The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-05-20
In the Crater Fearful Adventure Of Tw q
Americans.

In the Crater Fearful Adventure of Tw q
Americans.
Colonel L. G. Grnsty, passenger agent
OF the Piedmont Air Line Railroad, was
III Augusta, day or two since. a re-
porter of the Chronicle and Sentinel inter
viewed him, and obtained grnphic
account of the Colonel's descent, Inst
December, into the crater of the volcano
of Popocatapetl Col. Grnsty, who is u
citizen of Virginia, was accompanied in
his descent by Mr.. Harry Stevens, of
Cleveland, Ohio:
The gigantic crater is about one mile
In diameter and 4 800 deep, and, almost
incredible to believe, but nevertheless
true, there is II settlement consisting of
forty sulphur miners in the bottom of
this awful cavity, their only mode of in
gress or egrcss from this internal region
being by the means Of q windlass and
!,ouo feet OF rope, by which they nre
lowered down to shelf in tho side of
the abyss, the rest Of the journey down
ward being performed on foot, over IL
long and steep descent The thoughts
OF Grasty and Stevens were now turned
to the horrible gull TINT ynwned before
them, for in it they must pass the night,
which would fall in the course of two or
three hours, for it was alike impossible
to spend it on tho mountain top or to
return down to the timber line" An
Indian employee OF the sulphur mine
had preceded them up the volcano, bear-
ing their letter of introduction to Senior
Corchndo, the superintendent of the
mine, who Immediately repaired to the
summit, where he met them half or
three-qnarters OF IN hour after their mr.
rival. Corchn,io "thc Old Man of the
Mountain, is Il singular character. Born
at Tlamncas, 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 Popocatapetl and every
thing associated with the great volcano
for over half century. He now lives
ut the bottom of the crnter, 4, 500 feet be-
low its rocky ruin. To this stn,nge
abode he welcomed Grasty and Stevens
with heartiness and real hospitality.
They zigzaggered down the blearcd
and blackened rocks about 200 feet, and
came to windlass called eel Afalacatc. 1"
From this was suspended cable about
an inch and half in diameter and
1000 feet long. From this point they
obtained magnificent view of the crnter,
whose walls rose in nll directions in
frightful wildness and sublimity Thoy
Mt once appreciated it's enormous dimen-
sions. Nearly mile below them was
the bottom, almost lost in the darkness
md distance. To illustrate the great
depth, it would be no exaggeration to
say that If you were to take Mount Ve-
suvius, which il 4,500 feet high, ind
turn it upside down and stick it into the
crnter, it would about fill it. This gulf
presents one of the grandest sights on
earth, and hns terrible fascination for
the beholder. The most stolid nre greatly
impressed, while the susceptible are
completely overwhelmed by its awful
snblimity. Grnsty and Stevens peered
over the ledge where stood the windlass
and saw far, far below them level rock
that formed the top of long, steep de-
clivity, mt the foot of which was black
spot. This they were told was the miners
house. They were to descend to the de-
clivity by the rope, having accepted
Corchndo's invitation to spend the night
below. Corchado and Stevens went
first. They were tied to the cable in
such n 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 precipice,
and consequently they hung free and
dangling in lnid-air. 1t was only mi
nutc VI I"o, however, before tney came
to plnce where the cliff bellied out fur
ther than the windlnss rock, and they
were compelled to kick against it's strong
front to keep clear of it. Immense
clouds of sulphurous steam and gases
rolled skywnrd from beneath this proicc-
tlon. 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 the jaws of hell
On every side OF them was n gigantic
and hideous ruin of cracked cliffs and
blistered crngs. Beneath them were
pools of liquid and burning sulphur.
that trickled in little riyulets from the
gashed and fre-marked walls of the
crater. Noxious vnpors foated through
the nir-al seemed horrible night
mare. They reached the declivity in
safety after fearful journey of ten mi
nutes, and united themselves. The rope
was then pulled up.
The Colonel proceeded to tic himself
on. Through some mistake the rope
that went round his back slipped down
too low. He dropped from the crag,
still! weak from the suffering he had eY-
perlenced in the ascent. Everything
went well till he got to the place whore
the precipice bulges out Here disas-
ter overlook him, and he tainted away
with yet 700 feet to descend. Corchndo
and Stevens saw him let 90 of the rope,
throw his arms out grasping ct the air,
fall back until his head was lower than
his heels, then spin round and round,
I-A~~ .Vr.- M. u