The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-05-27
A NIGHT IN THE CRATER.

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A NIGHT IN THE CRATER.
| Tbe E.nrfuI Adventure of two Daring
| Americans Penetrating the volcano
OF Popooatap8tI -SYooniDg While Dam
| Cling over Terrible Abyss Sleeping
In the Bowels OF the Earth.
From the cleveland Leader.
| succeeded in reaching an altitude
of nearly 5000 feet, and then gave out
on account of previous Illness, from
which I had not fully recovered, and
was compelled to return to ranch down
on the climber line" Here | awaited
the return of the party, which was
composed of Col. Grasty, OF Virginia,
and Mr.. Harry Stevens, of Cleveland,
who had accompanied me from home.
The gigantic crater is about one mile
in diameter and 1900 feet deep, and,
almost incredible to believe, but never
theless true, there is settlement con-
sisting of forty sulphur miners in the
bottom OF this awful cavity, their only
mode of ingress and egress from this
internal region being by the means of a
windlass of ! 1000 feet Of rope, by which
they are lowered down to q shelf in the
side of the abyss, the rest of the jour
ney downward being performed on foot,
over long and steep descent. The
thoughts of Grnsty and Stevens were
now turned to the horrible gulf that
yawned before them, for in it thcy must
pass the night, which would fail in the
course of two or three hours for 1t was
alike impossible to spend it on the
mountain-top, or to return down to the
timber line" An Indian employe OF
the sulphur mine had preceded them
MP the volcano, bearing their letter OF
Introduction to Scnor OoIchado, the
superinteudent of the mine, who imme-
diately repaired to the summit, where
he met them half or three.quarters OF
an hour after their arrival.
Corchado, "the Old Man Of the Noun
tain" is singular character. Born at
Tiamacas, he has always lived on the
mountain, or in his present birthstone
home, where his father lived and died
before him. He has been intimately
connected with Propocatapetl, and
everything associated with the great vol
cano, for over n half century. He now
lives at the bottom of the crater, 1900
feet below it's rocky ruin. TO this
strange abode he welcomed Grasty and
Stevens with heartness and real hospl.
tality.
ENTERING THE VOLCANO.
They zigza2ged down the bleared and
blockened rocks about 200 feet, and
came to windlass called "El Mala-
cate" From this was suspended ca
BILE about an inch and half in diameter
and thousand feet long. From this
point they obtained II magnificent view
of the crater, whose walls rose Ill all
directions in frightfuI wildness and
sublmity. They at once appreciated
its enormous Dimensions. Nearly mile
below them wac the bottom. almost lost
| in the darkness and distance. TO Illus
trate the great depth, it would be no
exaggeration to say that If you were to
take Mount Vcsuyius, which is i,5O0
feet high, and turn it upside down and
stick it into the crater, it would about
fill it, =,
This gulf presents one of the grandest
sights on earth, and has terrible fas.
cination for the beholder. The most
stolid are greatly impressed, while the
susceptible are completely overwhelmed
by it's awful sublimity. Grasty and
Stevens peered over the ledge where
stood the windlass, and saw fur, far below
them level rock that formed the top
of a long steep decliyity, at the foot OF
which was II black apOt This they
were told was the miners house. They
were to descend to the decivity by the
rope, having accepted Corchado's invi-
tation to spend the night below. Corch-
odo md Stevens went first. They were
tied TO the cable in such manner that
they sat side by side. ...
For about the distance of $50 feet the
ledge from which they made their wild
leap projected out over the preciplce,
and consequently they hung free and
dangling in mid-air. 1t was only a
minute or two, however. before they
came to place where the cliff bellied
ont further than the windless rock, and
they were compelled to kick against Its
strong front to keep clear of 1t. I'm.
mepse clouds of sulphurous steam and
gases rolled skyward from beneath this
projection. These nauseated Stevens,
and set him to vomiting badly. They
were now out of sight OF the people
above them. Stevens afterward said
he felt that he was going straight into
| fhe laws of hell. On every side OF them
4 was a gigantic and hideous ruin OF
. or,oLed cliffs and bistered crags. Be
, neatn them were pools of liquid and
bnrniuU sulphur that trickled in little
rivnlets from the gashed and fire.
! marked walls of the crater. NoXious
, yonors foated through the air-all
seemed a horrible nightmare. They
reached the declivty in safety after
fearful journey of ten minutes, and
untied themselves. The rope wai
then pulled up.
THE FUMES OF AvERNUs.
The colonel proceeded to tie himsel
on. Through some mistake the rop
that went round his back slipped dow
too low. He dropped from the crae
|. still weak from the suffering he had eN
, perienced in the ascent. Everythin
went well until he got to the plac
where the precipice bnlges ont. Her
a disaster overlook him. A cloud OF ga
4 laden vap0r enveloped him, and b
o tainted away with yet 700 feet to d