Evening star. [volume], August 22, 1909, Page 6, Image 6

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
PERMANENTPLANBESI1
Change Urged in Policy at
Yellowstone Park.
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVEDj
Present Policy Tends to Confusion.
Duplication and Waste.
COMMISSION SHOULD GOVERN
Men With Knowledge of Parks and
Public Resorts Recommended.
Present Conditions.
RV WILLIAM E. CI RTltv
Written f..r The Star ano the Chicago Record
Herald.
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS. Wyo .,
August 13, 1!K>0.
It is ahout time that a permanent policy |
adopted for the government of Yel-|
lowstone Park. It is under the care of
the Secretary of the Interior at present.
?iid each successive incumoent of that
"fflce lias Ills own ideas as to what should
he done and how things should be man-'
aged. His representative for the execu
tion of the laws and regulations, and for
the protection of property is an officer
ot the army, who is also commandant at
Fort Yellowstone, the military post at
the entrance of the park, and is fre
quently changed. The improvements and I
paysi a) work are in charge of an officer
of engineers, who reports to the chief
of engineers at Washington.
If the government erects a buiiding or
extends it> plant, the plans ate made and
carried out by an officer of the quarter
masters department, as at present in the
(-(.instruction of a new power house to
furnish light and power for the army post
and for the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.
The commanding officer and the engineer
in charge have nothing whatever to say
about this improvement, but it is made
by direction of the quartermaster general,
ami subject to his approval.
This division of authority and divergence,
of ideas always creates confusion
duplication of expenditures and a waste
01" money, and collisions must naturally
be expected, because each officer is usu
al'v a man of strong character, and has
?.(lens nf his own. which may not conform
to those of others. Behind all these four |
independent authorities are the hotel com
pany. the transportation companies and1
i..t people, who have privileges and con-I
cession- granted them by the Secretary
of the Interior. They are theoretically i
under his control, and must secure his
approval every time they make a change
in their methods or their property.
Commission Recommended.
There ought to be a commission of
broad-minded men with a thorough knowl
ege of parks and public resorts in Europe
and other countries; with experience in
handling large affairs and with artistic
tastes, who shall be authorized by Con
gress to investigate the conditions of the :
park and lay our a permanent plan for
its protection and improvement; for the I
location of hotels and other buildings; j
for the construction of roads, etc., etc., i
and they should revise the regulations, so
that the greatest public playground in
the world may be enjoyed to its full ex
tent by the people of the United States,
for whom it is intended.
The park is already enjoyed by several i
thousand citizens every year, but Its |
possibilities are much greater than the ?
present privileges. It should be made a
shooting preserve for big game, under
strict regulations, and the forest reserves
which surround it on three sides should
be subject to the same rules and regula
tions, as they are already connected with
its system of roads and trails.
Extension of Privileges.
The park is probably the finest fishing
ground In the country, but it might be
made even better. It abounds with glori
ous streams of pure, transparent water,
rushing over beds of stone, and there are
innumerable lakes, which should be
stocked regularly every year, so that
they may be fished out. as so many
lakes and streams in the Rocky moun
tains already have been.
Hundreds of fishermen, who kr.ow the
park come In every year, but ten and
twenty times as many people should be
able to enjoy the same privilege. The
hotel and transportation facilities have
heen arraneed so that people can come
here now rot merely to make the driv
ing tour among the most conspicuous
of the many scenic wonders, but can
remain the entire summer And I know
of no other place in the worM that has
so man? natural attractions offers so
much outdoor pleasure to the sports
man. to tl.e tired man and woman, as
wtjl as to people who crave novelty and
excitement.
Care of Park a Problem.
r.':P superintendent and the engineer
in charge of the roads should be per
manent. because the care of the park is
a complete problem, and at present
every new man who comes In is com
pelled to solve it experimentally for him- |
self, because his predecessor usually
leaves before he arrives, or the transfer
!s made in such a way that the successor
cannot enjoy the benefit of the knowledge
and cxper;en"e of those wrto have per
formed the same duties before him. It
takes at !eact a year or two for a man
to become familiar with localities, and
nature appears here in her mst eccen
tric and surprising moods, which always
p :zzle and ofter confound strangers.
And the superintendent should be se
lected for his knowledge, experience and
ability, as MaJ. Benson, the present In
cumbent. was selected because of his
superior fitness and the training he re
ceived for four years In charge of the
Vosemite.
