Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-19
AT A GIANTS FEET.
Dreamy Days Spent Watching the
Lofty Crater of Momotoinba
TIE VOLCANO is RESTING now
But Great Plumes Of Smoke Ever wave
From His Highly Heed.
PILGRIMAGE THAT ENDED IN DEATH

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE prsPArcn
LA PAz, NICARAGUA, @ A. June -
This village, situated on the shore of Lake
Managua, is q place Of small importance.
Here the line Of the Nicaragua Railr Dad ID
broken by the lake, making 1t terminal
point The traveller eastward bound must
transfer his belongings to the little steamer
that will carry him over to the capitol on
the opposite shore. .
came here principally to look ct Mono
tombo; when left New York two years
ago, had determined to make Q special
study of volcanoes, and this being the first
opportunity that occurred, I lost no time
Momotombo is q giant standing 1900 feet In
his stockings; he is ''rock ribbed and an
cient," and seems to me to combine every
quality that frst-olass volcano should
possess. He is bald headed and smokes in
cessantly after the manner Of. his tribe. He
stands beside the lake aud waves his white
plume . mile and half above the waters
that ripple at his feet.
Momotombo 10 the highest Of the
Marsbios Range, and Is one of the greatest
purely volcanic masses In existence. True,
the summit of Cotapaxi is nearly 19, 900
feet high, but the base, properly speaking,
begins ct an elevation of nearly II, 900 feet
above the Pacific. Here We have the whole
grand pile In view at one time, the shore
line marking the beginning Of the ascent,
which Is barely 200 feet above the sea.
All Climates Along Its Sides
The first 1900 feet, which rises gradually
for three miles, Is covered with dense trop-
ical forest, dark, dank and dismal, the
haunt Of serpents, scorpions and myriads of
stinging insects The huge trees are covered
with vines and creepers, and support an
endless variety of orchidA It is congenial
homo tor droves Of monkeys Above this is
q second belt Of woodland, but more open,
and diversified by wide spaces of barren
rock or grassy glades. The trees here are
mostly oak and pine, and the acorns furnish
food for the herds Of wild hogs who claim
hold their title only by superiority Of num-
bers and eternal vigilance, and even then
fall frequent victims to the fierce appetite
of the mountain lions, whose epicurean
tastes are particularly gratifed by the flavor
Of a young porker.
At 4, 900 feet all trace of vegetation disap-
pears, and the vast cone rises abruptly, an
unbroken mass Of lava and scorie, 70 the
yawning crater, whose mysterious depths
have never been explored.
Long years ago some pious monks thought
to cover themselves with glory and add
luster to the words of the Holy Church by
planting q cross on the highest point. The
fiery old Monarch smiled grimly, as he
~o oh al hahn inn
upward, slowly, laboriously, now cutting
their way step by step through the all but
impenetrable jungle, now scaling walls of
basaltic rock that he had reared in infant
sport ages past On they come, slowly,
painfully, but bravely withal, burning
with religious zeal, dragging the ponderous
emblem. They had passed the forest zone,
the last stunted pine was now far below,
aronnd and ahead stretched world of
cinders and volcanic debris. Here and
there masses of black, gneiss rock, and
smooth outline of this mighty ash heap. I.
Tho View From she Barren Top.
Undismayed by the awful desolation, they
boldly entered this treacherous field Of
shifting ashes. Twenty-Five miles away the
blue line of the ocean was distinctly visible;
below them, spread out like a map, with
lake and river, with dozen villages half
hidden among orange groves; far to the
southwest the white walls Of the Cathedral
of Leon cleaned family out Of the blue
haze. -
The angle of ascent now increased to 45
degrees, and the men sank to their waists in
the yielding surface, raising clouds Of blind
ing dust. .,t.
From the interior of the mountain came
low, premonitory rumbling, like the below
of an angry beast, low, deep and fearful It
was Momotombo's warning to these human
insects; 1t was ~ If he said 'thus far shalt
was unheeded. With a muttered prayer
they pressed on, defying the giant, who
from his smoky throne had seen continents !
rise and fall and rise again 10, 900 years be- |
fore the dawn of history. Ah! to be chal- |
lenged by these midaets! Mopotombo |
shook with wrath, and 10, the desecrators of |
his solitude were no more.
sJust what caused the catastrophe can |
never be known, but the supposition is,
hat in their struggle to advance, they |
started slide which soon became an ava |
anche sweeping down with resistless force. |
burying the pious adventures o hundred
plorers have been unable to find any trace
ot the ill-fated party. -
steep as a Chu-c Roof.
Some idea of the difficulties to be en-
in making the ascent may be
formed, when 1t is stated that the last
stretch of 5000 feet is almost as steep as
,hurch root, being traversed in manysplaces
BY deep dssures from which clouds of steam
md deadly gases rise continually, SO that
he traveller is in constant danger of being
'uffooated should he escape the slides
which are almost sure to occur. the whole
upper portion of the cone being composed
,f loose dust and detached rocks, which the
slightest disturbance will bring down in
avalanche. S'+-
And so it happens the crater has never
,een visited by man. Great characters love
% associate with their equals. Momotombo
being great, occasionally invites thunder
'torm to spend an evening in social chat.
At first their voices are heard murmuring
as they discuss some choice bit
If gossip, but as the hours roll on the mirth
Increases, fed by the red-hot cheer from
- a n Il n n l. D