The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-26

fog Struggling again to the summit
! found my footprints in the mud near the
/ rim of the crater and started the guide
on the way.
Soon, however, we lost the trail on ac-
count of the rain having obliterated the
/ footprints, and we started zigzaSging
down the slope. hoping to strike the
/ right ridge in time. Again, we were too
far to the south and the second rift in the
! clouds for the day showed us TO be near
! the precipices at the head of the Ri
| Were Falaise. My poor negro. who had
been very boastful in the morning, had
| by this time completely lost his head.
/ but. at my earnest solicitation in broken
French he made one more attempt to
get down.
At five O'Clock, however. we discovered
/ a rackfall Immediately below US and We
staw that we were in for a night on the
mountain. Finding a turn in a gully
/ which would afford us some protection
! from the keen wind. detaching the loose
stones so that they should not fall upon
/ us during the night and pilling cameras
! together under my collecting bag for shell
I ter the guide and l squatted down under
m '-Ol1 rain coat % sperd as best We
f. The last Il Of food had been eaten
beIo.e four O'clock, ouf few IeGain-.-.s
| drops of rum were husbanded for the
cold night; we had no matches and no
wood to burn if we had the matches; our
bed consisted of angular stones with
sharp edges and corners up. My compan-
ion soon was asleep, but l vas slow in
herr
saying Politics makes strange bedfel
lows / thought geology could do likewise
Occasionally showers during the night
I added to our discomfort. but we were
fortunate in having only one of sufficient
severity to bring a cataract down onr
gully and make US wonder for a while
whether we should have to desert our
camp.
Morning dawned at last still in heavy
fog and we waited until seven o'clock
for the clouds to lift Then, there being
no Indication of relief il that way,
gave orders to climb the mountain once
more and search for the box which mar
ked the end of the right trail, and which
had eluded us SO distressingy the day be-
fore. To add 10 the distress of my guide,
1 told him that if We did not find the
Vive trail before noon 1 was going to fol-
low the edge Of the crater westward and
descend to st. Pierre and Morne Rouge.
Along the edge of the crater" he de-
manded and shook his head he would re-
main on the mountain. After several
long delays to warm up the guide in the
folds of the long rain coat of mine, we
attained the summit plateau again. found
the box and then quickly found the trail
down. it having been made very plain by
NJ. and Nine. Lacroix, who had ascen-
ded the mountain later than we on the
preceding day. Half way down we met
a relief party the way up with food
and drink and then learned that the Gov
ernor and the American Consul had been
notified of my absence and that searching
parties were to be started out in the
afternoon If I did not make my appear
ance. NJ Bezenlin. the superintendent at
vive evidently felt much relieved to see
me riding into the yard about one o'clock
and the orders for the searching parties
were joyfully countermanded.
Returning to Fort de France as speedily
as possible after this experience. which re-
suited in no injury in spite of twenty-four
hours of wet and exposure. 1 came with
NJ. and Nine Lacroix to ST. Vincent on
the French gunboat Jouffroy. We arrived
March , and at once began the study of
La Soufriere.
The island of St Vincent is slowly re-
covering from the disaster which over
took 1t last year, though it will surely
be many years before the estates on the
immediate slopes of the volcano are again
fertile From Richmond river to Wind
sor Forest on the leeward (western) side
and a similar area on the windward side.
may be taken as the measure OF this
total devastation. The mud of the two
May eruptions might have been washed
off more rapidly had it not been that the
heavy gravel and sand and the Septem-
her eruption compacted all deposits on
the Ieeward, and those of the October
ERUPTION did the same for the windward
estates.
The area affected by the September and
October eruptions. beyond the area de-
vastated by the Nay outbursts, Is now
covered for the most part with verdure
and IS bearing its crops. The immediate
slopes of the mountain are desolate. even
If there be no additional eruptions. until
/ the decomposing action of rain and at
nosphere have converted the volcanic ash
into fertile soil.
The coating Of recent ash now upon
the hill slopes is go heavy and so well
compacted that II forms and integral part
of the whole. and II is only where rills
have cut through this coat and into the
old soil beneath that any vegetation Is
appearing The tremendous deposits Of
ash in the gorges of the radial valleys,
such as the WaIlibon. Rozean and the
Rabaka. have been worn away by their
rivers in marvellous fashion
The wallibon Valley for instance. was
filled by the May eruptions with ashes 70
an average depth which now it is safe
10 put at sixty feet. and the September
eruption added its quota to the amount
Now almost the entire valley Is clear OF
ash and the river Is not far above its old
he'd Here and there the angles OF the
original gorge have protected the new
bed from erosion. and small secondary
. eruptions of hot ash still occur IN these
protected spots: such iS-the retention with
the Rev. T Huckerby OF Chateaubelair.
assembled the gorge Of the Wallibon for
three miles or more. walking along the
bed Of the stream as II II had been a
broad avenue.
s simple calculation taking the aver
( age breadth Of the gorge for this distance
AZ 80 feet. showed that not less than Ia
or eo cubic feet. more than 25.eoe GO tons
If the recent ash had been carried out .
sea hv this river alone since the er1p-
ton ~ Nav :. 1872. AMI OF course most