The road system is intended to give ac
cess to all of the important objects of
interest from an entrance at each of the
four boundaries. There are now 417 miles
of wagon road, of which are within
the park proper, and they include a belt
line, 15 miles long, which is followed by
the passenger coaches in the five-day
tour There are short side roads to iso
lated objects of interest, which are either
included in the regular drl\e. usually
between the hotels, or, if inconveniently
located, may be visited after arrival at
the nearest hotel. In addition to these
there are many bridal trails for the en
joyment of those who love horseback
riding, and which reach the best places
for fishing. There is also a system of
trails connecting police stations, which
are visited daily by the soldiers of the
military guard.
Col. Chittenden as Road Builder.
Most of these roads were built by Col
Hiram Martin Chittenden, of the United
states Ktigineer Corps. He 3hould have
b?en made permanent superintendent of
t e park, because he krows more about
t than any other man, he loves every
foot of the ground as he loves his kin
dred. and th?* seven or eight years he
nt in makinsr the present Improve
ments taught him things that no other
man will ever know . God. d >ubtless
in-! t have luvte a better road builder
at, ('o! (\ itiet den. but Gud. doubtless
never did; and when the colonel was
?eiii vcd troi'i duty here and was sent out
?o s attie, where he is now stationed, the
? 'rives u rO' the "ntire park were as
n arl\ perfect as human skill and the
.. tilabb- could make them.
But thej have been running down ever
s ii. e Col. Chittenden left, until now. in
:nan> ;>!a. es. they are in a bad condition,
.mil .t will require a much larger appro
prlation than Congress has been in the
habit of making to put them in order
(gain. This is not so much the result of
the engineers who succeeded Chittenden
as t is of the authorities who sent them
hci?. As one star n the firmament dif
'?r?th from another star In glory, so do
the officer* o? the Engineer Corps differ
in their ability to build roads. The fact
' .at tlie roads out i ere are covered with
three to six feet of snow the entire win
ter and art traveled by a continuous pro
cess on of coaches, freight wagons and
;a:riages the entire summer, makes ii
difficult to keep them in order. The
triumph of engineering in building the
Yellowstone system of roads is not fully
understood, and the difficulties which
were overcome by Col. Chittenden in
their construction will never be fully ap
preciated. The original cost averaged
almost as mtich per mile as that of any
railroad in the country.
Annual Appropriation.
The annual appropriation Is now $t*>,000,
of which more than $30,000 is required t?
pay for sprinkling, which is extremely
important, not only for the comfort of
visitors who take the drive, but as a
matter of economy, because when the
roads are not sprinkled, every gust of
wind blows away a considerable portion
of them, which sooner or later will ha\e
to be replaced at a greater cost 1 han the
maintenance of a a sprinkler. Oil lias
never been used because the cost Is pro
hibitive in consideration of the limited ap
propriation. but one or two applications
of Wyoming crude petroleum during the
season might be a? effective as a dalll
application of water.
Col. Chittenden lias written a book
about the park which everybody ought to
read, because it contains iniormatton
about every thing in the park and >s o.
absorbing interest.
Every Variety <ff Tourist.
It was an observing little girl who re
marked to her mother, -What queer peo
ple you see when you are traveling.
That idea occurs to every one who
watches the crowds of tourists that come
and go incessantly. 1*he average num
ber of arrivals at this season of the year
is about 4,V> daily, and they represent
every variety of humankind. I he hote.
clerks lose their confidence in human
nature a;ter a year or two of expeiience.
But the hotel and transportation organl
' zation is so perfect and the arrange
1 ments are so complete, that there is never
I any confusion, and, after the first day all
i the travelers fall into the routine and
take care of themselves in a manner that
excites admiration.
Kvervbodv who arrives at the entrances
of the park by train is required to pass
in line through a roped alley in lront
>f the ticket office of the stage coinpanj.
If you have an excursion ticket the
agent tears off the coupon that co\eis
the ride and hotel bills through the
park and hands you in return a card
board ticket, which entitles you to a
seat in a coach for the entire drive ot
five and a half days, and accommoda
tions at all of the hotels. If you have
no excursion ticket you buy one for
the drive. When this transaction is
completed, a clerk writes down the
names and addresses; he Inquires of
evervbodv what sort of coach he prefers
to ride in. and if he nas any friends he
would likw to ride with, and he makes
notes of replies. He then makes up the
coach parties accordingly, and the next
morning at 7:.?o or S o'clock, when the
start Is made, the names of the passen
gers for each coach are grouped upon
pieces of cardboard, and they are sent
off in that way.
