The Nevada Democrat., 1856-12-24
Descent to the Crater OF popocatapcti.

The preparation which Baron Muller is max
ing in Mexico to ascend the volcano of Popo-
catapetl has brought to the notice of the Mex
lean papers several hscents of that mountain
that have lately been made. The gentleman is
young Prussian nobleman, who is ambitious
offollowing in the footsteps of Baron Humboldt
He commenced his travels by q Journey into the
interior of Africa, ascending the Nile as far as
the fourth degree of north latitude, in 1885,
On his return, though only twenty-five years Of
age, he was elected member of the Royal Geo
graphical Society Of London, and admitted as a
member of many other scientific institutions
His African journal has been printed for the
private use of the King of Prussia, but has not
been published. He has been for some time
traversing the Republic of Mexico verifying
Baron Humboldt's scientific data andgathering
statistical information to compare the present
condition of that country with its material, So
cial and political state fifty years since, as OBJ
served by the Nestor of travellers.
ie On the 25th of September last, q French gem
tleman, Mr.. Thomas Larre, and Don Casper
Sanchez Ochoa, Mexican engineer, assembled
to the crater Of Popocatapetl, and went down
into it as far as the the point called the Devils
Backbone. Senor Ochoa narrowly escaped a
horrible death in this enterprise. On the in
cline plain descending TO the fiery pit, his feet
slipped and he found himself sliding into the
crater Had he lost his presence of mind he
would have been lost, but by a desperate eXer
ton he recovered his footing, and returned al
most from the very margin Of the unfathomablc
abyss Senor Ochoa and his companion as al
so all their attendants, were blind for more than
forty-eight hours after their adventure.
Several attempts have been made in past
years by a mechanic of Amecameca, named
Jose Maria Lara, TO descend into the crater of
this volcano. He assembled the mountain six
times, each time taking different route, and
incurring many dangers, but never succeeded
in reaching the summit until lS4S. DR.. Ygna-
clio Reyes, merchant of the same place, hear
ing of his success, urged him to make another
attempt. The following is Lara's narrative of
the adventure, which is worthy of preservation
from its unpretendlng simplicity:
Accompanied by Antonio Garcia, Miguel
Parilla, Vicente Parilla, and three other stout
poems, reached the crater, and fastening Il
rope rouud my waist, descended short dis
tancc. BY observing with a spy-glass, | saw
that the rope was not long enough to enable me
to reach the bottom. We then returned to the
village to make another rope, and having fin
ished l02 yards long, we again ascended the
mountain. On reaching the mouth of the era
ter we rolled down q great many bouldcrs,
for without this preliminary operation no one
would dare decend to the bottom. In this work
we employed three days, and on the last day,
Garcia and l ran great danger by the breaking
of large lever we were using in rolling great
stone. Garcia fell fiat on his back and on my
face but the Supreme Being favored us, and
we were enabled to stop our rolling into the
profound deep by Garcas catching hold of my
feet, and / of his aa Hal
"We then went down the mountain little
way, and with the boards we had taken for the
purpose built a little hut near to the summit
tla ,.l,t f,n,,.
cold and from the sharp wind that penetrated
to the very bones. AT sunrise we returned to
the top and commenced to drill two holes in the
cliff to secure the provisional apparatus that was
to serve for the descent. Everything being ar
ranged Garcia and disputed as to who should
go down to the bottom, and we at last agreed
that he should have it because he had know
ledge of mineral formations, and that should
take care of his life by directing the operations
of the poems who managed the rope.
"He then went down, AMI after we had paycd
out fifty yards Of rope he called to us to stop,
which we did, and he went under the edge of the
cliffs, or perpendicular rocks that there form
WALL and gathered some pieces of it, Being
lowered down again, he cried out to stop, just
as we had payed out the other fifty yards of
rope. One of the poems then told me that by
rubbing against the rocks two strands Of the
rope were cut. / then tied another cord round
my waist and was lowered down to place some
thick sandals, which one Of the poems had, un-
der the rope where it was rubbing against the
rock. This was not sufficient, and before we
got through, the friction wore away the heclsof
my shoes which placed there 1.,
"Garcia reached the foot of the rocks and
letting go the rope went down part way an in
clined plane of stones and sand that descended
four hundred yards to the principal breathing
holes of the mountain. This plane is very steep
and the stones that fall down to it make noise
like balls from cannon. He gathered some
hot pieces of sulphur. We got happily out and
returned to the village full of joy, to inform Sc
nor Reyes that the rumored wealth of the vol
canO in sulphur was true.
Z II afterwards made another ascent to build
a small wooden house. When it was half built
it began to snow violently, and hurricane blew
that lifted up the thick planks and threw them
round as though they were straws. The snow
storm continued and we had to remain sixty
hours under the boards and covered with snow.
We we're accompanied by SenOr Corchado, who
opposed any ones endeavoring to descend the
mountain, in which he was right, for no one
could have kept his feet, and could only have
descended sliding on his back or belly, and
jumping from rock to rock, tearing his clothes
with the sharp iscles The descent is between
three and four thousand Spanish yards.v oia n
Lara's eight ascents of the mountain have
made him practical guide, and he is to accom-
pany Baron Muller in his visit to the volcano
We believe no other attempt than this has ever
been made to enter the crater, except by one of
the followers of Cortes. During the conquest of
Mexico the Spaniards were at one time short of
powder, and in order to procure sulphur where
with to make it, one of them is said by the old
chroniclers to have gone into the crater and
procured a supply. Attempts are soon to be
made to obtain sulphur regularly, from Popo
catapetl in order to compete with Vesuyius in
the supply of the world. We do not know with
what prospect of success. A hfa o4
WHAT AUSTRIA is DoING.-A letter from q
correspondent, dated Florence, September 10Th,