The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-06-03

giving day. It was now more than
fourteen hours since they had left the
timber line. During this time they had
assembled over 6. 600 feet to the summit,
and then descended 4 800 feet into the
bowels, of the volcano. That is, they
were sbout ele7en hours going up 5000
feet, and three hotlrs going down, in
cluding stoppages at the edges of the
crater. Here they found hut made of
! stones. inhabited by the sulphur min
ers. On arriving at the Init they iUame-
diately threw themselves upon pile Of
mats and sought slumber, but they lay
all the long night wearied and worn,
rolling and tossing N Intellectual at
tempts to gain little sleep, The next
morning O. rchado prepared breakfast
and stipmoned them to partake of it.
ASIDE from drinking & cup of coffee,
they could eat nothing. Their stom-
Rchs were not used 30 the treatment
they had been receiving the past thirty
six hours, and so refused to be COM
forted. Their lungs, too, we're also in
rebellion, and we're disgusted with the
vspidity of the air and the. gaseous ex-
halations OF the " breathing holes. IS
These. they now visited, In company
with their kind and generous host.
pear IN every direction in the bottom OF
this vastcavity. 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, and then fails
in a fine sprinkle on the surrounding
rocks. This process has been going on
faF. ge -k.oHe ~.E
great orifce is thickly coated with a
remarkably fine quality of the -four of
sulphur; This is ii Quantities that are
inexhau5tible, and some day will pro-
duce a colossal fortune for its owner,
Gen. Ocho. Forty miners are now en-
gagged In excavating and hoisting it to
the top of the crater.
To return TO the chasms, however.
The party visited the largest and gazed
down into ii. They could see no bot
tom for it ended in stygian darkness.
They rolled a huge stone into its 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 slow and labOring throb
OF Cyclopean enginery. At others it
sounded like the believing and skriek-
ing of devils. Having now seen every
thing that could be seen, they bid their
new-made but long to- be-remem bered
friend, Corchado, farewell, and set out
to return, accompanied by four Indians.
THE ASCENT.
The 8, 800 feet climb to tie end of the
rope was fearful Job, but the ascent
by the rope was still worse. They were
compelled to kick and push againtt the
cliff ince essaptly 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 climber ine." They made the de-
scent by sitting down on a piece of thick
mating, with an Indian seated behind
each of them, to steer this novel vehicle
while sliding down the mountain, over
the snow and ice. They descended six
miles in less than twenty minutes.
One time, while buried in a thick
snow-laden cloud, they came near slip
ping into the BGTrGncG deL Afuerte. 3
chasm 5000 feet deep. On reaching
the end of the snow fields they found
their horses as La Cruz, and then rode
to TlamRcas. When met them I scarce
ly recognized them, they were so hag.
gard, sunburnt, bruised and dirty.
When Cortez conquered Mexico, Po
pocapetI was in a state of combustion,
and throwing out vast volumes of smoke
which could be seen for hundred miles
in every direction. Now the quantity
is so small that it can be seen only after
arriving at its base. The FIRST white
man to ascend it was Francisco Monta
no, in 1919. He was sent to the crater
for supply of sui phur for Cortez, anG
to impress the Aztecs with the courage
of the Spaniards. Since then numerous
ascensions have been made by eminent
savans, travellers, and adventurers from
Europe and the United States. Mrs
John w. Foster, the wife of our minis
ter, and Mrs. Arthur Terry, of Connecti
cut, are the only women that ever called
Popocatapetl to its top, and Col. s. g.
Grasty and Harry Stevens, of Cleveland
are the only foreigners that ever de
ecended to the bottom of the crater, and
there passed the night.
The last eruption of PopOcatapet
| occurred, according to an ancient Aztet
Maguey paper MS. now in the posses
sion of Senior Ramerez, of Macamecca
about the middle of the fourteenth cen
tury, nearly 10 years before the Span
lard first trOd the valley of Mexico.