Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-28
VENTURA'S VOLCANO,
A Peculiar "HOt Place" Near
Las POsas.
1t Is Inspected by a Newspaper
Man.
A Real Live Volcano Ready to BeIch-A
Mountain Which Is On Flre-Res-
idents Not Very Much
Alarmed.

DR.. Bowers, the scholarly editor of
the Ventura Free Press, gives the fol.
lowing account of discovery he re.
Gently made:
High up on the side OF the tallest
mountain overlooking the Las Posas
from the north is real live volcano.
whose unquenched fire may yet belch
forth in lava and destruction- dealing
projectiles. However, but little ala rm
is experienced by those living at it's
foot, and it may be long tim before
the real cause of the strange phenom.
enon is found out.
The Free Press, ever first to tell the
news, and from reliable standpoint.
caused an excursion to be made there
to ascertain the extent and nature of
the volcano, SO called by recent in
formant. After first ascending upon the
broad mesa which forms the Las Posas.
a drive Of six or eight miles was made to
point where a caflon could be entered
leading to the object of the search.
Repeated interviews with leading citi-
zens along the way revealed decided
lack of knowledge upon the subject, and
accordingly it was very largely guess
at last find its way to a cailon, nearly at
the foot OF the towering peak, which
is owned and occupied by Michael
Smith.
Before reaching it, however, a very
wide eXpanse OF country, including
growing barley and cornfeds were ex-
plored. and just about as the chime of
the old Mission bell rings for midday,
the expedition emerged from a thous-
and acres OF barley, and halted in front
of Charley Thacker's place. He nor
his wife were at home, but the individ-
uals who ravished his larder and horse
feed feel nevertheless grateful for their
liberty.
After reaching Smiths cai1on the way
opened up clear enough, and showed
how deceptive distance appears whe n
looking upon mountains. Mr.. Smith
knew all about the place, as he had
found it while hunting on the ranch,
and at once volunteered to accompany
the Free Press men to the spot. The
climb up mountain at an angle of
As degrees ia not the. easiest task in the
world, nor did this climb OF 1000 feet
prove any exception to the rnle.
Just below the highest peak OF tine
range is 6 chalk ledge 100 feet in height.
tached and slid down into tie bowels OF
the earth. At the foot of this ledge,
800 feet below the apex OF the peak, is
the spot which excites so much COM
ment. 1t is probably 100 feet one way
by several times that the other. A pc
culiar odor, as OF burning sulphur not
unmixed with an asphaltum odor, per-
vades the atmosphere and gives one
faint idea of Dante's inferno. The
ground is hot to the touch and resem-
| bles the covering to q smoldering fire.
An attempt has been made to dig down
into this covering but it never went
farther than foot CIR two as the heat
kept getting greater as the depth de.
scended.
There does not appear to be any fis
sure for this gas to come out of, and it
is only noticeable to the sense Of smell,
but from appearances it would not take
long distance to strike something. but
just what it is hard to imagine. There
is fire under that mountain, that is
self-evident, but what the extent of it
is no one can tell, or what this spot
which shows the heat portends no one
can say. Mr.. Smith, who lives at the
foot of the mountain, does not look on
the phenomenon with any alarm, how
ever, but inclnes to the belief that it is
body of asphaltum, mixed with sui
phur and other minerals, which has
somehow become ignited and is now
burning. He says that he has noticed
frequently that the taste of the spring
water from the mountain in that vicin-
ity changes. At times it is bitter, again
it is much charged with sulphur, again
with iron, and SO on. 1t is, upon the
whole, a curiosity, to say the least, and
worthy a visit,