Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-28
Rambling and Eruption.

Suddenly the silence is broken by a great
and startling underground rumbling, and a
huge column of dark-colored liquid is
thrown to a vast height from spot near
the center Of the lake. The column or
dinarily rises to a height varying from 80
to 500 feet. Almost instantly vast cloud
of vapor surrounds the column and rises to
an immense height
The crater which is conical In form, has
an extreme altitude of $500 feet above sea
level. Its upper diameter is about 1920
feet and it's depth about 1000, while the
diameter of the lake approXimates 1000.
From time to time small columns of vapor
curl upward from various points of its sur
face, and sometimes the frequency of these
is SO great that the entire lake resembles a
boiling caldron. The walls of the crater
are less steep at the south side, the point
at which the traveller has approached 1t,
and only from here is the descent to the
bottom possible. Even from this point the
undertaking is difficult and even hazardous,
and should not be attempted without
guide.
By a strange optical Illusion the distance
to the lake from the rim of the crater ap-
pears vastly less than it really Is, and a full
hour of fairly rapid scrambling is required
to make the descent. The scarcely defined
path Is at times dangerous, running around
boulders and along overhanging precplces,
and frequently offering the poorest kind of
foothold because of its covering of loose
and slippery volcanic ash. About half way
down Is the juro del macho. a small stream
OF deIiciously sweet water.
Acid Holes.
When the bottom Is attained the traveller
will find 1t to his advantage to move about
with the exercise of considerable care be-
cause OF numerous concealed holes filed
with Shiny substance, consisting mainly
of sulphate of lime with a large excess of
sulphuric acid This hardens in a few mo-
ments when exposed to the air, and con-
sequently the pits are covered with slight
shell that renders it almost Impossible to
distinguish between them and solid ground.
If a foot goes through this thin crust, aside
from the resulting inconvenience at the
moment, it will be found that In few
days the shoe will be destroyed as the
seams cannot resist the acid action.
The lake at closer view is found to be
covered with clouds Of vapor and it is i'm
| possible to see for any distance Among
other gases, sulphur dioxide Is present in
considerable quantities, and at times the
| smell become saimost unbearable. Sulphur
Is found in numbers of places and the
sand of the beach is compoS almost en-
tirey of rounded bits of this substance
At close range the water is grayish in color
and 1t Is so acid that it almost burns the
tongue when tasted. Any dark cloth moist
ened with the liquid instantly becomes red
and is ultimately destroyed. Chemical an
alysis of the water reveals large percent
ages of sulphurouS and sulphuric acids, sui
phale or Time ana Olner substances, ana II
contains besides a considerable deposit of
volcanic ash. The temperature at the
shore, while varying considerably, ranges
around LIS degrees Fahrenheit.
Disturbance of the Lakes.
During his last visit the writer witnessed
some Of the largest eruptions ever recorded
During one of these the tremendous column
of dark liquid rose to an estimated height
| of 1000 feet, and was about 300 feet in
| diameter. The waves produced on the lake
| by such an outburst are formidable, and
| long after the eruption has ceased the roar
| as they break against the rocky sides of
| the crater Is plainly heard from the edge
above. Provided care is taken to select a
| spot beyond reach of the incoming waves
| there is little danger in viewing an erup-
| ton from below, and the sight is one that
| the observer thrilled with fear and excite
ment, will never forget
The eruptions do not succeed one an
other at regular intervals. Sometimes the
oubburst does not take place for several
hours, while at others as many as three or
four will occur within an hour. To the
writer 1t appears that the more violent
eruptions take place in the early morning,
even before sunrise, and that the intensity
of the CONFUSION decreases as the day ad-
vances. There Is a popular belief that any
unusual noise produced in the vicinity of
the crater will cause an eruption, but tests
with the combined voices of a number Of
persons and discharge of firearms carried
out by the writer's party, usually proved
futile.