Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-31
A MOUNTAINS BIRTH.
THE WONDERFUL VOLCANOES OF
J0RULIO.
A Plain Become Sea Of Fire, from
Which Arises a Black and
Burning Mountain.

Burning Mountain.
Especial Correspondence of the RECORD UxIoS.l
PATDoUARo, Mexico, July II, 1886.
Jorullo is only twenty-five miles from
Ario, pleasant road leading to the ham
let Of La Playa, which lies at the base Of
the famous volcano. For several miles
the country is gently rolling, dotted with
fine groves of oak and pine Then dense
forest is reached, after which the path
suddenly become narrow and rugged-de-
scends rapidly TO the dreaded terra calicllte,
or hot country" Bananas and indigo
plants grow wild here-the latter bush
about four feet high, with leaf resembling
fern-and fields Of sugar cane are on ey-
cry side. We pass several primitive sugar
mills, where the cane is put into an OK
hide hopper and run through wooden
rollers, the motive power being 4 yoke of
oxen attached to long shaft, as in a
hoTse-whim.
The village of Puerta de la Playa is
hardly extensive enough TO deserve so
high-sounding name, for it contains only
about dozen cane-stalk huts, matched
with dried palm leaves. There is one
adobe house Of two stories, rooted with red
tiles-the residence and store of Don
Francisco Vega, the Inspector of Police
and autocrat of the vicinage. The sophis-
ticated traveller will secure letter of in
PRODUCTION to the local magnate, or other
wise he Will be obliged to "put up" at one
Of the native huts, as there is neither
rlesoH nor foY5dita within many miles. The
climate being here very dry and hot, dan
gerous reptiles and insects of all sorts
abound, including scorpions, vipers, spiders
aud rattlesnakes. The oft-repeated advice
TO shake your boots in the morning." may
be improved upon by keeping them, and
all your clothes, on during the night, as
some protection against poisonous yermin.
Notwithstanding It's horrors, the tourist
who wishes to visit Jorullo must pass the
night here-but few can truthfully say
that they slept at La Playa. either at the
residence Of Senior de Vega or in one of the
viper-iniested huts. At the first glimmer
Of dawning (about $50 A. NJ. in this lati-
tude) one should set out for the volcano in
order 30 reach the summit before the sun
becomes too hot
THE ASCENT OF THE MOUNTAIN
Begins oaly about three miles distant, by
trail that leaves the main road leading
to Acapulco, and winds over barren
plateau covered with powders of black
scOri3ceeus basait. Horses can be ridden
TO within talf Il mile of the summit, and
a native guide can be hired for half
dollar.
Previous to the year 1873, as Ear back rs
the memory Of m.n or his traditions ex-
tend, this noS barren district OF Jorulio
pronounced Hoar-ro0l-yo) was one of the
most beautifu, and fertile portions of
Michoaeau--the very garden of Mexico.
The nearest volcano, that Of Colenia, was
l20 miles away, and the quiet inhabitants,
with their smiling farms and flower
embowered c'tsas, had no thought of danger
in the peaceful valley. Late in June of
the aforementioned year, subterranean
noises began to be heard, which died away
as suddenly I'D mysteriously as they came,
but returned at frequent Intervals For
three months this surprising phenomenon
continued, greatly to the CONSERVATION of
the simple inhabitants, who believed ii to
be the work Of an angry God, brought
about by the
SALEDICTToEs OF THE CAPUCHINs,
Who had established Il mission at the near
by hamlet Of San Pedro, but failed to re-
ceive hospitable treatment from the Indi-
ans. Accordingly the monks pronounced
anathemas upon the valley, predicting that
unless the people embraced the faith OF the
Capuchins their homes should be DESTROYED
by flames that would issue from the earth,
and that afterward the air would be so cold
that eternal ice and snow would take the
place Of perpetual summer. Whether the
monks really did hit upon such Il remarka-
able prOphesy, it is certain that tradition
OF it still remains; and so much of these
n2aledictions have been realized that the
natives OF to-day see in the gradual cooling
of the newborn mountain Il presage Of
Arctic GOODNESS.
Through July and August of 1859, sue
cessi0n Of earthquakes, at irregular inter
vals shook the earth so terribly that sew
eral times the inhabitants fled in conster-
nation. But finally all remained. quiet for
several weeks and the people resumed their
usual ayocations, believing that the curse
of the Capuchins had spent its force. At
exactly the point where the great volcano
now stands was formerly thick forest of
guayava trees from whose delicious fruit
the natives made and exported sort of
sweetheart, similar to the modern guava
Jelly. On that fatal 2Sth of September
NEARLY 100 years ago) all the laborers
from the cGadperdies (sugar-cane fields of
the rich hacienda de San Pedro, which
occupied all the now volcanic region,
went out 10 gather the guayava. They
were astonished to find that their great
hats of broom straw were covered with
ashes! Afterwards it was learned that fis-
sures had already opened in what is now
known rs the Mdipais {" bad land" ", at
the foot of the high basaltic dome called
El Cuiche, which threw out this volcanic
sign before any change had been observed
to take place on the plain. So rapidly did
this rain of black ashes increase, that be-
fore midnight the whole valley was COW
cred to the depth of two feet whereupou
everybody lied TO the hill Of Agusarco,
few miles distant, which rises to a hight
OF $500 feet above the former plain of
Jorullo. From this elevation the horri-
fed Indians beheld flames issuing from the
bosom Of their lately smiling plain, which
now heayed and tossed like raging sea,
while huge masses of burning rock were
hurled high in air Through thick clouds
of ashes, illumined by volcanic fires, they
beheld
THE BIRTH OF a MOUNTAIN.
Those who witnessed the phenomenon
declare that suddenly the whole surface of
the valley was seen TO rise in the form of
dome, throwing out at the same time nu-
meroUs smaller peaks and cones, some of
them rising to an elevation of from 200
to 400 feet. Then in the midst of that
blazing sea a huge, shapeless mass appeared
doubtless the present volcano, which has
an altitude of 4.267 feet above the level of
the ses-and which the terror-stricken
spectators likened unto castillo negro,
"black castle" The flames were plainly
seen from distant Patzenaro; even the
roofs of the houses in Queritaro PA miles
away, were covered with ashes; and the
rivers Of San Andres and Cuitumba, both
streams Of considerable size, sank into the
burning mass, while rivulet near La
Playa suddenly became mighty torrent,
which threatened to inundate the town.