The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-06-08
DOMINlCA'S BOILING LAKE.
rRtGfB, rHtT PRFs rDiD uo>T
PEIII'S IRA fTIcN.
p~ath ~ ". " tive. an F~nEiishw,n Witt
ing the s,rsnsr tsks 90 nosninsrs.
teii-, ~ To Ne pur To an i.Art, WANT
fesfstIan OF the Nolrsnic tefres-

ING las" ~ Dnntinl'a lai bfFhlF' V"
m. fr~' -'riou- manifcs'stion Of the swak-
-ring volcanic fires.
Prom that point ~ view the first victim
IT On" eruption was wilfrcd NJ Give. a
desr,ndant nf tho Give who laid the fuun-
dation II ~England'- indian EInpirr lie
me-, hi drath while exploring In an idl"
moment IA" strangr. Wild. Caribbean
island - Dominica
4 fascinating. beautiful, trrachrp~h-
island l. tbs sam" Dominica The molten
lava "a. that underlirs the ISLAND -nsthe-
beneath 80 thin n covering that. warmed
hy itS trrs a vegetation has sprung M
with an Incompatible luNuuan~e that
makes u the most wonderful IN the world
~ thin indeed h. this covering that every
who're streams of boiling sulphurous water
br"ak through. milky white, poisoning
tho orchid--ceu,ed air with deadly vapors.
while high up on ID" mountain lies IN" Boil
ing Lake. one 81 Natures marve's.
II Tay seem incredible that on an
island only twenty-ninc miles long by
sixteen broad a wonder like the Boiling
Lake could exist for 900 YEAR,, during which
time Canbs. s~paniards. French and English
had apparently fought over every square
inch Of T.. without being -en or its existence
even suspected. Yet il was only about
twenty years ago that Dr. Nichols found
tn. mysterious little sheet of water.
ANY on. who has visited Dominica can
understand, perhaps, how this happened.
for ~ wrnkled IL the island with high
mountain ranges and deep. sunless valleys.
and 20 impenetrablc are the closely woven
forests and green tahgle II tropic UNDER
brush covering everything thcro that the
Journey across tho island consumes two
full days time.
Hearing uf this strange lake. living ?.Ooo
feet above the level of the sea, on the tank
- Mount Diahlotin. the highest peak in
IN" West Indies. Mr., Give determined 10
visit II straiehtwav.
80, IN Dec. ~. accompanied by Gerald
McDonald and n guide, Give .-t ou' from
tn. town 81 HoSaau for Iaudat. which
was reached nj two o'clock In the after
noon leaving Mcdonald behind. Give
be cyan the climb under the guidance -
Jean jules and Manton Rollins or, a. many
visitors 10 Dominica will lstter remember
them. Wvlie and Dugrisoin.
Tho scenery grew wilder and more IN
natural at every step. A mighty wave
81 living gresa swept doNn Upon them
from the hills above. hShting for every
inch 81 the narrow path along the
prrcipiCr.
Tie air became heavy with the scent
II orchids growing on outsprcading limbs.
"a sheer hundred feet above their heads
4 Srft unCeasing rushing. a. thousands
IL CITE, ping thlngs moved through ~"
undcrhrlish. var drowned NJ intervals
hy the hoarS' cry of III" Devils. bind
strange Of shaJ., with long black hoax
and feet Ike ducks feet but armed with
terrible long claws. black az trehus. well
deserving the evil name the native tsribs
bestowed upon II
Other strange sounds. not so easily az
counted for. were heard. In short. the
path stretched through an enchanted
Forrest. filed with Heaven alone knows
what mysterious dangers for the unwary
traveller
A. last the Petit Soufri6re vas reached
a deep basin. SON. two hundred f.st across.
surrounded bv hills, green To their sum
mt,z II was only a hundred feet down,
but q half hour - hardest work was needle
o. accomplish tina short descent
Thence they moved on toward the lake.
More weary cutting 81 giant cr"cIsrs,
often Ave inches thick Nor. stumbling
over Jagged rocks and toiling up almost
perpendicular -lor-s. and then they stood.
! uron the clifs above the Boiling Lake
it~alf
II was. apparently, the ancient crater
81 a long-torgptten volcano, sreminsly
breathing is Last painful. expiring breath
~ they booked. II = this lake Who's" sudten
Disappearance. when Pelea ~thundct"d,
throw al Duminlc1 into Wild terror
About rs feet Nid". 'he encir,liug walls
rU.s irp fsc, FROM ~" water Generally
~" lake was covered over with cloud, II
steam - tcUfsra'ur" Nns over 10 to-
gto.~ but on 'hi- December morning,
says tho ou" survivor 81 the li'i" eNp"-
dfiun. the AIR was clear. although tho
buhhiiug ~ ~ '%-urftc-. n anything. was
NOR. violent than usual
Wyli". vhp was an old. experienced
guide. was ~ alarmed nj his hat J" logged
Nr Give not ~ go down To ~" water,
hu' Give. not - 10 detained hv any fPuci-d
danger. had alr"a ~ started A. Nrs' all
went we'll. 'hough the atmosphere was
almost uut-atahl"
NJ Give attempted ~pme photographs
without -ucces-. after which tho guides
showed him a little -'reHm ,umhliug over
m" rlir. and hen lunch was spread 4
sudden hurs' - sunshine induced Civ"
20 return w'h th" guld"~ go tho edge ~
tho lake aud try Ia take Rno' her photo
graph. when they again returned tn the
waterfall
When lunch Was over civ" went down
10 the shore once moro. and scarcely had
he lefl when ever, thing t-gan 10 look
black hrfurr R.llin~'s eyes Feeling, as
he aft"iwari dcscUls~d 4. ~ u h" we've Nv.
ing he started to run hut '"ll down uu-
~ou~Itous.
Thos. few staggering s'"re probably
saved his life, Tor when lr revived he found
Nvlio living overcome Wh"r" "" hr-t f"l'
he effects ~ the va Pctrihcd With terror
Euilin- could not move. hu' called o. Give.
Who. Tinuing az. h't-t "yiie'- head from
the ground and started g. rub hi- limh- ~
an cnurt tn hr.ng him e
L told Mi Give. . laid R'lliu- ~ The
inquest. that 7 ~, AZ II was diving. and
that Wv'ie WAS dead. and not to remain
any longer. hut To- return
Gives reply Wa hr"f, hut urmistakshl~
No. Wylie j. not had e. down To- Laudat
and g,lth" doctor
VIII what ~alarrity I,ollin ohaved This
command can h. imagined n h" cllmi.'d
the crater wall 30 SaN The" Engl-hnan,
unhc"ding IN" deadly prril only too plainly
visible now. hunting quickly, hut without
excitement. through the travelling case
for tho brandy bottle.
That was the las time this gallant gem |
ilsinan. who NoGld not Try 20 save HIN !
III Whilc even "a poor negro guld" was
IN danger. was -rn alive. From laudat
a parry ma hammocks and iorrhc- started
Tor tho lake. While a boy "n horseback
galloT-d to town for u doctor But M
doctor could H. II u-r 10 thnsa who were
l-f, IN that death trap