Wichita eagle., 1888-07-29
THE CRATER OF vEsuWUs.
A Good Loot Into the Depths of the
Great Abyss of Fire and Birthstone.


Great Abyss Of Fire and Birthstone.
We stood at the great gulf In the mountain
top-at the crater Of the most active volcano
in the world. From the great abyss before
Us came clouds Of thick, sulphurous vapor,
| with sound sometimes as if thunder storms
were being manufactured within. and again
as if the hosts of hades were down there. bat
ting furiously with each other. We could
readily beieve-what We are told by scien-
tists-that volcano is constant war be-
tween the ocean of water that is always not
far away and the ocean of fire that RACES in
side the earth Now and then great focxs
of stones went flying hundreds of feet into
the air, and at the end of their return jour
ney alghted as near Us as We cared to have
them.
Wishing to get another view Of the crater,
/ engaged two extra guides, who, for the
modest SUM Of ST extra, contracted to show
me everything additional that one could
witness, and yet hope 10 descend the mount
ain on the outside, and take dinner in the
evening with his friends. After exhibiting
several points upon their anatomy where
bones had been broken by falling rocks tall
OF which seemed TO have healed remarkably
they led me straight into the thick suiphury
steam, which was about as sitting as any
thing l ever undertook to breathe, and
made the physical interior feel as if it were
being treated to sudden attack Of sponta-
neous combustion. We descended into a
crater valley, which was full CT vapor breath
ing crevices, and weird enough to form one
of the most interesting districts of Dante's
Inferno Suddenly my guides mado a
break for fresh air and the outer edge of the
crater, and /, supposing that some tremen-
dous new historical CONFUSION of nature was
at hand, used about a second and hall in
following them-so as to get good look at it
from 2 safe point.
"Great dangeroi" shouted tine swarthy vii
lain who had my five francs. sit blows.
this the wind! a wrong wayl Half the hour
ago, all it was different! II you then had
only been here! But We must now 90 it
back!
Tho average Yankee, however cowardly,
had rather lose his life fairly than be SWIM
died out Of a dollar; and, besides, l had
been told Of this trick by friend who had
assembled the volcano the day before. So,
hiding all my trembling fears, insisted on
the whole "trip to the edge Of 1.-THE new era
ter"
SIT is death with only two guides" said
ths swarthy villain. 1.-TWO more guides you
must hat, that they shall warn and keep the
falling stones from killing you"
At TINS point new guides began to spring
up around me, if they had been elected
from among the contents Of the volcano
Not wishing to take too many Of them into
certain destruction, l ignored all except the
smallest one, and, shaking my cane at him
with an assumed courage which l did not
exactly feel, threatened him with instant do
struction entirely disconnected with volca-
noes if he diu not follow out the terms of
the contract.
We were soon at the best point from which
to view the great drama OF fire that was 60
ing on beneath. Flames sent their ruddy
glow upon the swelling clouds of vapor that
constantly pushed their way into the air
Now and then came a sob from the breast of
the cruel mountain, as if it were mourning
for the thousands it had murdered. The sui
phur fumes made me feel as if the volcano
were reaching out its long white fingers and
clutching me by the throat. A half grating
and half Kissing sound was followed by an
explosion like the voice of a cannon, and q
long stone wall went stretching up into the
air in fragmental sections, between me and
that invisible locality where the sky was sup
posed to be. soon began to persuade myself
that it was unjust to expose the guide to peril
any longer, and, to set a good example, scam
pered out of the way ahead of him with as
much agility as 1S5 pounds avoirdupois would
allow.-Will Carlton in New York Star.