Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-04-11
ASCENT TO THE CRATER OF PopoCATA.
PETL.

From n newspaper published in the city Of Mex q
leo called The Extraordinary" We copy the sub q
;,ined account of the ascent Of Mount POpocnta- n
Ire,I made by 5. w. Crawford, OF the U. s. Army, n
The doctor was.as we are informed, preparing Tor u e
second expedition to Popocatapetl. with tho inten' 4
ton of spending a night in the crater, OF which
he promised to furnish the "Extraordinary a iuil 5
account. IL NAV be proper 10 note, by the way, !
tbot His mountain il situated in the State OF Pueb-
la. and rises to the height Of l1,7lG feet above the d
level VI the sea; 49, II
Mexico, January "a, 1857.
Nv Dr,p SiR.--In consequence Of a polite re-
quest that | would furnish you with an account on
tho ascension of the volcano POpOeatap et, made
by myself on the 10Th inst, l have tho honor to
submit the following: 80,
Our marty. originally consisting Of eight, with
servants, etc, arrived at Anecameca upon the
evening of the l4th instant. Four Ut our NUMBER
had been obi yed to return, and another with ser
wants. left, us at Amecameca. AT this point,
through the Kindness Of our hospitahle frlends we
procured our guides and made the necessary
arrangements for the ascent of the mcuntnin.-
When uur Object became known, we we're nj once
; ipined nv n number of eolunteers. all ANXIOUS TO
ynrcnmnany us to the summit. While somo spoke
. Of tie season of the year, and Ut the intense cold
4 we might anticipate. others told us oil "a path toi
e the crater made by the Indians gong up ana re-
| turning with the sulphur. and assured us mat AZ
e some seasons thu ascent was by no means as ulIhcut
l NJ imagined. But we found that but Few oi our
friends had been beyond the s~notC-ftne, and that
d the mountain had not been assembled by even an
u Indian for mOnths--the working OF the sulphur
z ceasiup with the commencement oil the iaihy season.
e As we sat at night watching the moon slowly ms
ing behind the mountains, and hyhtiug WIN Il
e CHASTITY glare their frozen submits, stretching
away in sublime beauty to the clouds, we ielt that
the task that we had undertaken was no light one;
d but there was q fascination about the undertaking
l. that we all felt. There In her cold shroud lay the
Iztacbihautl, or white woman; while here, III silent
e watch, wrapped in his icy mantle, stood
the monarch Of mountains OF North Amer.
lea. An efete civilization had invested
him with amystery that rivailed III its poetic
T.. wildness the mythology of the ancient Greeks. a
god had dwelt there. and for ages had controlled
f the sentiments of millions. The lion heart OF Cor
q ties has identified it with his wondrOus career, and
p the genius of Humboldt bus consecrated it to
!. Science.
f The morning dawned beautifully, and. rs our
arrangements were not completed. we rambled ov-
er the Sacramento. at the back of the town, and
:, visited the beautiful grOttO upon its summit. n
u lovely view awaited us, and we have rarely seen a
more enchanting spot. At Amecameca our obser.
l walton showed an ascent from the city OF Mexico
y of some FIVE hundred feet, and the increasing cold
assured us of the fact. AT noon we took leave of
our kind host and turned oar horses heads toward
l. the mountains. We soon reached Tomacoca, n
small rancho, where a good mill is in operatl"n,
z turned by n beautiful stream from lztachihuatl.