The driver of the coach, which is num
bered, or bears a name like a Pullman
car, is presented with a duplicate, which
he hands to the agent at the hotel at
the end of each day's drive The next
morning, wiien the journey is resumed,
every passenger knows his own coach
and takes the same seat that he occupied
the previous day. Before the coach starts
the agent reads off the list of names to
see that everybody is aboard and then
hands the card list to the driver to be
used in a similar manner at the next
hotel.
If any passenger happens to be missing
his or her name is called out through a
megaphone, and if that fails n boy !s
sent to the writing room, where the
delinquent is usually found, addressing
a few final post cards to the loved ones
at home. Two-thirds of the tourists are
women.
Everybody Rents a Duster.
Everybody rents a linen duster of deal
ers who. make that their business, and
leaves a deposit of $2.50 or $'!. or what
ever the price of the garment may be
When the wind blows during the drive
it is very much needed, although it does
not improve the appearance of the wear
er. At the end of the journey the duster
agent refunds the deposit less $1. which
is retained as rental. And everybody
who desires to do so can check his good
hat and buy a cheap one for 10 cents
and upward, which is a safe although not
a necessary precaution.
Everybody has a kodak, and the stage
driver is expected to stop on application
to allow his passengers to photograph
elk, deer, bears and scenery a great many
times a day.
The stage drivers have a great deal to
endure and are entitled to the sympathy
of the public. Their patience seems to
be Inexhaustible. They have to answer
silly questions as respectfully as wise
ones, and laugh heartily at all the cheap
jokes they are compelled to hear. They
are expected to explain things as they
go along and give lessons in natural his
tory concerning the geysers, hot springs,
?wild animals, geology, botany, forestry
and the other sciences which can be ap
plied to the contents of this great mu
seum. Some of them are not always re
liable. They vary their explanations ac
cording to circumstances and the char
acter of the inquirer. Some of them try
to make the journey more interesting
than it really ought to be, and the tales
they tell of their own experience and
that of others cannot always be sub
stantiated.
Mountain Lion Always.
One of the veteran drivers always
points out a mountain lion to his pas
sengers when they reach a certain dense
piece of woods scattered with dark-col
ored boulders. He stops his team and
shows where the animal stands crouch
ing. and most of the passengers see it,
although tliere isn't a single^ mountain
lion in the park and there hasn't been one
here for a generation.
Many of the extraordinary tales that
travelers bring home from the park may
be attributed to the Imaginations of the
stage drivers.
The Yellowstone Park is the last refuge
of that profession in the United States.
The star route mail system has given
way to the rural delivery, the Concord
coach has been displaced by the Pullman
car and the automobile. The "mule skin
ner'' and "bull whacker" are almost ex
tinct. The prairie schooner is a curios
ity in these days and lias given place to
a neatly painted Studebaker wagon. A
few old-timers are still driving stages
through the park, and as they grow older
ar.d scarcer they become more and more
interesting.
Cross Lake in Gasoline Launch.
Those who choose to do so can make
the journey across Yellowstone lake,
which requires about three hours, in a
gasoline launch instead of remaining in
the coach and following the road around
lis shores. The boat trip, however, is not
included in the regular ticket, but costs
extra. Mr. E. J. Hofer. or "Billy" Hofer,
one of the best known of all the many
guides and hunters in the west, who took
Theodore Roosevelt upon his first expedi
tion after big game, and has guided him
through the park and through many of
the surrounding mountain forests several
times. Is the owner of three launches, li
censed to do a passenger business, and
they cross the lake with a full cargo of
passengers every day. He is now build
( lng a larger boat, a twin-screw nlnety
flve-foot launch, which was constructed
at St. Joe, Mich., and shipped out here In
pieces.
Hofer built a sailboat on tiie lake as
long ago as 18&0. and used to take out
fishing parties In it, but *he business did
not pay and lie tied up the boat. One
day it got adrift and went over the falls,
and navigation on I.ake Yellowstone was
suspended for many years.
RIFLE RANGE ABANDONED.
Camp Harrington, on York River,
Va., Merely History.
Special Dispatch to The Sur.
WILLIAMSBURG. Va . August 21 ?
Camp Admiral Harrington rifle range,
established more than three years ago
j on the York river, lias been abandoned.
, All the marines have been transferred to
j other arm; posts and the buildings have
j been sold at public auction.
