The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-07-10
a GROWING MouNrAIN.
I2alco, Salvador Volcano, which Gets
Bigger Every Year.

Down on the coast of Central America
in the little republic of Salvador, so
near the ocean that it may be seen from
the decks of passing ships, is noun
tain that grows. There is another re-
markable fact about Izalco, as the noun
tain is called, for it is not only increas-
ing in height all the time, but it is the
most violent and constant of all vol
canoes. Every little while, from one
years end to the other, it spouts vast
quantities of fire, lava and ashes, which
fall in a shower and wrap its sides for a
thousand feet below the summit with a
blanket of living Goals.
1t is impossible to conceive a grander
spectacle than is presented at night to
the passengers upon ships that go that
way. No one goes to bed on the steamer
till the mountain is out of sight. Trav-
elers go a long distance to see it and
are always willing to admit that the
journey repaid them. The mountain
rises nearly 1000 feet, and as its base is
almost in the sea it looks much higher
An immense plume of smoke ascends
from the crater. The incessant bursts
of fame, mounting 500 feet every little
while, can be seen for more than 100
miles in clear weather. The mountain
has been called ''the Lighthouse of
Salvador" and the shipping on the
coast needs no other beacon so far as
the mountain can be seen.
Around the base of the volcano are
productive sugar plantations, with a
railroad running through them. Then
comes a wide strip of timber AN almost
impenetrable forest, whose foliage is
perpetual and of the darkest green. Be-
yond the forest and between the timber
line and the summit, is belt of ashes
and lava, which is constantly receiving
accessions from the crater, and every
few minutes changes from liVid yell
low, when the ashes are hot, to silver
gray, as they begin to cool. At night
the effect is very fine. At each eruption
there is a violent explosion, like the
discharge of thousand cannons, and
afterward a terrible rumbling is heard
beneath the surface Of the earth.
Izalco arose suddenly from plain in
the spring of ITO in the midst of what
had been for nearly hundred years
profitable sugar plantation. The owner,
Don Balthazar Erazo, was absent on
visit to Spain at the time, and was
greatly amazed on his return to discover
that his farm had been exchanged, With
out his knowledge or consent, for first
class volcano. 1t was in December, 1869,
that the poems on the plantation first
noticed that something was wrong un-
derneath. Although they were accus-
toned to "tremblers, " as slight earth
quakes are called, they became fright
ened at the unusual rumblings and
growlings in the bowels of the earth.
They decided to leave the place and got
away not moment too soon. A few
days later, when some of the most VEN
turesome went back to see how the ami
mails were getting on, they discovered
that all the buildings had been de-
stroyed, that great trees had been up
rooted, and large craters had opened in
the fields, from which came smoke and
flames, but apparently there had been
no great eruption as yet.
A party of shepherds, braver than the
rest, decided to remain in the neighbor-
hood and await developments, and on
the 23d of February, ITO, they were en-
tertained by spectacle that perhaps no
other men were ever permitted to wit
ness-the birth of mountain. 1t was
about ten o'clock in the morning, as
they afterward said, when the grand
upheaval took place. First came a
series of terrific explosions which lifted
the crust of the earth in pile several
hundred feet high, and from the open
ing issued flames and lava, with masses
of smoke. An hour or two after there
was another and grander conyulsion,
which shook the country for hundreds
Of miles and did great damage to the
neighboring towns. Rocks weighing
thousands of tons were lifted high in
the air and fell several miles distant.
The surface of the earth bulged up
nearly 5000 feet, and vast masses of
rocks were piled up around the crater
from which they issued.
These terrible earthquakes continued
for several days, and great damage was
done in the neighEoring provinces of
Nicaragua and Honduras, as we'll as in
San Salvador. The volcano was a
healthy and vigorous child. In less
than two months from level field arose
mountain more than 1900 feet high.
The discharges from the crater from
that time to this have accumulated
around the edges until the pile has
reached nearly 1000 feet, and it is still
growing. Unfortunately the growth OF
4 the monster has not been scientifically
observed or accurately measured. II
would be difficult to measure it, for the
/ surface of the cone, down to 1900 feet
from the summit, is always covered with
/ hot lava, over which no man could
climb, and the fumes of the sulphur
would suffocate one if the heat could be
endured. Companion.
No, Evidently She Can Not.
Young Husband-Are the proceedings
lively at your cooking-sehool, MayP
Young Wife-We had quite stir to
day.
/