Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1861-12-06
Terrible Adventure On a Volcano.

Mr.. Carl Steinman visited Mount Heola,
in Iceland, just before its terrible eruption
in 1855, and the fofssSing is his narrative
of fearful adventure which happened to
him upon that sublime and desolate ele-
yation:
Having secured guide set off, at an
early hour, on the morning following my
arrival in Salsun Cat the foot of the ex-
tlnct volcano, } praying for fair weather,
good luck and safe return.
The scenery, even from the first, was SO
different from any | have ever seen out
side of Iceland as to be worthy of better
description than am able to give Suf-
fee it to say that, as you push on, ascend
ing summit after summit on your way to
the great and awful centre of all, you find
the danger, dreariness and desolation in
crease to the most terrible sublimity, till
at last, when you do stand on the highest
point in this unliving world of chaos, you
instinctively pray God, with an icy shud-
der shivering through your miserable
frame, to restore you to the life you seem
to have left behind you. lis sHaG
0, how shall | attempt to convey to any
mind the awful scene of deselation that
surrounded me when at last I stood more
than four thousand feet above the level of
the sea. on the highest peak of the barren
Hecla Six mortal hours-three on horse
back and three on foot-had I been clam
! bering upward from the world below and
now, among the very clouds that rolled
and swept around me, stood in a world
! of lava mountains, ice and snow, the lava
black as midnight, the snow of binding
whiteHess-and not in all that region a
tree, bush. shrub, blade, or even a
solitary living thing excepting self and
guide. Far as the eye could reach, when
the moving clouds permitted me to see.
was succession Of black, rugged hills,
snow crowned peaks, glistening glaciers,
and lce-bound streams, into whose inani-
mate solitude no human foot had ever pen
etrated-a world without plant or life
the very desolation of desolation-fll
with yawning chasms, dreadful abysses
and midnight caves which have never ech-
oed any sound but the thunder of heaven,
and the groaniDg and convulsions of earth.
So wild and terrible was the scene that I
felt strange thrill, like madness, rush
through my shivering frame, and quiver
about my dizzy brain, and [ shouted, to
break the stiffness of dea b, and heard nv
voice come dismally back in q hundred
echoes till it seemed to be lost in the bow
els of the unproductive earth.
Wrapping one of my blankets about me
to protect me from the freezing cold, and
cautiously using nay pointed stick to try
every foot of ground before me, I now
began to move about, over blocks, and
heaps, and hills of lava, and across narrow
chasms, and pitfalls, and patches of snow
and ice, my faithful guide keeping near,
and often warning me to be careful of my
steps. In this manner I at length ascend
ed ridge of considerable elevation, stum-
bling my way to the top, and now and
then displaeing fragments of lava that roll
ed crashing down behind me. As yet I
had seen no signs of the crater, which, so
| years before had vomited forth its terrific
and desolating streams of melted black
sand; but on reaching the summit of this
ridge, looked down into a sort of basin,
open at the lower side, and having three
or four deep seams er chasms in its Gen.
ter, into which the melting snow and ice
on its sides were running in small streams.
A peculiar and not very agreeable odor
came up with thin, smoky vapor, and I
fancied / could hear distant sound, some
thing between gurgle and rumble.
''1 suppose this is the original CRATER
said, turning to the guide. q. 1
The fellow was as pale as death, and
every feature expressed surprise allied to
fear.
''What is the matter % I quickly de-
manded; ''have you never seen this spot
before 20
4 Il have seen this place before, master, -
be replied, 'sbut never anything like this
When | was here last there was no hol-
low here but only a level plain of snow
and ice.'
"Indeed !'' exclaimed 7, feeling strange
/ ly interested; "wbat, then, do you in
fer? that there is about to be fresh erur-
ton p 1.e. #5-s
Il fear so, master; what else can have
caused this change? You see there is heat
below, which has melted the thick glacier,
and only a few streaks of ice now remains
upon the upper part of the sides, while all
the center is gone"
'And the ground here has a slight feel
ing of warmth, tool" I rejoined, as I bent
down and laid my hand upon it.
"Let US leave, master y returned the