New-York tribune., 1882-03-05
i ScRINBLE Up TESUTTUS.
rrnnl TinSIcn,s Minimizing.


After somewhat NOR than half an hours ride
over how.ing wilderness, we reached the loot oi
the cone and the lower station OF tue tetroNla
Fuulcalorc iii NesOyO, or NesuYlan Rope hallway.
we dIsmOuntcd here, leaving our horses in charge
of the custodian of what seemed to be a wooden
annex to the modest whltewashed railway sta
tIOu AID passing over in silence a suggestion from
q hairy ragamulin that ho should drag me up the
cone with his strap for the sum OF SIX francs,
began the ascent forthwith. 1t was weary cllmb
e ough from the lower To the upper station Oi the
railway: but, fortunately, not a long one the as
cent of somewhat more than thousand feet being
accomplished in about an hours time.
The superiority of the superior station OF the
Funicular Railway lies wholly in its elevation
above sea level The editice is nothing more than a
wooden shanty-a mere tabernacle Iuh up III style
sufficiently enduring 10 last until the next eruption
has brushed the Funlcular Railroad OF the face OF
the mountain. The railroad itself Is OF very pccu-
liar construction. The line IS a double one; but
thr carriages of which there are twO-Onc ascend
ing while the other deSCendS--run each on single
rail raised above foot from the bed OF the road on
a massive sleeper. The wheels are placed beneath
the carriage in line along the centre of IT, H0or
AMI on these wheels the carriage Is balanced IN
what seems a very uncanny fashion astrlde the
high rail. The Yehlre Is Atcauleu DN Il SERIES Oi
guide wheels which, mounted on peculiar curved
arms projecting horizontally from the lower pa;t
OF the framework, press irlnly against small
secondary rails fixed to the sides of the sleeper An
endless wire ropo working over large pullcyS 1T the
upper and lower stations is fixed to each carriage
aud the rope being set In motion by 4 stationary
engine below, one carriage mounts while the other
de,,ends the steep gredIcnt of more than thirty
degrees. Cdrpe diem is naturally the maxim OF the
Vcsuyus Railway Company. Let ny cut down
our expenses TO the lowest figure, and squeeze as
much money as We can to-day from tourists ana
students Of nature, Tor To morrow the mountain
may be on the rampage Such language as THIS no
doubt IS hold 10y the chairman OF the company
when a shareholder ventures to suggest more
liberal expenditure on permanent way or a reduc-
ton of the exorbtant fares.
Five minutes from the upper station along a
rugged path ilanked by walls of rough scor.e, and
| the top of the mountain, hidden until now by the
slope of the cone came suddenly into view, dense
cloud Of white smoke issuing from the crater, ac.
| companied by Intermittent discharges of black
| ashes and cnders A few PAGES more, and. passing
| over n low brow ut the summit of the great cone
| we find ourselves in front OF a small hut of roughly
thrown together lava blocks.
The character of the prospect. looking from thi,
hut toward the smoking crater, might be best
! summed up in the one word Internal" smal
plateau or shallow basin, less than fifty yards II
width, lay before us, covered with rough crest Of
sulphur whose brilliant tints of yellow and orange
and green were beautiful with reptilian beauty
| Imagine q huge frog skin stretched over rougi
surface some Atty Yards wide. and you have al
almost perfect ipicture of this little basin AT IT