Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1868-02-01

a-'-'s'-s,..-s.s's sszsrsszl.Ess
angle Of iOrty,dve degrees liom ,ho
other, and evidently communicate
with IL about q thousand f,e, beloy
the surface, tho two crators boin9
that distance apart aud both dis.
charging simultaneously. This
half'hOriZ0nlal crater was about
twenty feet in diameter.
On the afternoon OF tho 27tn. af-
ter n series of explosions which
seemed TO shake the earth 10 ila
centcr, the volcano commenced dis
charging vast quantities. uf black
sand and heavier rocks, Tho col
ulnn Of flame ut night was consider.
ably increased in height, and bright,
meteor like spots We're soon asaAnd.
ing in the flames 10 the height OF
not less than 5000 feet. These
wero large spherical stones four and
five feet | n diameter The next
morning the stroots and house tops
were covered with fine black sand
from the volcano, and vast lumin.
ous cloud draining sand ovcrsprcad
h whole surrounding country,
The rain of sand continued until
tho morning Of the Both, when the
volcano died away apparently cX-
hausted by its accumulated oru2-
tons. The sand now covers tho
whole surrounding country from
the volcano to the Pacific, distance
of more than fifty miles from IT,
At Leon it is from an eighth to II
quarter Of an inch in depth. As
we approach the volcano it gradual
ly grows deeper and coarscr. For
Il mile around the crater it lies in
particles from three cighths TO half
an inch in diameter about Il foot in
depth. Still nearer to the cone the
sand increases TO several feet in
depth, and the PARTICLES gradually
increase in size until thcy become.
small broken rocks. Around tho
base Of the cone round heavy rocks
from four to five feet in diameter.
lie thickl y scattered, bat much the
larger portion Of them has broken
into fragments. The cone Itself Is
two hundred feet in height, with
crater in the top 200 feet in dame
.or and about tho Same nuvbcr in
depth. The inside OF tho crater. as
well as the outside is covered with
hard broken rocks generally less
than foot in diameter. A long
ridge Of black scoria leads out from
the branch crater in y northcastcrly
direction. II hc shaggy lava-lilio
scoria which first issued from the
main crater is now principally COW
cred up by the hard plutouic rocks
which came out from the profound
cr depths with the last discharges.
The forest for leagues around is
SCARED and MANNED by tho sharp,
cutting storms of sand, and near
the volcano the trees lio cut into
numerous fragments, half buried
under the sand and rocks. Tho
volcano was an active and interest
ing sight for sixteen days: and now
IN Its repose affords an ample and
instructive field for the geologist
Indeed, no country in tho world
presents more interesting aindt-
than the plain of Leon. Twenty
volcanic cones are seen rising from
it at single view. Its soil is un-
cqualed in fertility, as finely pulver-
lied and as evenly distributed as.
that Of the valley of the Nile or the
Mississippi; not, however, by water,
but by fire! 1t has literally raincd
down from the volcanoes, richly
freighted with fertilizing materials.
Humboldt regretted before his
death that men of science had not
more fully investigated this remark.
ablo region of country, and it is
sincerely to bo hoped that it may
not much longer remain neglected.
by them '..
The recent fall of sand has been
followed by II shower Of rain, and
though but n fow days have since
elapsed, corn, cotton and grass have
grown more rapidly under its fer
influence than / have ever
seen plants grow before. Some
weeds and plants it kills; others it
starts forth with renewed life and
vigor
/ send herewith a specimen fthc
sand gathered at Leon before tho
rain, hoping that it may be analy--
zcd.
1t may be proper, in this connee-
ton, to call attention to the recent
destructive storms, earthquakes and
eruptions which occurred in and
around the island ofSt. Thomas du
ring the same period of .iino which;
| have been describing, and which
undoubtedly sprang from tho same
general cause, rs those earthquakes
were distinctly felt at Leon.
ANOTHER RAILRoAD.-The Kansas,
city Advertiser, notes that q bill