The New York herald., 1874-11-14

| the west acting upon the rapfdfy dissolvfng
Of promise 4, twelve O'CLOCK our , inereduious S.
guides, laborers OF the crater, who would not
! The peak, were with some difncutY aroused, our
horses saddled cup OF coffee taken by each, and
enveloped 10 the ears and only pair oi goggles
visible our guides IN advance. Very llttie was
reach the eeep nop human ednsnee nee %oad peru
NIT. All yestges OF vegetation were quickly
apa our s
mountain path through the deep yielding volcanic
sand. As we were compelled 10 stop every few
THE GREAT SNOW DOME
hanging over US, crowned with twinkling stars,
which seemed to laugh good-naturedly at our
puny efforts; the deep blue of the heavens was
| unoroken by single trace OF mist; Ixtacchuate.
the twin snow mountain behind us, and to the
right and lett tue valleys OF Mexico and Puebla
were enveloped in clouas like great sea OF snow.
OF the air soon began to tell on our horses, whose
pauses for rest became longer and longer; while.
neyertheiess, our guides found breath 70 break
the exaggerated stiffness with snatches OF weird
native song. Two hours brought us TO ''rhe
the sand and in few moments @ we we're reached t the
snow line. our horses, with all extra
line for the ladies at noon. And now began the
veriLaole struggle. Everybody tor himself Is the
word, and every helping hand is refused lest IL
detract from the greatness OF the feat. Lake run
ners IN race, each tails quickly yet reslgnedly,
into his relative position In the llne Knowing that
no effort can change the order OF reaching the
goal We found the snow hard with q crust
which the leading guide broke with shovel max
ing steps at convenient distances. forming Zig
gag stairway Here and there ridge OF yielding
sand. uncovered by the wind and standing at an
apparently impossible inclination rendered our
ascent more laborous but rock ravine
offers any obstruction on this portion OF The
mountain
SCENES ON THE MOUNTAIN PATH
As we stop for breath and glance upward over
we are clinging the stars are stili twlnklng
inockinsly from IT'S top. Looking on into space
lxtaccihuati has already begun TO dwindle Into
comparative lnsigancance, nothing obstructs the
view through an arc OF more than lS0 degrees,
and the steepness OF the ascent Tor so many thou
sand feet gives all the grandeur of a view from
balloon.
twinkle tauntlngy, for success Is also dawning
upon We have but thousand reet still TO
ascend, but TINS. is the steepest OF all. not less
than iorty-nve degrees. Here the snow is
very deep, and moulded into smooth, conical
surface by the wind. one false step, and nothing
but extreme agility WITH the stan could pre-, ent
one from sliding down thousands OF leet over the
hard crust, with great risk 10 lie. At iorty-hve
minutes past seven A. M. the majority OF our
party. including two OF the ladies', had arrived at
the lower edge OF the crater, 10 the great admira
ton OF the guides. Thanks TO the hard crust and
our early start, every one eventually arrived.
Two hours later we would nave been struggling
soitened by the heat OF the sun. While resting at
the edge We enjoyed the grand view o! the valleys
OF Aexico and Puebla spread out beneath us, the
former, however, stall fed with clouds. The
city OF Pueba ana It's cathedral towers were
distinctly visible, and many OF the smaller towns
OF the valley and adjoining valleys. The
snow mountains in the distance bounded the
view. wnle smaller and nearer peaks appeared
like molehlls. TGe atmosphere did not permit
view OF the Gull OF Mexlco, but 1t is occasionally
visible nom the peak; in TACT the writer OF this,
OCCASION, had distinct view OF the already well
known mountains, Popocatepetl and lxtaccihuatL
THE CRATER AS III APPEARS TO-DAY.
But time did not permit us 70 delay, and VIC
turned 10 the crater. The edge formed OF the
nor wider ri than the hand ne ~ nner slope leads
down ABOUT hundred feet to the true walls OF the
crater, vertical precipice, nearly three hundred
feet IN height, az the lower edge where the party
| entered. on this, the northern side, mass OF
fallen rccks and debris forms very steep slcro
rom tue loot OF the precipice to the floor
oil tue crater more than seven hundred yards in
length. The southern edge OF the crater is nearly
two hundred ieet higher and is the highest point
cf the mountain. On that side the wall OF the
crater IS precpice LOCO feet high, with little
pear VIII give idea OF the form OF the crater
within the walls. tue narrower portion being TO
the lamne lying horizontal. but are of volcanic
formation. BY the effect OF rost the rocks are
tom OF the crater. immense iccles, OF transpa-
rent green color. iinged by the sulphur vapors.
hang from every utting rock OF the walls, produc.
ing enchanting effect. The crater al Inc loot
, OF the walls IS SAID TO measure more than one
ieTence while the permeter at the i upper lsr
ami outer edge measures three miles. The
al parts OF the walls and i nebrg ont s
principal vents are i'll the floor OF the crater
There a9ere are about thirty oi these the largest OF
1bey are commonly called breathing holes, but this
is = rnlsn omer, rs they are not holes; the vapor
makes its Way through the debris OF the bottom
with noise as of escaping steam. and In some
cases with pusations putTs though overcom-
ing some resistance. And In reality there have
been isolated instances noted OF hot stones
beng eJected, which have, as we understand,
tre oi these vents or breathing holes is intense
Tne vapors made themselves known TO the oliac-
torres Of the party ID the form or suphuretted hy-
drogen or hyurosluT hurc acid, but there was no
partenlar lncSnyenlenee therelrom as the WIND
very closely to the larger vents.
DESCENDING
wIlth wlth great care the inner slope, we approached
the edge Of the precipice. The guides cleared
away tue snow from the wndiass, which stands III
the open air, only partially protected rom the
weather 10y great boulder We took this oppor-
tunity TO investigate the contents Of our provision
basket Our guides did not evinee any great de-
sire 70 descend iurther and prooaoly hoped that
glance over the edge Of the precipice and the iran
appearance OF the puleys and other appurte-
ladies. and, as a result, end their labors. The
ladies', however expressed their Willingness to go
down without tnem. a loop was made in the end
OF the cable, in which one took her seat,
graspins with her hands the cable above. A
one Of ihe gentlemen to6k his seat seat and az With With
many admonltions rom the guides not to permit
ciplce, lest rock be oosened ana iall upon our
heads, the first couple we're pushed out over the
passed and then a cavity where the leet could not
reach tue wall, TO overcome the almost Irresistible
tendency OF the cable to twist But the bottom
others to descend, and In this manner two ladies'
ana three gentlemen arrived at the loot OF the
precipice. The descent or the slope OF the debris,
covered with snow with here and there suspicious
openings, cost mucn time and exertlon.
COMING UP.
We succeeded In approaching within 200 or 300
ieet OF the breathing holes, or vents, when the
c'ouds forming above the crater adm0nished US
tlat IL was time TO return. We were pulled up in
the same manner that we we're let down.
IL was already noon.
TIE TEMPERATURE.
The thermometer read eighty fonr degrees Fab.
renteit In the sun and thirty-I0ur degrees In the
shade, at the top or the precIpice.
COMING DOWN TUE MOUNTAIN.
Ascending TO the outer edge we prepared TO
descend the mountain, Sliding upon mats. The
suo" was already In the proper soft condition.
Coastng ON Popocatepeul Down we came, in
groups or one, Two and three, to the snow line,
lhat WHICH had taken so many hours to ascend