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Show 137 • [ 174 J with two or three young men, came up, one of whom I asked to stoop down and smell the gas, desirous to satisfy myself further of its effects. But his natural caul ion had been a wakened by the singular aud suspicion, features of the place, a11d he declined my proposal decidedly, and with a few iudistinct remarks about tlw devil, whom he seemed to consider the genius loci. The cet1seless rnotion and the play of the fountain, the red rock, and the green trees near, make this a picturesqn~ spot. A short distance above the spring, and ncar the foot of the same spur, is a very remarkable yellow-colored rock, soft awl friable, consisting principally of carbonate of Jime and oxide of iron, of regular structure, which is probably a fossil coral. The rocky bank along the shore between the Steanlboat spring and our encampment, along which is dispersed tiLe water from the hills, is composed entirely of strata of a calcareous tufa, with theremains of moss and reed-like grasses, which is probably the formation of spring . The Beer or ,Soda springs, which have given nan1e to this locality, are agreeable, but less highly flavored than the Boiling springs at the foot of Pike's peak, which are of the same character. They are very numerous, and half hidden by tufts of grass, which we amused ourselves in removing and searching about for more highly impregnated springs. They are some of them deep, and of various sizes-sometimes several yards in diameter, and kept in constant motion by columns of escaping gas. By analysis, one quart of the water contains as follows : Sulphate of maguesia Sulphate of lime - Carbonate of lime - Carbonate of magnesia Chloride of calcium Chloride of magnesiun1 Chloride of sodium Vegetable extractive matter, &c. Grains. - 12.10 2.12 3.86 3 . .22 1.33 1.12 2.24 0. 5 26.8~ The carbouic acid, originally contained in the water, had mainly esca.ped before it was subjected to analysis; and it was not, therefore, taken 1nto consideration. Iu the afternoon I wandered about among the cedars, which occupy the greater part of the bottom towards the mountains. The soil here has a dry aud calcined appearance; in some places, the open grounds are covered with saline efllorescenccs, and there are a number of regularly shaped and very remarkable hills, which are formed of a succession of convex strata that have been deposited by the waters of extinct springs, the orifices of which are found on their sum1nits, some of them haviu$ the form of funnel- shaped cones. Others of the e remarkably shaped hills are of a redcolored earth, entirely bare, and composed principally of cDrbonate of lime with oxiue of iron, formed in the same manner. Walldng ncar one of them, on tlte summit of which the springs were dry, my attention was a~tracted by an underground noise, aronnd which I circled repeatedly, until 1 found the spot from boneath which it came; and, removiug the red earth, discove.red a hidden spriug, which was boiling up fr~m below •. wi~h the same d1sagrccable metallic taste as the Steamboat spnng. Contmumg up |
