The sun., 1895-05-26
ORIZABA'S LOFTY PEAK.
rHE MOST CONTIGUOUS SUMMIT
THE WESTERN WORLD.
North Americas Hivnis-view OF the pe,s
from, the Hills OF Cordovn- Volcanic
aorres-Ascent OF the summit-Report.a
Eruption After . Rect or GOO Hcara
From the Philadelphia Time

L
| Gorres-Asccnt OF the Summit Reported
| E~uption After . Rect or 600 Hcars.
| FSom the Phiadeirhfa Times,
American travellers on their way to the city
| of Mexico via Vera Cruz should ask for Tho
ticket ICON privileglo dc intermsson n Cor.
dova'- 'stop-ovcr privilege at Cordoya"
in tho foothills OF the most picturesque
mountain of the Western hemisphere. Cor.
doya is a railway town, with the usual medley
OF Mexican taverns and Yankee restaurants.
and without special local attractions exccpt
| the shops of the pet Dealers who sell all
| sorts of geological curosltcs from monkey 10
nm American chameleon. In June tie coffee
| tree groves south of the little town fill the air
| with their pungcnt perfumes and may reward
| butterfly collectors for n few hours ramhlc in
quest OF tropical novelties; but lovers OF prtI-
rescue scenery will make straight for the valley
| In the northwest. No guide Is needed. Mcxl.
can stock farmers dispense with fences and
the hillside pastures afford free access To tie
mark like chaparral Of buckthorns and cvcr.
prcen oaks near the summit of the ridge. Tho
last 200 yards of the ascent are pretty Steep
hut tho view from the top abundantly rcpiys
the climbers toll.
A deep gorge skirts the northern slope of tho
ridge, and beyond its north side cliffs range
above range of wooded mountains, ascend like
the terrace of a Titan's castle toward the tower
peak of Mount Orizaba, the Grandest American
rival of the Matterhorn. Up to IA height Of
1880 feet the fianks of the great volcano ARE
densely wooded; then comes tower hasu "
rocks and basaltic debris with streak Of inca,i.
ow land here and there; but the upper 800
feet form a perfect cone from every point Of
vision and tho dazzling CLEAN of the snow fields
can he seen far out at sea, ard may have sug.
gcsted the Aztec name Of the Citlaltc.pl. or
Star Mountain.
And that magnificent peak is in all prota-
its % supposed rivals, Nit st. Elias %erv yxr' di
Popocatapeti became doubtful when Major
Favre's surveys demonstrated the fact that the
phsrs ae tha eisht of u orzn oz EFG
feet a., and ts of ;hs f"nns
OF Ana!ua near the city of Mcxlco. had al aN-
crnge elevation of 5000 feet, which would hayo
to be added to that or tho volcano above tho
But as early as 1866 French surveyors called
cone of Orizaba rises about 300 feet higher
above the limit of the arboreal vegetation. and
considerably depressed in the vicinity or the
capital; SO much so, indeed. that the drainage
OF OF three aS snsdf k wthout v
Major Favre, after careful survey of the mo,ll-
tain chain that divides the plateau of Cucbla
height of the latter from 5000 to 1900 feet,
and II we shall accept that conclusion Mount
Ori2aba can claim an altitude of at least 100
feet in excess of its only possible competitor.
South America, of course can boast of several
higher mountains. but all Of them heye for a
pedestal the lofty plateau of tho central Andes.
reducing their apparent height some 10000
of the coast range, and from numerous points
Of view can thus be seen in all the majesty II
The Matt is % tc % sleeper ~ and nd as seem
from the hills of Zermatt looks indeed as in
ans "a =
perpendicular ice tower OF 5000 or 1000 feet,
but the cuninatinE odn point ef the peak is only
i4,soS feet Misshapen Mont Blanc: to-.
broad tabeiands. bs preventinE the: smultaneous
its Hills III The distance % Of Val % chamoun nofT from
the nearest seacoast, say Genoa, Is about 22O
Ma1n whe sas the
coast range within forty miles.
snSss snraE s 9 sp
tbe ba Ike White abpTs
pity that
lover of grand scenery, so narrowly missed two
good chances .1 y, for getting glimpse, Of the
reached the coast of Mexico or of Florida, but
lbodiing assured him Of the !neighbhorhood q
me-" as he expressed it,. But Change Of drcc-
tion resulted in the discovery of the Bahamas,
pilots shifted his Course set toward e VcncsncIa, q m
IN assaa ssn 81 keeping ps pGt RGbG Rs9bnG the aT
re rsG9nnotrnE on trip described bed it. as the par
never saw a higher mountain than the peak ~
Santander. in northern Cuba, about 1900 feet
summit of the land that ought to have hnpl
called after his name,
still remember the delight OF my travcllin;
terraces, where cliffs of fantsstic Shape alter
nate with grassy glGdes, groves Of iarrh rg'a
Il far along tt.es crest @ Of rdes HAT @
would afford Fairgrounds for the school chill
dren Or and tourists Of all the nations hetwSrn
fauna OF these Highland nd regions d''re, rcscnJ'3
that of our Southern Aleghanies. Biacktail
matte Rerbs to af the ranb srss yGgca @
Of the lower valleys; the ravines are haunted
that rely on their pedestrian abilities and rar,,
~ nd take ro wing at the hnnters approach bark
a little bird OF the crossbiII kind From (ho
top OF an overhanging, cliff, where we rested
anG nutei smt e @nG guide snsS tS biz nr
q projecting rock detected it to the righ, iuioa
little grove Of holm oaks we had passed abort
troop of blacktail deer emerged from the trees
ndan, md went through the Juniper bgshr, nqd
.''ha eoihcr iihc "illIlNliit. - WV
grove did not contain more than few do2'n
trees we must have passed close to the troni.
gnd II they did not see us they certainly must
nave heard us talk, yet they did not think u
account.
We had to made n considerable dctour 10 reach
inc ridge that connects the volcano with me
main chain OF the Sierra, for the western sl"ie
or the peak Is dreadfully steep and we were Rn-
provided with mountaineering gear-ropcs, claw
shoes, and ice axes.
As we approached tho ridge the rock chaos
became intricate and obstructive. but the grade
was not very steep here, and ut about 10 \. VI.
we reached the divide and bcheid now, for tAe
hrst time, the eastern~slope of the North Am"rl-
can continent. The average height of the Sier-
"a Madre surpasses that Of the western Alps
by more than 5000 feet, and the greater "r-
'ation OF the snow line makes the Highlands fhr
more accessible, but the view from the summit
Df the Mexican COrdilleras owes its peculiar
grandeur 10 the wonderful transparency ut IL"
air.. Nowhere else on earth is the atmosphere
At the same time SO humid and 30 free from con-
,1ilidated 9l9nds the radiation Of heat from M