" It throws a great
mass of water to a small height, surging and splashing in all
directions. One of the most noted geysers is called the "Castle
Geyser," because of its size and general appearance. The opening of
the geyser tube is circular, and about three feet in diameter.

When this geyser is about to spout, a rumbling is heard as of thousands
of tons of stones rolling round and round. Louder and louder grows the
noise and disturbance, till it has thrown out a few tons of water and
obtained apparent relief.

These are warnings to the observers to retreat to a safe distance. In
a few moments the geyser increases in noise, the earth even trembles,
and then a great column of water is hurled into the air.

Another geyser is "Old Faithful," so called because he plays regularly
every sixty-five minutes. The crater is quite low, and contains an
opening which is only the widening of a crack extending across the
whole mound. On the summit are a number of beautiful little pools,
several feet deep, filled with water so clear that a name written in
pencil on a piece of stone and placed at the bottom of the deepest pool
is seen as clearly as if held in the hand. Another remarkable fact is,
that the water does not efface the name, even after months of
submersion.

Old Faithful begins with a few feeble jets. Soon every spasm becomes
more powerful, till with a mighty roar, up comes the water in a great
column. This rises to the height of one hundred and thirty feet for
the space of about five minutes. After the column of water sinks down
there is a discharge of steam.

The "Beehive Geyser" is named after the shape of its cone. The water
and steam issue from the opening in a steady stream, instead of in
successive impulses, as in the two mentioned above. No water falls
back from this geyser, but the whole mass appears to be driven up into
fine spray or steam, which is carried away as cloud, or diffused into
the atmosphere.

The names of some of the other well-known geysers are the "Giant,"
"Grotto," "Soda," "Turban," and "Young Faithful." The tremendous force
with which some of these hot springs even now act, and the
peculiarities of the earth's formation in this section of our country,
may give us some faint idea of the phenomena through which our little
world has passed until it became the dwelling-place of man.

LESSON LV

OUR COUNTRY TO-DAY

_PART I_

The United States is one of the youngest nat