The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-08-23


from Leon. The throes Of the earth tho time VI
the ou,burst were very severe in the vicinity, re-
sembline from the accounts OF tho natives, series
ing was made might be said TO he in the plain: il
was, however, somewhat elevated by tho lava
| which had ages before flowed down from the vol
cano and il was through this bed of lava that the
| eruption took place. No people reside within somc
| miles or this spot, conseq uenty am not we'll in
formed concerning the earlier phenomena exhibited
| by the new volcano. Il seems, however, that the
| outourst was attended by much flame, and that at
hrst, quantities. of melted matter were elected ir-
| regularly in every direction. Indeed, this was
to the spot some days thereafter For q wide
distance around were scattered large fakes,
resembling freshly cast iron. This irregular
discharge Continued only for a few hours,
ana was followed BY a current OF lava, which
nowed down the slope Of the land, towards the
west, in the form of high ridge, rising above the
,oPs Of the trees and bearing down everything
tinued, which II did for the remainder of the day,
the earth was quiet, excepting only a. very slight
tIemor, which was not felt beyond few miles.
Upon the 18th, however, the lava stopped flowing,
| and an entirely new mode Of action followed A
series OF eruptons commenced, each lasting about
three minutes, succeeded by a pause Of equal du-
ration. Each eruption was accompanied by con-
cussions of the earth, too slight, however, to be
felt distinctly at Leon, attended, also, by an out
burst OF flame, hundred feet, more, in height;
| showers of red hot stones were also elected with
| each eruption, to the height of several hundred
| feet. Most of these fell back in the mouth, or
crater, the rest falling outward, and gradually
building up cone around it.. BY the attrition
of this process, the stones became more or
less rounded, thus explaining popularity in
the volcanic stones already alluded to. These
explosions continued uninterupedly for seven
days, and could be accura ely seen from Leon in
the night. Upon the morning of the I'D, accom-
panied by DIR. ]. w. Livingston, United States Con-
sui for Leon, set out TO visit the spot. No one
had yentured near it but we had no difficulty in
persuadngisome rageros from the village of Arola
10 act as guides. We rode with difficulty over
beds of lava, until within about mile and half
OF The place, proceeding thence on foot. In order
TO obtain a fun view of the youthful volcano, we
assembled a high ridge of scoria, entirely over
looking il. From this point il presented the appear
aDce ct an immense kettle, upturned, with a hole
knocked in the bottom, forming the crater. From
this upon one side ran OIL the lava stream, yet fer
vent with heat, and sending off its tremulous
radiations. The eruptions had ceased that morn
ing, but volume OF smoke was still emitted,
which the strong northeast wind swept down in
trailing current along the tree tops.
The cone was patched over with yellow, the
clysialzed sulphur from the hot vapor passing up
among The loose stones. The trees all around
Were stripped of their limbs, leaves and bark, re-
sembling so many giant skeletons. Tempted by
the quieude Of the volcano, and anxious TO inspect
1t more closely, in spite OF all the entreaes of
| guides we descended from our position, and going
| 10 the windward, scrambled over the intervening
lava beds, through patches Of thorny cactuses and
| agaves, toward the cone. On all sides we found
the flakes of melted matter which had been threwn
out on the FIRST day Of the eruption, and which had
| moulded themselves over VIII ttever tney ftll upon
We had no difficulty in reaching the base of the
cone, the wind driving off the smoke and vapors
| to The leeward. II was, perhaps hundred and
fifty or two hundred feet high, by two hundred
yards in disReer at the base, and of great regularity
OF outline IL was made up entirely of stones more or
less rounded, and of every size, from pound up
tive hundred. No sound was heard when we
| reached II, except low rumbliDg noise, accom-
| panied by very slight tremulous motion. Anxious
10 examine il more closely, and TO test the truth Of
the popular assertion, that any marked disturbance
| near these volcanic vents, is sure to bring
eruption, we prepared 10 ascend: Fearing we
might find the stones too much heated near the
summit, prepared myself with two staffs, as sup
| pons, and TO save my hands. The Doctor dsdalned
such appliances, and started without them. The
ascent was very aborious, the stones rolling away
beneath our feet, and rolling down the sides. We,
however, succeeded in almost reaching the summit,
T where DIR. Livingston, who was a little in adj
vance, suddenly recoiled, with exclamation
OF pain, having all at once reached a layer Of
stones so hot as TO blister his hands at the first
| touch. We paused for a moment, and was look
ing 10 my footing, when was startled by an exca-
nation OF terror from my companions, who gave
simultaneously an almost superhuman leap down
the side. At the same instant, strange roar al
most deafened me there seemed 10 be a whirl of
the atmosphere, and a sinking Of the mass upon
which ! was standing. Quick as thought, glanced
upward the heavens were black with stones, and
thousand lghtnings flashed among them. All
this was in AN instant, and with the quickness of
thought, too was dashing down the side, reach
| ing the bottom at tn SINE instant with my com-
panions, and just in time To escape the stones, which
| fell in rafting torrents where we had stood a mo-
ment before. need not say that in spite OF spring
cuctuses and rugged beds I'll lava, were not long
in putting respectable and safe distance between
| US and the flaming object Of our curiosity. The
| eruption lasted for nearly an hour, iaterspersed
with lulls, like long breathings The noise was
that Of innumerable blast furnaces, in full opera
tion and the air filled with projected and fall
! ins stones. The subsistence was almost sudden
as the outburst, and we waited several hours in
vain for another eruption. Our guides assured us
that another attempt TO ascend, or any marked dis
turbsnce on the slope or in the vicinity would he
followed ny an eruption but we did not care to
| From that period until I left Central America, |
| am not aware that there occurred more than
eruption, and that on the occasion OF the falling OF
the first considerable shower OF rain, on, think,
| the 9Th Of May last The discharges from this
vent, consisting wholly Of stones, may have been,
and probably were peculiar, for the volcanoes
Themselves and the cones surrounding them, seem
generally TO have been made up Of such stones in
teTspersed through large quantities of ashes and
Econsceous sand, alternating with beds Of lava.
Although believing that most of the volcanic
cones have been formed in this by gradual
Accommodations, yet the volcanoes which have
shown the greatest energy, are low and irregular,
and devoid OF anything remarks able In their APPEAR
ance. Such rs the volcano OF Cozeguino, ia Mica
ragus, the eruption OF which, in 1895, was one Of
the most terrible record
On the morning Of the 10th Of January, Of that
year, several loud explosions were heard Tor
radius OF several hundred leagues around this vol
csno, followed by the nsng OF an inky black cloud
above ", through which darted tongues Of lame
resembling lightning. This cloud gradually spre td
outward, obscuring the sun, and shedding over /
everything yellow sckly light, and at the same
time deposIting fine sand, which rendered respi-
ration difficult and painful. This continued for |
| two days, the obscuraton becoming more and more
dense-the sand falling more thiokly, and the ex-
4 posions becoming louder and more frequent. On
the third day the explosions attained their maxi
| mum, and the darkness became intense. sand
| continued TO fall and the people deserted their
houses, fearing the roof would yield beneath the
weight. This sand fell several inches deep at
Leon, more than hundred miles distant
\ IL fell in Jamaica, in Vera Cruz, and Santa
/ Re de Bogota, over area OF 800 miles In
/ diameter. The noise of the explosions was heard
/ nearly as far and the endent Of Retze