"Camp Harrington," which was used
j by the United States government as a
rifle range for men of the Marine Corps,
was considered a fixture, and the order
f9r abandoning it came as a great sur
prise to the officers In charge.
No reason has been given for discon
| tinuing the range.
You Will Attend Draughon's If
you investigate. Se?? adv., pane ?. Edu
cational Section, today s Star.?Advt.
X
*Na*"r MAKES BARGAIN MAKING
Big September stocks already on the cars ready for the word that will start them to us. The
balance of August stock, and a good one. too, to be closed out. But it's no task when you con
sider our propositions?prices that are a fourth, a third and sometimes a half less than regular.
CREDIT UNLIMITED AND SPECIAL PROPOSITIONS, NAMELY :
THE FREE OFFERS?A 32-piece Cold-lined Dinner Set with every Furniture purchase ol $25 or more.
A 26-piece Guaranteed Wm. RoB?r* Silver Set ol Knives, Forks and Spoons with purchases ol SSO or
more.
And our Insurance Oiler-Should the purchaser die belore payments are completed, all the debts are
canceled.
This Exact Oak-frame $9.50 A QC
Velour Couch
A full Spring Couch of excellent construction that'll enfold you in a most roin
fortable embrace. Full spring construction: oak frame: roil headrest: velour cover.
Never equaled in any sale.
This Exact $6.50
Sanitary Couch
$2.45
This Exact $25 Two-inch Post
$0-50
Brass
An extraordinarj purchase of Sanitary Couches, the most use
ful couches one can have. Ever ready in emergency. Always
sightly.
A rattling good all-metnl Couch of original Huh conception;
sanitary?solid?sensible. It Iies 4*1 helicon supporting springs,
an?l slont malleable iiV>n frame?count the springs in
any other advertised couch, and you'll appreciate the su
periorliy of this couch at
This Exact Full~spring $12.50
Boston Leather
Sold
Without
Spring
or
Mattress.
And there s no
"come back
about it. You
don't have to buy
springs, mattress
es, etc.
{Substantial 2 -
inch posts with
h e a v y fillings.
Guaranteed 1 a c -
finer. <'lassie de
sign. Full I ft.
?> in. size. We
never lose a sale
on this bed while
the stock holds
out.
Rocker,
$4.95
A beauty that
strikes right home
with one who ap
preciates absolute
comfort ? the
comfort with
every muscle at
rest. Massive
hand - carved
frame. Quartered
oak ? upholstered
in Boston leather
? with side head
rests ? and broad
arms. Full spring
seat.
r**
c?.
Only 23 Left,
So Be Quick.
W
This Exact Oak Frame,
French Cretonne
All Go-Carts Go
'/3 tO & Off
Marked Prices.
There arc 85 styles left, repre
sentative of the best selected
stock of (io-Carts ever shown.
They're Carts that have many
generations of service to them in
spite of their dainty appearance.
Kngl:sh as well as American
makes.
LACE CURTAINS.
Odds and Ends at
Less Than Half.'
We've corralled all the lines of
2 to 10 pairs.
Ecru and Arabian?in the
daintiest and most decorative pat
terns. Some are slightly mussed.
Were
Curtains 85c
Curtains $2.00
Curtains $2.50
Curtains $3.50
Curtains $4.50
Curtains $5.50
Wow
39c
85c
$1.15
$1.65
$2.20
$2.50
Elegant $47 5=Piece Parlor Suite,
$1.75
Screen,
69c
A :;-fo!d Screen
that every one
has use tor. Oak
frames ? paneled
with English and
French cretonnes
in figured and
plain effects. Full
heights. Only 250
here now.
REFRIGERATORS
Reduced
'/} to 14.
$28-50
A charming design, and
one that "furnishes well."
Crotch mahongany finish,
with full spring construc
tion. I pholstered in fin
est velour plush in high
class patterns.
This Exact 75c
Solid Oak Costumer
The famous Polar and
Alaska makes. Every one
knows that lor scientific
construction and ice sav
ing these makes hold the
palm. Seldom reduced,
and. of course, there's al
ways a rush when the
price goes down. The
money you put in such
Refrigerators is well in
vested.
39
Convenient for
office and home.
Stanch and de
pendable. Six
prongs. it's a
costumer that'll
stand steady on
its legs and sup
port a good
weight. Well
finished
Hi
Southeast Corner Seventh and D Sts. N.W
--uii
s