| Show FLOWS IN TWO directions A stream that its batera between the atlantic and pacific the yellowstone park abounds with wonders but one of which little has been published is a section of the park which has recently become the study of scientists it is two ocean pass here is a stream of water which flows in two directions this spot is the subject of an interesting article in the popular science monthly by banon W evermann of the united states fish commission he says many years ago the famous old guide jim bridger told his incredulous friends that he had found on the divide west of the upper yellowstone a creek which flowed iu both directions one end flowing east into the yellowstone the other west into snake river but as he also told about many other strange and to them impossible things which he had seen among which were a glass mountain and a river which ran down hill so fast that the water was made boiling hot they were not disposed to acknowledge the existence of his two ocean creek subsequent events vindicated bridger atlantic creek was found to have two forks entering the pass at the north end of a low square meadow is a small wooded canyon down which flows the north fork this stream hugs the border of the flat very closely the south fork comes down the canyon on the south side skirting the brow of the bill a little less closely than does the north fork the two coming together near the middle of the eastern border of the meadow form atlantic creek which after a course of a few miles flows into the upper yellowstone but the rema reable phenomena exhibited here remain to be described each fork of atlantic creek just after entering the meadow divides as if to flow around an island but the stream toward the meadow instead of returning to the portion from which it had parted continues its westerly course across the meadow just before reaching the western border the two streams unite and then pour their combined waters into pacific creek thus are atlantic and pacific creeks united and a continuous waterway from the mouth of the columbia via two ocean pass to the gulf of mexico is established two ocean creek is not a myth but a verity and jim bridger is vindicated we stood upon the bank of either fork of atlantic creek just above the place of the parting of the waters and watched the stream pursue its rapid but dangerous and uncertain course along the very crest of the great continental divide A creek flowing along the ridgepole ridge pole of a continent is unusual and strange and well worth watching and experimenting with so we waded to the middle of the north fork and lying down upon the rocks dinits bed we drank the pure icy water that was hurrying to the pacific and without rising but by simply bending a little to the left we took a draught from that portion of the stream which was just deciding to go east via the missouri mississippi route to the gulf of mexico and then we tossed chips two at a time into the stream though they strike the water within an inch or so of each other not infrequently one would be carried by the current to the left keeping in atlantic creek while the other might be carried a little to the right and enter the branch running across the meadow to pacific creek the one beginning a journey which will finally bring it to the great gulf ane other altering upon a long voyage in the opposite direction to balaoas Bal boas ocean |
