Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-20
ABOVE THE CLOUDS.
A Night on Popocatapetl Volcano,
$4,000 Feet Above the Sea.
1T TAKES NERVE TO 60 TO THE TOP.
Scenes in Early Morning With Not an OBJ
struction to the View.
A SPRAINED ANKLE AT THE CRATER

1 ICORRhSPONDENCE OF THE DlSfATCh.i
| CITY OF MEXICO, July 12.-Mexico con-
tains no sight grander or more inspiring
than that presented by the volcano Popo-
cataplet as it resrs its snow-capped summit
to the heavens on a cloudless day. Rising
three and half miles above the sea level
! and nearly two miles above this city, II
possesses advantages for the sightseer held
by no other mountain peak in North
America. Last Thursday morning left
this city for Amecama, q pretty little town
| of re3-roofed houses 35 miles distant, situa-
ted at the foot of the mountain and from
which the ascent is usually made. Here
after an amount of parleying sufficient al
most, in length, at least, 10 have decided the
fate of nation. secured the guide, horses
and outfit necessary in making the journey.
Two days are required properly to mount to
the summit and return but by making all
preparations on Thursday I hoped to be able
TO complete the entire journey on the fol-
lowing DAY.
We were, indeed, an odd-looking group.
| The guide, swarthy Mexican, with two
steely black eyes, sat astride his little horse
with the air OF an : Alexander signing Tor
more worlds to conquer. A tall, neavv
| sombrero, whose color had been originally
existence had turned yellow. covered his
thick hair and almost concealed his face;
pair of ill-ftting trousers, which bore so
manv patches that it was impossible to tell
which was the original fabric, covered his
neither limbs: shirt. which had not felt
water for weeks, and short coat of the same
| character as the trousers were hidden be-
meath the bright red blanket, which was
closely wrapped about his shoulders. The
mozo wore the costume common to all OF his
class, trousers and shirt of white cotton
cloth, piece OF cowhide fastened with
straps across the instep beneath each foot,
and a battered straw sombrero upon his
head.
EQUIPPED FOR COLD WEATHER.
Nv own outfit was more varied ii less
| picturesque than those of my companions.
| A heavy cap that once had boasted OF a
covering of fur rested unsteadily on my
| head; nv feet were tightly wrapped in cot
ton cloth swathings; a pair of wooler init.
tens that felt comfortable in the cool morn
| ing air protected my hands; two thick
blankets rested, one about my shoulders and
the other in my saddle; pair of smoked
| eyeglasses sat astride my nose; a basket of
nourishing iood was strapped about my
waist
The bell in the village church tower was
| ringing the hour of as we started on our
| journey. the mozo running along with ease
at the feet of our horses. The summit of
| the volcano was obscured behind huge banks
of fleecy clouds. For some little distance
we rode along beaten track, stopping oc-
casionally to pluck the hardy little flowers
| that blossomed on the rocky ground. Now
and then we passed through stretches of
dense shrubbery and again through little
| groves of cedars that grew so thickly as to
| completely hide the sky from view. In a
| little over an hour we had reached Tlama-
cas-, a sulphur ranch, where the laborers in
| the sulphur works at the crater spend their
nights. Here we stopped for short time
| to partake of some lood and to glance
| hastily at the little town we had
| left far below us. We were now IL, 900 feet
above the sea level and the sharp, rare
! air, added to the excitement of the scene,
was beginning to tell upon my breath. The
ascent, too, began to take on more diff
| cult nature. Our horses had to make their
| way along rough ledges and through deep
ravines where one false step would have
| precipItated US hundreds of feet to the
| rocks below. The only flower to be found
| was a little white one with dark yellow
| centre that grew on dense thistled bushes.
| The air grew colder. and I found one
blanket scarcely enough to keep me COM
Portable.
AT THE SNOW LINE.
I was looking at my watch to find it close
on IL o'clock, when, with an exclam alton
from the guide, we emerged from the dense
bank OF clouds through which we had been
riding for some time and found ourselves at
the snow line, with the summit of the noun
tain clothed in its eternal garb of white
glisteding brightly in the sun far above us.
Dismounting IRON our horses, we gave them
into the care of the mozo. Then, taking
another bite from the lunch basket, glanc-
| ing at our outfits to see that everything was
right, and grasping firmly the sharp and
| pointed stats with which we were provided,
the guide and myself started on foot through
| the snow and ice for the crater.
We had not traversed 30 rods before re-
GREETED that had uudertakens sthe journey.
| The cold, despite the sun above US, was in
! tense. 1t became very difficult for me to
breathe, and at every inspiration my chest
felt as if it would burst. The snow lay al
most knee-deep upon its foundation of ice,
| and at every step it seemed almost impossi-
| BILE Tor me to drag my heavily bandaged
| feet forward another inch. The scene was
wild and desolate in the extreme. Below
dense masses of gray clouds foated lazily
| northward: above nothing but blue sky sur
rounded the glaring sun; above us on all
| sides stretched uneven masses of snow. 1t
/ seemed as if We had ceased to be q part of
earth.
"We must hurryv" muttered the guide in
Spanish, pointing to the sun, which now
stood directly above us. But how could a
fellow hurry when he was on the point of
dropping in his tracks from sheer exhaus-
ton? / made fierce effort, however, and
with face that must have presented all the
| aspects of a crushed ambition trudged on
ward in the footprints of the guide, along
deep ravines, around gaunt bluffs and
through wild passes. N.
THE CRATER AT LAST.
One hour-two hours-three hours that
| seemed like as many ages passed by in this
manner. Only the knowledge that every
| step was bringing me nearer to the crater
kept me from sinking, exhausted, in the
snow. Somehow cannot recall accu-
rately-after what appeared an interminably
long way about high ledge OF ice and
snow we emerged upon the open, and saw
we we're within 10 rods of the crater. As l
| did so also noticed the guide slip. lose his
| hold on his staff aud falla heavily to the
snow have since chided myself for my
| thoughtlessness, but the moment was SO
supreme that 1 neglected to go to the mans
aid. Like fash every trace OF exhaustion
| lett my body, and, as If propelled by cleo
trio force. darted forward to the peak.
A cry of Joy escaped my lips when I
reached point where I could look down
into the yawfiing crater and felt that had
successfully scaled this giant of nature.
| Then 1 pulled my revolver and fired the
| FIVE shots rapidly into the air. Not con-
tent with this display of enthusiasm drew