The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-03-20


rounds of a ladder. The greatest width
OF the lava current before It divided was
about 5000 feet, and tho estimated thick.
ness $50 feet. The lava was entirely
black and warm In all its course; It's TEN
perature being from SO to Of degrees,
while that Of the atmosphere was 80 de-
grecs. This elevated temperature ex-
plains the absence ofsnow on this part OF
the slope. The gaseous exhalRtions
from the crevices seemed TO be nothing
more than air mixed with vapor. This Is
doubtless the lavs.stream which flowed
in 1854, and which, by melting vast guam
titles of snow, caused much devastation
in the valley by floods. These sudden
floods, caused by fresh eruptions Of lava
on the mountain side, are the terror Of the
villages at the loot of Cotopaxl. Some
times, however, the cone, especially on
tho east side, appears black, owing not 10
the absence Of snow, but TO a covering OF
black ashes. No fssure or accumulation
Of scorie indicates the source OF the lava
stream. But the altitude Of the point oil
departure Is 1900 feet.
At 9:45 he reached tho arenal, deep
mass Of fine sand stretching upward at an
angle of forty degrees. Over this he must
advance, difficult as It was, for on either
side were impossible fields OF snow spd
ice. The temperature Of tho sand was
seventy. seven degrees. Another stream
OF lava was discovered, which must have
flowed with great velocity, since, instead
Of following the inclination Of the cone, 1t
had descended diagonally. Only the
peaks Of Iliniza and Chimborazo in tho
opposite Cordillera were visible; but above
the clouds, towards the southwest, o dense
mass OF smoke rose perpendicularly to a
prodigious height, and then by an east
wind was carried off in horizontal line
westward, This came from the furious
and ever active volcano Of Sangay, whose
top was invisible, but whose activity was
manifested in this manner. AS the clouds
shifted, the diversified valley and its royal
mountains were spread out like q map.
Near by, on the southern flank Of the vol
cano, was the porphyritic peak called Co
bezs del Cotopaxi, or the lncas Head.
Tradition has 1t that this was the original
summit of Cotopaxi, torn of by On erup-
ton on tho very day Atahuslpa was muir.
dered by Pizarro. DR.. Riess thinks 1t
really forms no part Of Cotopsxi, but be.
longs 10 more ancient volcano. The old
eruptions produced much obsidian, not
found In the lavas Of Cotopaxi, and prob.
ably the heaps Of pumice around Tacun.
ga came from some ancient crater.
TIE CRATER. ..
The cloudSwere ascending tho noun
tain more rapidly than our traveller, as i'll
In hot pursuit 70 intercept his view Of the
unseen crater. More than once, while as.
cending the arenal, his courage nearly
failed him. The sand became mingled
with ice; but turning little TO the south,
he found 0 series Of huge rocks rising
above the snow and ashes and giving him
frm.ioothOld. It was now 10:l6 A. NJ;
thermometer, twenty-eight degrees.
Fumeroles abounded, giving forth, sui
phurous gas. And now followed sheet
Of compact blue ice, inclined from thirty
five degrees to forty degrees; but FORUM
ately it was not smooth, but covered with |
myriads of points or iciclcs three or four
inches high. Scrambling over this, and
climbing oyer and between walls, some
Of immense size, suddenly he reached the
edge OF the crater. At the same moment |
q cloud, which had lowered over the sum-
NIT, dispersed, and for the first time hui
man eyes looked into the profound crater
OF far.famed Cotopaxi. II confess (says |
the Doctor anunutterablc satisfaction in
having accomplished this feat, tho ascent
Of the highest active volcano on the
globe"
He had reached tho western part Of the
southern lip. The crater presented an
elliptical form, the major axis lying north
and south. Tho stones which were con-
tinually falling in from all sides, but es-
pccislly from the west side; rolled togcth-
er as to the bottom Of funnel; there was
no signs OF q level bottom. The depth,
roughly estimated, appeared TO be 1000
feet. The sido Of the funnel least inclin'
ed, and by which alone II is possible to
descend, Is the southwest; but hero are
largo iumeroles sending forth dense mass
es Of vapOr charged with gas, and having
temperature OF 100 deg. Around these
iumerOlcs were masses Of sulphur and o
deposit Of gypsum mixed with chloride OF
lime This is Of great interest Us being
tho first instance Of chloride being found
among the products oil the South Ameri-
can volcanoes. Humboldt thought that
the absence oihydrochlorlc acid was
characteristic Of the New World volcR-
noes. The barometer gave Is, 600 feet as
the altitude, while the doctors trigonom-
etrical observances, repeated at various
times from Independent bases in the val
ley, had given him 10, 400 as the height
of The, north peak, and 19497 for the
southern. Both results exceed. the alti.
tude estimated by other travellers. Hum
boldt made 1t 1880 feet.
While standing on tho rim Of the crater
holding to his Indian servant with one
hand and with the other examining the
deposits of a femRIole, agust oil air filled
both eyes with sand impregnated with
sulphuric acid, causing violent infama-
ton. This put an end 10 observation,
and made 1t the part Of wisdom to de-
scend as soon as possible. he lett the
crater at 1:45 P. NJ, and reached his en-
campment at the head Of the ridge In
three hours and a half, just as heavy
snow storm began.
POINTING OUT THE WAY FOR OTHERS.
"If the scientific results OF my ascent
(says NJ. Reiss) do not meet tho eXpecta-
lion Of SauanS, I console myself with the
reflection that l have pointed out the
road, and that other travellers may make
the ascent without being hindered by the
general notion that it Is impossible TO
reach the crater" He says It Is possible
to ascend from thesnow.lEmit to the sum.
NIT In four or i've hours. But as the
ascent Is steep and lAborIous, II iS better
to sleep the flDt night at the limit, and
tho second night on tho arenal, the sand
OF which is warm. This will give long
third day TO the crater, and enable the
traveller 10 explore tho whole circumier-