The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-04-29

coffee trees have proven failures on TINS
side of the island, but young SIr. Esan
assured US that the land was all right tor
sugar and he was making preparations
to plant The place embraces 1Co acres,
all under cultivation. 1t costs SlG0.60o
an acre to clear land here The very
thick jungle mas 10 be cut down ana then
u strata OF lava, which nearly covers the
surface of the earth has TO be broken
off and the earth exposed. We arrived
at the Volcano House at = O'Clock 2 M,
and started for the crater. Standing at
the door of the hotel one can see steam
and smoke issuing from the earth in q
hundred places and the crater people
would lead You to believe that our old
friend ST Nick was boiling few of his
most highly recommended arrivals.
We got horses and began the investi-
cation OF the largest volcano IN the
world THE Volcano House is tS00 feet
above the sea; the top Of the crater about
3EGO and the crater go feet deep.
The road winds down u steep grade
and after descent of Loo feet we are
at the edge of the lava field. Inis field
is three miles long by two miles wide
and a mass Of nothing but lava, which
has in cooling assumed all kinds OF
curious shapes. The lava field, except
for the place by which we entered, Is sur
rounded by u wall 1000 feet nigh, straight
up and down, as though the earth at some
tune gave way and dropped down LOCO
feet at this place. The crater is about al
the center of the field and we rode our
horses To within half a mile.
STEAM AND SMOKE.
The crater is about one-fourth mile in
diameter and loco feet deep, this IS
known from the measurements made at
The few times when the steam and smoke
had ceased to issue from 1t. but when
WEE were there the entire place was Il
mass of smoke and ste9m. At night
faint CLEAN of light from q fire OCCASION
ally can he seen. Adjacent TO the crater
were cracks i'm the lava into which sticks
were thrown. which would burn Hereby.
One of our party lighted cigar at one of
the eacks \ big hole into which we
descended by a ladder. reminded me very
much of our ciSternS at Radford, though
uauch larger inside. WIS intensely hot,
and | am told that q traveller, wearing a
celluloid collar who went dosn into the
pit had his collar ignited- After returning
to the hotel we took hot sulphur baths,
made from steam conveyed in pipes
from immense sulphur beds near the no.
tel We found orr overcoats very COM
Portable after dinner and extra bedding
was asked for at Right. Next morning
we got UT to see the first rays of the
sunlight UP old Mamma L9a, a 1i,6t3 feet
fellow, who last July had three active
CrlterS farOWlrs5 stones ana lava severe az
hundred feet in the air, and the hotel
register shows that many Thousand visit
ors came to witness the grand scene [
believe the worst eruption Of Mama Loa
occurred in 1887. at which time the mol
ten lava flowed a distance of - miles to
within half q mile Of the city of Hfio
We Will weigh anchor and get away
from here. Manila bound. on Thursday
next. the Sth. Our voyage viii occupy
q days. The horses are all much improved
from the rest The trip is very severe
one, as the horses are kept standing on
their feet all the time, the little space
where one could lie down being kent for
the sick horses Our veterinary surgeon
| is a particularly bright man and does
some truly wonderful things with the
sick horses, and have derived Tnuch
Knowledge from watching him treat the
forgot to say that the lanies here
ride their horses in the same manner as
ner-aIl ladies do.
:. Best wishes for you all. am your
sincere friend,