We were ioinod by n party among whom was
u Don Pablo Perez. 4 gentleman WHO hau Det'l Ell
y gagged in extracting tie sulphur from the volcano,
is and who had pursued the Ocu patiun Tor three years.
lie His aScents had been frequent, and we ielt rc"s-
n sured by his resolution to accompany us, Our
ID road now was up, over steep ascents, through 'he
cedars and pines wild flowers of every hue grew
NJ through the tangled shrubbery. The labored
breathing of our horse plainly told OF the change
at of atmosphere, as our path gradually LED w
nv through the clustering piae trees to llamacas-
We we're now ascending the mountain, and the rel
luamy soil and ashy earth through which our wa.
led gave evidence of the fact.
yer By shutdown VIC arrived, much fatigued iron
OF our days journey. at Tlanacas. q settlement Gre
l ated for the convenience OF those engaged IN IN
extraction Of sulphur. The night was exceeding
oe, IL cold and comfurtless. The thermometer stoo
us at $50 Fahrenheit, while our baronetrical ohscrvi
as ton showed an ascent from Amecameca OF ovt
md s. 600 feet. Instead Of the rest 20 necessary to I
inc we PASSED another disturbed night, but day at la
dawned beautiful and clear, and our guide. aroL
and ed US to the ascent.
set Oar party numbered twenty, including guido
ing and pevns. We set out from Tlamacas On horsebac
as far as La Cruz. some thousand feet above
II l Here, with two Of my companions, | set out on foo
the the remainder rode On some distance. AT the san
lies time we all Joined. and after our final arrangement
.hat of our packs, &C., we grasped our spears, ana pr
t.ctiug our eyes from the reflection, set out upC
the snow, our guides ahead, the Indians with on
heir go tr,,on mo, The gn;das and Indians stru,
ully boldly out without smear or staff; the rest of
to %cIinging to our snow-spears, slowly followed. |
we went some eight hundred feet, when. gettil
in advance of the party, we Ealted to take hreat
Respiration had become labored and difficult, al
as | sat exhausted on the snow, a deadly teeliI
akin TO sea-sickness came ever me. Rallyin
however, | Looked around for my com paniOns, al
of all those who had joined us ut Amecameca' n
Pos one remained. Two of my friends, with the guide
ii m were above me shouting to us to follow, On
went, slowly and tediOusly. The difficulty
~ -I HI 100000 al rnr ctan VA 81
wants who accompanied us had all given out, an
more taking the barometer from one who had sank c
from hausted, | joined my companion above. On
ce OF toiled some hundred yards further, and again
how stunned 60 rest. Our number was now reduced
h of forr and our two guides. The same sickness
20 or had experienced was now felt by others the O
preston was extreme. An angry cloud swe
may around the bro of the mountain, and u sno
g TIT storm seemed inevitable. The cold was intense.
/ tu- Nv comnanions cumulained loudly of their fe
ming and SO great was the suffering of one Of thin til
'agre | persuaded him to return. One only acComl
)duc' MED me for Il short distance. when he returnt
b he with one guide, to follow his descending combu
tu- ions. | was now alone with one guide, and /
halfway 10 the summit, aud, AS clinging to the il
n Of l looked down at my letreatng companions a
heard the shouts IF those ut the foot of the mot
On it. tain. | aim lst regretted that | had not yielded
ingle their solicitations to accom- pany them. My 81
rs as tary guide now rebelled, and | was obliged
Office bride and even threaten him to accompany me,
rs be Up, up, what seemed an age. we clambered o.
% an the fields OF frozen snow. The ascent had becol
pants more and more dlfhcult, as, breaking the ice n,
cry step, we progressed slowly and tediously
with Once more ! turned to look back from MY dir
N per- height. One mis-step, and inevitable destructi
than awaited us in the abyss below. The stiffness
to the grave was over every thing, and, recOili
| from the sight, | looked down no more. To go
t was for more ,han eight or ten PAGES withuut stoppi
book to take rest was impossible-so rariied had the
become. At one time, alter an extraordinary
erti0n to reach my guide, | fell exhausted. and
some moments WAS unconscious. The blood rusI
@ fol- from my nostr'lS. Checking t with the fro
,ouou snow, | rallied and clamhered on. My gu
'''" more Injured to such trips had now got far abe
The sickening sensation | had at first experien
g has returned with redouhled force. As | again 81
eding exhausted on the snow Il heavy weight seemed p
ro per sing upon me, anu every thihg appeared to n