e between rise and fall, their
graciousness of form, their speedy airiness of action, their giant
convolutions of sun-flecked steam rolling aloft in ever-expanding volume
to rejoin the parent cloud?

Perhaps there have been greater geyser basins somewhere in the
prehistoric past. There may be greater still to come; one or two
promising possibilities are in Alaska. But for the lapse of geologic
time in which man has so far lived, Yellowstone has cornered the world's
geyser market. There are only two other places where one may enjoy the
spectacle of large geysers. One of these is New Zealand and the other
Iceland; but both displays combined cannot equal Yellowstone's either in
the number or the size of the geysers.

Yellowstone has dozens of geysers of many kinds. They range in size from
the little spring that spurts a few inches every minute to the monster
that hurls hundreds of tons of water three hundred feet in air every six
or eight weeks. Many spout at fairly regular intervals of minutes or
hours or days. Others are notably irregular, and these include most of
the largest. Old Faithful won its name and reputation by its regularity;
it is the only one of the group of monsters which lives up to its
time-table. Its period ranges from intervals of about fifty-five minutes
in seasons following winters of heavy snow to eighty or eighty-five
minutes in seasons following winters of light snow. Its eruptions are
announced in the Old Faithful Inn a few minutes in advance of action and
the population of the hotel walks out to see the spouting. At night a
searchlight is thrown upon the gushing flood.

After all, Old Faithful is the most satisfactory of geysers. Several are
more imposing. Sometimes enthusiasts remain in the neighborhood for
weeks waiting for the Giant to play and dare not venture far away for
fear of missing the spectacle; while Old Faithful, which is quite as
beautiful and nearly as large, performs hourly for the pleasure of
thousands. Even the most hurried visitor to the Upper Basin is sure,
between stages, of seeing several geysers in addition to one or more
performances of Old Faithful.

The greatest of known geysers ceased playing in 1888. I have found no
authentic measurements or other stated records concerning the famous
Excelsior. It hurled aloft an enormous volume of water, with a fury of
action described as appalling. Posterity is fortunate in the existence
of a striking photograph of this monster