
build up its beautiful structure, there is no data for determining. On
the middle terrace, where the principal portion of the active springs
are, some of the pine-trees are buried in sediment apparently to the
depth of six or eight feet. All of them are dead at the present time.
There is, however, evidence enough around the springs to show that
the mineral-water is precipitated with great rapidity. It is probable
that all the deposits in the immediate vicinity of the active springs
are constantly changing from the margin of the river to the top of the
White Mountain and return. The deposits upon the summit are extensive,
though now there is very little water issuing from the springs there,
and that is of low temperature. Quantities of steam are ever ascending
from the springs, and on damp mornings the entire slope of the mountain
is enveloped in clouds of vapor.
"But," observes Dr. Hayden, in summing up his account of this
indescribable locality, "it is to the wonderful variety of exquisitely
delicate colors that this picture owes the main part of its
attractiveness. The little orifices from which the hot water issues
are beautifully enamelled with the porcelain-like lining, and around
the edges a layer of sulphur is precipitated. As the water flows along
the valley, it lays down in its course a pavement more beautiful and
elaborate in its adornment than art has ever yet conceived. The sulphur
and the iron, with the green microscopic vegetation, tint the whole
with an illumination of which no decoration-painter has ever dreamed.
From the sides of the oblong mound, which is here from 30 to 50 feet
high, the water has oozed out at different points, forming small groups
of the semicircular, step-like basins.
"Again, if we look at the principal group of springs from the high
mound above the middle terrace, we can see the same variety of
brilliant coloring. The wonderful transparency of the water surpasses
anything of the kind I have ever seen in any other portion of the
world. The sky, with the smallest cloud that flits across it, is
reflected in its clear depths, and the ultramarine colors, more
vivid than the sea, are greatly heightened by the constant gentle
vibrations. One can look down into the clear depths and see, with
perfect distinctness, the minutest ornament on the inner sides of the
basins; and the exquisite beauty of the coloring and the variety of
forms baffle any attempt to portray them, either with pen or pencil.
And then, too, around the borders of these springs, especially those
of rather low temperature, and on the sides and bottoms of the numerous
little channels of the streams that flow from these springs, there is
a striking variety of the most vivid colors. I can only compare them
to our most brilliant aniline dyes--various shades of red, from the
brightest scarlet to a bright rose tint; also yellow, from deep-bright
sulphur, through all the shades, to light cream-color. There are also
various shades of green, from the peculiar vegetation. These springs
are also filled with minute vegetable forms, which under the microscope
prove to be diatoms, among which Dr. Billings discovers _Palmella_
and _Oscillara_. There are also in the little streams that flow from
the boiling springs great quantities of a fibrous, silky substance,
apparently vegetable, which vibrates at the slightest movement of the
water, and has the appearance of the finest quality of cashmere wool.
When the waters are still these silken masses become incrusted with
lime, the delicate vegetable threads disappear, and a fibrous, spongy
mass remains, like delicate snow-white coral."
The antiquity of these springs is a question of great interest, yet
difficult of solution. When were these immense deposits begun? On the
margin of the mountain, high above the present position of the hot
springs, is a bed of white, or yellowish white limestone, from fifty
to a hundred and fifty feet thick. It is regularly stratified and the
jointing is complete. There is a belt a mile long and one fourth of a
mile wide, covered with cubical masses of this rock that have fallen
down the slope of the mountain. These immense blocks, fifty to one
hundred feet in each dimension, appear as if the mass had slowly fallen
down as the underlying rocks were worn away. So thickly is this belt
covered with these huge masses that it is with the greatest difficulty
one can walk across it. It would seem that this bed must at one time
have extended over a portion or all of the valley of Gardiner's
River. Much of the rock is very compact, and would make beautiful
building-stone, on account of its close texture and color, and it could
be converted into the whitest of lime. If the rocks are examined,
however, over a considerable area, they are found to possess all the
varieties of structure of a hot-spring deposit. Some portions are quite
spongy, and decompose readily; others are made up of very thin laminæ,
regular or wavy; enough to show the origin of the deposit without a
doubt. But in what manner was it formed? Dr. Hayden believes that the
limestone was precipitated in the bottom of a lake, which was filled
with hot-springs, much as the calcareous matter is laid down in the
bottom of the ocean at the present time. Indeed, portions of the rock
do not differ materially from the recent limestones now forming in the
vicinity of the West India Islands. The deposit was evidently laid down
on a nearly level surface, with a moderately uniform thickness, and
the strata are horizontal. Since this group of strata was formed, the
country has been elevated, and the valley of Gardiner's River has been
carved out, so that the commencement of the period of activity of these
springs must date back to a period merging on, but just prior to, the
present geological period--probably at the time of the greatest action
of the volcanic forces in this region.
Classed with reference to their chemical constituents, the springs here
and elsewhere in the Yellowstone Valley are of two kinds: those in
which lime predominates, and those in which silica is most abundant.
The springs of Gardiner's River are mainly the former. Where does the
lime come from? The geology of the country surrounding the springs
shows already that there is underneath the spring deposits, at least a
thickness of 1,500 feet, of carboniferous limestone; and if the origin
of the heat which so elevates the temperature of the waters of these
springs is as deep seated as is generally supposed, the heated waters
have ample time and space for dissolving the calcareous rocks through
which they flow.