Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-10-20
TIE CRATER or vesuy,os.


aood Loeb Into tho Deotts - -.
Crest Abyss Of rire ana Drtm.t,n.
We stood at the great Vulf IN N. ,n,,,,r.t.4.
~ 49,, &, ens crater u The most active volcano
~ 'se wv'in from the great abyss before
~ sAa''e Clouds o. thick, suiphnrous vapor.
r'sa : s''''''d sometimes as II thunder storms
s ~u,s peing manufactured within, and again
- : .ns hosts OF hides were down there. bat-
.iihg suFioiisiy with each other. we could
.Sau'iy peiieye-~what we are told by sciep-
.'sts--tlat volcano is constant war he
sneeii tiie ocean Of water that il always mot
ar away and the ocean Of fire that RACES IN
nlne tne earth. Now and then great fiocks
u stones went flying hundreds Of feet into
.ne arr and at the end Of their return Jour.
Aey aiighted ~ near us as we cared 70 have
them = -
Wishing to get another view Of the cratcr
! engaged two extra guides, who. for Ia
modest SUM OF 81 extra, contracted to show
me everything additional that ono could
WITNESS, and yet hope TO descend the mount
am on the outside, and take dinner in the
evening. with bis friends. After exhibiting
several points upon their anatomy wbere
bones had been broken by falling rocks taIl
Oh which seemed to have healed reularkablv1
tney led me straight into the thick sulphurv
steam, which was about as sitting as any-
thing ever undertook to breathe ana
made the physical interior feel as II Il were
peing treated to a sudden attack Of spouta-
neous combustion. We descended into =
crater valley, which was full of vapor breath
ing crevices, and weird enough to form ono
OF the most interesting districts Of Dante,s
inferno" Suddenly my guides made :
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 q second and half n
following theni-so as to get good look at Il
from safe point
Great dangerow shouted the swarthy vii
lain who had my five francs. ssIt blows.
this the wind! wrong wayi Half the hour
ago, all 1t was different II you then had
only been herel But we must now 90 Il
back!''
The average Yankee, however cowardIv.
bad rather lose his life fairly than be swim.
died out OK a dollar; and, besides. 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 s'the new era,
teri
1T is death with only two glides,n said
the swarthy villain. "Two more guides YOU
must haf, that they shall warn and keen thu
falling stones from killing your
At this point new guides began to spring
up around me, as if they had been elected
from among the contents of the volcano
Not wishing TO take too many of them int
certain destruction, ignored all except til,
smallest one, and, shaking my cane at hin
with an assumed courage which did no
exactly feel, threatened him with instant de
struction entirely disconnected with volca
noes if he did not follow out the terms O
the contract
We were soon at the best point from which
to view the great drama of fire that was 90
ing on beneath. Flames sent their rudd,
glow upon the swelling clouds Of vapor tina
constantly pushed their way into the air
Now and then came sob from the breast O
the cruel mountain, as If it were mournin,
for the thousands 1t had murdered The sui
phur fumes made me feel as if the yolcan
were reaching out its long white fingers an
clutching me by the throat. A half gratin
and half Kissing sound was followed by a
explosion like the voice Of a cannon, and
long stone wall went stretching up into til
air in fragmental sections, between me an
that invisible locality where the sky was sur
posed to be. soon began to persuade mysel
! that it was unjust to expose the guide to per
any longer, and, to set good example, scan
pered out Of the way ahead of him with q
much agility as 1S5pounds avoirdupois woul
/, allow.-Will Carlton in New York Star.