The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1877-05-11

KOL.@XXlIEI5,, K:L * X'l.I i ;, NO. n 43.
The Boiling Lake In the Island Of
~ u ~ Il Dominion. M O. -' '''-

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The Boiling Lake In the Island Of
4 ~ u IL Dominica.
The "Black Country" of Wolver.
4 hampton notoriety' is q weird place, and
suggests weird ideas enough, whether
traFersed by night or by day; but it is
GO mild domestic y compared to natures
own scAYhits Country" the sulphur re-
giou of Dominica "A world like this
abandoned teryoie mic agencies, as the
moon is supposed to have been at seme
unlucky ep,leh finer existence, would be
| a more fitting abode tLan even the Bib,
lical Babylon for'the- satyrs, dragons and
other, doleful creatures of, the prophet,
a throne for AFimeEes himself. f.st' w
+ We We-clambered for an hour or so, first
across a knife like dividing ridge, and
then among the broken holloHs of sec
ond "a crater lnOr SDqltJseTe, considerably
larger in dimensions than the first, but
comparatively quiesceut; q silent, burnt
out region of ash land sulphur, sur
rounded by high bare walls of pumice
and volcanic crag,, Little streams was
here visible, nor were any explosions to
be heard from underneath5 but the
many streams of white yell 6w,l red or
black water that, pierced and furrowed
the spongy crust in every direction were
all hot, and told Of fires yet smouldering
| at no great distance below. In front Of
US rose, a, bare. ridge of heapediu pumice
and ash, shutting off the .southeTly seq
ment OF the great crater as though with
partition wall and from behind its
range, vast columns OF steam, whitened
against the dazzling blue of the cloud
less sky. We tookltbe Intervening bar
rier alta run, and checked ourselves short
at'the top; a few steps more would have
sent us head foremost into the boiling
lake. .E.-si d7wn ,,..r.....
A strange sight to see, and not less aw-
full than strange, Fenced in by steep,
mostly indeed perpendicu lar banks
varying from sixty to a hundred feet
high, cut out in ash and pumice, the
lake RACES and roars like a wild beast in
its cage; the surface to which such
measurements as we could make assigned
about two hundred yards IN length by
more than half the same amount in
breadth, Is that of giant seething caul-
dron, covered with rapid steam, through
which; when the veil is for a moment
blown apart BY the mountain breeze, APP
pears a confused mass of tossing waves,
crossing and clashing in every direction
"a chaos of boiling waters. Towards
the centre, where the ebullitiOn is at its
fereest, geyser-like masses are being con-
stantiy thrown up to the heighth of sew
eral feet, not on one exact spot, but |
shifting from side TO side,g each fresh
burst being preceded by noise like that
of a canon fred of at some great depth !
below, while lesser jets,often make their
H.. AZ LII
What the general depth of water may be |
would be difficult to ascertain; but a
line stretched out from the end of pole
indicates a sheer descent Of fifty or sixty
feet within a couple of yards distance
from the shore. The heatGf the water,
where it beats in seething Testlessness on
eicliff, is one hundred aud eighty de-
grees Fahrenheit; we tied a thermom-
eter to stick and found the surface
temperature at the distance of few feet
further on to be almost two hundred de-
grees Fahrenheit The height Of the
lake is a little over 2, 4U0 feet, an eleva-
ton which at an average. atmosphere
temperature of sixty-fouf degrees gives
the boiling point for water at two hun
dred degrees Fahrenheit, or near it.
The lake is evidently supplied for the
most part from springs within its, OWN
circuit; but a little stream, formed by
the union of two small mountain rivu-
lets, runs down from the. heights to the
north; the water of the brook is cold,
and may contribute somewhat, especially
in the rainy season, to, the vol pnie of the
lake, The addition may, however, be
slight, for the highest water liue along
the, cliffs, marked partly by. erosion,
partly by bright yellow band of sui |
phur deposit, was at the epoch of our |
visit, that is, as the. conclusion of the |
dry season in Dominica, only a few |
inches above the actual water level, an |
additional proof THAT the lake is almost
wholly supplied from below. In fact,
the principal tefeet of a heavy rain /
shower or an Augmented inflow is said
to be a sudden increase iHtbe violence of
the surface action, the ,reslllt doubtless
of the shock produced blythe meeting of
such very opposite temperatures.
This torrent, by the stones and earth
brought down with it in its descent, has
formed slope which, though steep, per-
mits of a cautious apPrOaeh to the
waters edge; everywhere else the cliffs
are absolutely perpendicular, butIgrad
lally lessen in height toward the SOUTH
sTn extremity, where gate-like rent
has been formed, through (Which the
waters rush out in a scaldihg torrent and
pear their heat with them lar down the
sides, as they seek the eastern
ea at Mulatto Point. - No vegetation,
except the dreary clusia. with a dingy
,ind of moss, and not more cheerful look
ng growth of pitcairnia, exists within
he immediate range OF the heated sui
,hureous vapors;. but on looking round |
We see the farther background closed in
" noble forests. ..... sai"ey ~-ta'.
Here we remained, as long as pru-
ence and the mindfulness of the long
nd difficult route that lay behind as
in wondering delghts tried {
0 walk round the lake along the cliffs, :
ut could not manage At; took measure
lents; tested the heat of the water; ir-
itated the geyser-like action, where not
DO far from the margint By +, throwing !
own stones, which were followed, after !
earlya moments interval. by the usual Y
ssuft of more violent ebull llition than =
lstomary; and e lastly, attempted
1etches from several ,poipts of view;
ut found the attempt to be g. pursuit. ~
art under difficulties, amid the blind
lg steam and pungept Yapor.-N Ndc0'ft- !:
MS Magazine. ,-..-T 700 sid" s.4-. y