Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-09-12


there you can see long distance. Il Is
so clear q Mexican will see five-cent
piece two miles off, and go for It.
The ascent of Pocouatapetl is diff
cult, dangerous, and unpleasant. Let
it be understood from the start. the
writer did not climb the mountain, but
got all his information at secondhand.
A man who he's climbed up the kauita-
Bile Building few hundred times to
see the weather clerk has no affinity for
mountains. II Is thought TO be neces-
safy 10 have special suit of clothes for
the climb, a suit as old and ragged as
possible, and as dusty. Then, the
climber must have large nails driven
into the soles of his shoes, that project
at least a quarter Of an inch on the out
side, and this makes it necessary to
have an extra sole nailed on the shoes.
There must be a long pair of woolen
stockings to draw over the shoes.
There must be thin clothes for the hot
part of the journey, and very thick
clothes for the cold part. There must
be little brandy to keep man warm,
and provisions to satisfy his appetite.
1t takes, in short, more preparation to
climb Popocatapetl than 1t does to move
a circus company across the continent.
1t was a sight that must have made the
Mexican donkeys smile to see the party
of American excursionists last winter
preparing for the ascent. When they
got the first sight of the mountains, oh,
yes, they were all going up; what q
jolly picnic it would be! Then when
they reached the capital and learned
some of the difficulties in the way,
some of them wanted to go and some
didn't. So the Grand High Mogul of
the expedition, who called more meet
ings and did less business than a
Town Committee, called a meet
ing of all who desired to climb the
mour aims. About thirty persons at
tended the meeting, and twenty said
they wanted to climb. So day was
fixed, and all the arrangements were
made. When the day arrived the party
were not quite ready, and the journey
was postponed for two weeks. At the
expiration of two weeks seventeen of
the party had changed their minds, and
the other three were very weak. But
the three started on their own hook"
and actually got as far as the place
known as "The Ranch" few hun
dred feet up the side of the mountain.
There they all concluded that mount
aims didn't amount to much, anyhow,
especially volcanoes, and they turned
around and went home. When the
traveller has pluck enough to 90 up, the
first days journey takes him to little
village, not far from the foot of the
mountain, where he spends the first night
in queer old inn, where they cook
everything with garlic and red pep
per and sell pulque. The next days
travel takes him to "The Ranch" a
little way up the hill, where General
Ochoa's Superintendent lives, with his
family, and keeps only two beds in a
usable condition. If the climbing par
ty is a large one, most of its members
have to sleep on the floor; and the at
mosphere at night, at the elevation of
1.-The Ranch" is such as to call for a
warm bed with plenty of blankets. The
next day, the third day, the real work
of the trip begins. Above 1.-The
Ranch there is no vegetation. Every
thing is ashes and cinders, so deep that
the traveller sinks above his ankles and
has to help himself up with an alpen-
stock. At this stage of the journey
most travelers-who don't turn back
wear wells to keep the dust and ashes
out of their eyes. This climbing up an
almost straight wall of ashes, getting
sleeper and sleeper every minute, till
it seems TO overhang above, continues
till about two clock in the afternoon,
the start having been made before day
light. About two O. clock the snow-line
is reached. The view from this point
is said to be magnificent, and would be
worth the journey if man could go up
in an elevator. Travellers say that even
before they look at the scenery they be-
gin to wonder how the ground looks
something of curiosity to see the snow
melted off where it has lain for few
million years. There might be all
sorts of valuable things underneath
this accumulation of snow; but nobody
has ever undertaken to shovel or
melt it off. 1t is in this snow region
that the danger of the journey
lies. The atmosphere is here so thin
that a great many people cannot live in
it at all. Every step upward takes
away mans breath, and he has to
stop moment to recover himself. His
shoes and his eyes are full of ashes, and
he is gradually freezing to death. I'm
der these circumstances good breathing
facilities are very important. 1t is near
ly dark by the time the summit is
reached, and the beautiful view has dis
appeared. There is just time enough
left before dark for descent into the
crater, where the third night is to be
spent. If the ascent was dangerous,
the descent is still worse. The crater is
800 or 400 feet deep, and the means of
going down are extremely limited and
prImfUve. There is big windlass at
the top, with stout rope running over
it, and stick tied across the end of
the rope. The person who is going
down straddles the rope and sits on the
stick, as if it were horse, and uses his
long stick to keep himself from being
dashed to pieces against the rocks as
he goes down. AS the guide-books say,
"The descent occupies only a few min
utes, but it seems much longer" This
is quite probable, considering the man.
ner of going down. There is a little
shed in the crater, where visitors sleep,
by the side of the workmen, who stay
there to cut out birthstone and ice. The
crater is half full of birthstone and ice.
There are other places where birthstone
is found in great quantities, but it is
not known that there is any ice there.
The air in the crater is bad, and dan.
gerous to breathe at night. A Morris
ania man slept in the open air of the
crater for two nights in 1875, and he
will never climb any more mountains.
The birthstone and ice that are taken
out of the crater every year are worth
good deal of money, and the propri-
etor of the volcano need have no thought
for the morrow, for fresh ice and brim,
stone show themselves in the crater as