The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-04-26

novel experience, and one hardly suited
to summer vacation, but when 1t is
stated that these volcanoes are so close
to the Southern border as to almost form
part of Uncle Sans possessions it makes
the novelty more striking. Few people,
perhaps, know that there are any volcs'
noes at all in very dangerous proximity to
the United States, and they will be as
tonished to learn that there are not only
few, but great many thousand "hre
spitters," not 80 large as Vesuvius, fgur-
atively speaking, Of the southwestern
boundary Of this country.
The st. Louis Globe.Dcmocrat CORE
spondent has just returned from a second
trip to the "Land of the Volcanoes" 1t
is located south and west of the Coco
pah mountains, and both sides of the
dividing line between the Mexican State
of Sonora and the eastern limits of Baja
California, or Lower California, as it is
more generally known. As the crow flea
il is about 200 miles due southwest from
Yuma and just west of the Rio Colorado,
few leagues above where that stream
debouches into the Gulf of California, its
yellow, turbid waters staining the deep
blue Of the gulf for many a mile.
IN THE "HoT LANDS"
For fully twenty miles before getting
within sight of the volcanoes one is fully
conscious that he is nearing something
akin to the Inferno. Such detestable
smells as assail the nostrils-a mixture
between burning sulphur and Blue Lick
water-cannot be described. Itis enough
to say that they are 80 abominable and
dangerous that often one has to await a
favorable change in the wind before he
can approach anywhere near the place
without running excellent chances OF
being suffocated. When it is calm it is
perfectly safe to venture up to the very
edge of any of the near by craters and
peer into their boiling and seething con-
tents. The first impression upon getting
in sight of this wonderful region after the
feeling of awe wears off, is that you are
standing on the edge of hell. As far as
the eye can see to the west, for distance
of thirty miles, stretches limitless area
of little humps and mounds, thousands
of them, that dot the ground in every
direction, extending north and south for
miles. Some of these mounds are no
larger than good sized hencoop, and
others tower into the air as high as any
house of moderate dimensions. In all
other respects they are much alike; that
is the most of them are active, and, when
not splitting forth clouds of smoke and
vapor tinged in the early dusk of dawn
or in the dark of night with the crimson
glow of the fires within, are bubliDg and
sizzling with all the energy of big ket-
tie of lye, as many may remember in the
days ".back on the farm" when our
mothers were boiling soft soap.
AN ACTIVE VOLCANO.
Another very interesting object that,
fortunately for the traveller, is not far
inside the line Of safety is big hummock
over fifty feet high, about of the same
diameter at The top and sloping grace
fully to a base about 1000 feet.i in circum-
ference.
The hummuck, which is an active vol
cano, was named Jumbo by our party
two years ago. It is the largest elevation
in sight; though there may be bigger ones
further to the interior never discovered
by man, but a circuit made entirely
around the edges of the basin failed to
find it's equal in size, or anything even
approaching it. Still the fumes and
vapors which constantly overhang the
region may have shut off from view some
larger ones. Jumbo is en- accommodate
ing monster. He has regular periods of
unrest. and whenever he wants to spit
fire or vomit rocks and molten mud he
gives notice of his intentions by pecu-
liar roar, before which all other sounds
become stilled in comparison. He groans
as if with mighty psin, and if one
should chance to be standing on the edge
of the crater and preserve his balance
long enough to take good look inside
he would see masses of molten matter far
down begin to heave and boil and surge
up and down with convulsive moves.
Then is good time to go away, for in
less than ten minutes the boiling caldron
within has risen to the level of the crater,
and its steaming red.hot contents are
pouring over the sides, while with an in
creased thunder and splurging noise little
columns of lava spout up into the air,
and Jumps of mud and stones are thrown
out and shot far away. These convul-
sions last only few minutes, and then
Jumbo takes rest for period varying
from thirty-six to seventy two hours. 1t
takes twenty-four hours, however, for
the elected matter to cool sufficiently to
permit of again approaching the crater.
What Jumbo does is repeated on a
smaller scale by all the other active vol.
canoes, and. as they are countless in
number, it follows that the din of erup-
ton is continuous and we'll nigh deafen.
ing. The air is always mnrky with
smoke and steam, and cinders, particles
of dirt and ashes drop so necessarily that
one is covered with grayish dust in few
moments.
THE LAKE OF INK.
The greatest curiosity, though, and
one that some speculative genius may
some day turn to profitable account, is
the Lake of Ink. This is a big pool
lying flush with the ground, its one edge