Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-05-12

fioated through the air-all seemed a
horrible nightmare. They reached the
deciivity in safety after fearful
Journey of ten minutes, and united
themselves. The rope was then pulled
up.
THE FUMES OF AyERNUS.
The Colonel proceeded to tie 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 ex-
perienced in the ascent. Everything
went well until he got to the place
where the precipice bulges out. Here
disaster overlook him. A cloud of gas
laden vapor enveloped him, and he
tainted away with yet 700 feet to de-
scend. Carchado and Stevens saw him
let go of the rope, throw his arms out
grasping at the air, and fall back until
his head was lower than his heels; then
spin round and round, striking the
sharp rocks In fearful manner. Ste
vens said it fairly made his blood run
cold, and he turned his head from the
awful sight Meanwhile Corchado had
given the man at the windlass sign to
lower faster, and Grasty's apparently
lifeless and mutilated body soon
reached the spot where they stood. His
face was severely bruised, aud his cloth
ing badly torn, while the blood was
trucking from his nose and ears, but he
still breathed. After an hours rubbing
and throwing of snow in his face he
came to, and the whole party, now aug
mented by the arrival of number of
peon miners from below, descended the
sloping side of the crater. Corchado
and his Indians led the way, slowly fol-
lowed by Grasty, who was supported by
Stevens and peon. After they had
got about half way down the steep they
experienced from the ice and stones
great difficulty in travelling The most
annoying thing, however, was the con
slant danger they were in Of being
crushed by the huge hunks of ice and
rock that were continually rolling down.
This debris is the matter that is loosen
ed daily by the sun, whose warmth strikes
off its icy letters and suffers gravity to
have its way. After two hours slippery
descending they reached
THE BOTTOM OF THE PIT
about 4:30 in the afternoon of Thanks
giving day. It was now more than
fourteen hours since they had left the
timber line. During this time they
had assembled over 5000 feet to the
summit, and then descended 900 feet
into the bowels of the volcano. That is,
they were about eleven hours going up
5000 feet, and three hours going down,
including stoppages at the edges of the
crater. Here they found hut made
of stones, inhabited by the sulphur
miners. On arriving at the hut they
Immediately threw themselves upon a
pile Of mats and sought slumber, but
they lay all the long night wearied and
worn, rolling and tossing in Intellectual
attempts to gain little sleep. The
next morning Corchado prepared break
fast, and summoned them to partake Of
it. Aside from drinking cup of coffee,
they could eat nothing. Their stomachs
were not used to the treatment
they had been receiving the past thirty
six hours, and SO refused to be comfort
ed. Their lungs, too, were also in re-
bellion, and were disguised with the
vapidity of the air and the gaseous ex-
halations Of the "breathing holes. ="
These they now visited, in company
with their kind and generous host
They are the mighty assures that appear
In every direction in the bottom of this
vast cavity. They are not very broad,
but are deep. From these assures is
sued dense masses of vapOr and smoke,
heavily laden with sublimated sulphur
This condenses as soon as the steam
strikes the cold air above, aud then falls
IN fine sprinkle on the surrounding
rocks. This process has been going on
for ages, until the whole interior of this
great orlice is thickly coated with a re-
markably fine quality of the -four of
sulphur. This is in Quantities that ar
inexhaustible, and some day will pro-
duce a colossal fortune for it's owners
Gen. Ocho. Forty miners are now en-
gagged in excavating and hosting it to
the top of the crater.
To return to the chasms, however.
The party visited the largest and gazed
down into it. They could see no bot
tom for it endeded in stygian darkness.
They rolled huge stone into it's ragged
throat. A series Of reports, caused by
the missile bounding from side to side
of the pit, came back, loud at first, but
gradually diminishing until they died
away in the awful depths below. The
other holes were vomiting steam and
making a great noise, which at times
seemed like the Glow and laboring throb
Of Cyclopean enginery. At others it
sounded like the believing and shrek
ing of devils. Having now seen every
thing that could be seen, they bid their
new made but long aforementioned
friend, Corchado, farewell, and set out
to return, accompanied by four Indians.
THE ASCENT.
The $500 feet climb to the end of the
rope was fearful job, but the ascent
by the rope was still orse. They were
compelled to kick and push against the
cliff necessarily to prevent being drag
ged to pieces on the sharp rocks. They
got to the top in safety, however, and
there found more poems to take them to
the g timber line" They made the de-
scent by sitting down on piece of thick
mating, with an Indian seated behind