Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-09-18

floor | struck out for the center of
the crater, over cold boiled lava
in the form of plains, hills, rivers, waves,
whirlpools, knobs and caves; over a re-
gion of blackness and desolation, over
lava twisted and distorted in every con-
ceivable shape and jammed together like
fields of ice.
After proceeding q mile the lava on
which walked became hotter and hotter,
and the whole floor and river, by deep
cracks, emitted smoke and hot sulphur
Gus steam, and before reaching the CEN
ter of the crater, red hot lava could be
seen in the deep assures, and in the lower
portions of the floor streams of livid,
cleaning lava oozed up through every
crack and crevice. Dodging from knoll
to knoll, and from hillock to hillock,
through streams of lava, l at length
reached an immense embankment, built
up with irregular slabs and ropy waves,
piled in confused heaps. Leaping from
slab to slab, across deep fiery assures,
reached the upper ledge of this gorge,
and found myself on cliff 100 feet above
a lake of boiling molten lava The form
of this lake Is round, and more than half
mile in diameter The walls are abso-
lutOly PCIPCHuIOuioI, UO1u ouu CIdSSy,
and not less than 100 feet
high. Although l spent three hours
in this neighborhood, the heat was so
great and the fumes of sulphur so sitting
that was obliged to retire from the
brink of the lake every few minutes to
get supply of better air.
Here is the widest scene in nature, and
new words must be added to our Ian
guage before it can be faithfully de-
scribed. l will mention only few of
the acts in the eternal play Of this fiery
furnace. In many respects this lake be-
HAYES like stormy sea, the boiling lava
takes the form of mighty waves; then
impelled by some internal force, they are
dashed heavily against the red-hot lava
cliffs, sounding like the roar of stormy
ocean. These seething, blood-red bill
lows Immediately reform and roll against
the cliffs on the opposite side of the lake,
and continue dashing to and fro, as
though determined to break down their
prison walls. Whirlpools then form On
the face of this boiling cauldron and great
molten masses would wallow round and
round IN the most violent manner.
tossing CORY waves high in the air and all
was horror and confusion. AS if weary,
this sea of fire does at intervals come to
partial rest. Then follows the most ter
rifle war between external and internal
| elements. The external air carrying off
| the caloric is constantly endeavoring to
| bridge over this great fiery orifce, and a
one of these languid turns in the short
space of twenty minutes a hard crust,
three or four inches thick, forms over al
most the entire lake. Then commences
| the most unearthly sounds-the breaking
up of this lava crust has voice all its
own, the Kissing, coughing, rumbling and
| believing, is most deafening and infer
nal A new impulse now seiZes the lava,
| the whole floor of the crater shakes and
| trembles, the crust on the lake sways up
and down when cracks, as red as blood,
shoot across in all directions, widening,
| look like great red ribbons. The broken
fragments are churned up and down and
dissolved IN the boiling flood Innumerable
pillows of fire now dash themselves iuto
the air and againt the red-hot lava rocks
on either side, then huri their glowing
masses to the center in state of terrific
ebulition The violent struggles of the
lava in its fiery bed, and the loud and
| awful NOSES suggest the idea that some
| W IClCdSC
themselves from their bondage, with
shrieks, groans and walls of agony and
despair. This stupendous display of fire.
works would evidently be more enjoya-
BILE in cooler climate, but standing on
fire and surrounded by fire, under trop-
ica1 sun, in a pit 1000 feet below the sur
face of the earth, 1 insist, is pretty
square test of physical endurance.
This volcano has not overlooked its
vast crater for forty years. In 1910 ii
sent river of fire dashing down to the
sea, which swept forests. hamlets, plan
tations and everything that lay in its
path. The stream was five miles wide,
and in places two hundred feet deep
travelling distance of forty miles, roll.
| ing into the sea and adding half a mile Of
additional coast. The water of the sea
boiled for an area of ten miles, killing
multitudes of fishes The crater has
| been gradually sinking from year to year
which is sufficient evidence that the fluiC
lava now finds passage through some
| subterranean channel. H.