Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-28

down In FIVE minutes and when the snow
is firm they slide 1910 feet down on the
crust of the snow, and make the Halfway
House In ten or twelve minutes. 1t ID tbs
greatest toboggan In the world The climb
ers are seated or lie down upon mats made
OF PUSHES, and each Is accompanied by an
Indian guide. who steers this odd sled with
a pole. The Indians are sktilful and fear
less They have been bringing down loads
or sulphur on these mats all their lives.
There Is regular trail, and the mat can
be steered like an ice boat a toboggan.
When the snow Is soft and there is any
danger OF breaking through the crust the
slide will not be attempted.
None Killed, but Many Blistered.
During the last ten or twelve years there
has been an average of $50 ascents each
season. but nobody has ever been killed
and there has never been case If snow
blindness. Reckless adventures have suf-
fered from sprains: several have had legs
broken and people often faint or are COM
PEELED to abandon the climb because of the
effects of the rare atmosphere upon the
heart.
The most intense suffering Is caused by
the reflection of the sun on the snow, which
blisters the face. 1t is not practicable to
wear masks or wells because the air is SO
rare. 1t Is impossible to breathe through
them. People cover their faces with OIL
such pastes are used by actors in maxi
ing up. lamp black, powdered burnt cork
toiu tItdI NdSSttIe anu oAHST SuDSldHCtS
which are more or less protection. but
every bit of flesh exposed will be burned
to blister. considerable number of
tourists come to Mexico from Europe espe-
cially for the purpose of making the
ascent. They belong to Alpine clubs in
Germany. Austria, Italy, Switzerland.
France and England, and have records for
climbing Quite as many women as men
make the attempt. 1 am told the quickest
and the most successful ascent by any
woman was made two years ago by Mrs
Barrett, mother of Robert 8. Barrett
agent OF the Southern railway in Mexico
and her two daughters Mrs. Barrett and
her elder daughter reached the crater with
out aid The younger daughter had to be
assisted only while making the last 100
feet.
"Lady lisa" Keeps Her Secret.
"Old Popo'' is 17.7s2 feet high and the
same altitude cannot be reached with so
little difficulty or danger anywhere else
Although considerably lower, few of the
Alps are so easy to climb. But Ixtaccihuat,
although only 5000 feet high, is different
No mortal has ever disturbed the slumbers
of 1.-THE White Woman, Lady Isa' keeps
her secrets well. Although hundreds OF
pr OCCASIONAL climbers have attempted TO
reach the summit they have invariably fail
ed because in several places her sides are
perpendicular 1t Is simply Impossible 10
scale the cliffs. People have tried to shoot
life-lineS around the rocks. but nave never
able to get much higher than the snow line
Down below the timber and open slopes are
we'll inhabited and ranches nave DeeIl
stocked repeatedly but the mountatneers
the charcoal burners, the timber cutters
and others kill the cattle for their own use
or sell the meat on the other Sloe OF the
mountain. While the ranchmen Know per
fectly well what becomes OF their cattle
they have never been able to convict or
even to detect the thieves.
Ixtaccihuau belongs TO the soVernnent.
Three-fourths of the mountain is pupllc
land although farms and ranches oelohs-
ing To private parties stretch pretty well
up from the base. For two-thlrds or It's
height the mountain Is encirc,ed by a pelt
of heavy timber, and several parties nave
concessions to cut it. Hundreds of char
coaI-burners are working there without au-
thorIty or permission. Ihey nave niue
huts and kilns and bring the results VI
their labors on their backs to the towns in
the valley below In the day time you can
see columns OF smoke arising from a hun.
dred different places, and occasionally a
fire can be detected on the mountain side 4
the night is very dark.
Ice-Cutting Industry.
Another important industry is ice cutting,
which is older than history. Aztec slaves
brought ice and snow from the SIDES OF
Popocatepetl ard Ixtaccihuatl to cool the
drinks of Montezuma and his court centu-
ries before the Spaniard came to America,
lust as the royal runners brought fresh
fish from the sea for the banquets at cha
pultepec.
The Conqustado-es improved upon the
methods of the aborigineS and established
natural ice factories by digging ponds on
the level benches OF the mountain SIDE INTO
which the melting SHOWS are drained, ana
the waters freeze to a depth of twelve OF
even twenty inches. Beautiful clear ice,
without a bubble or an atom Of dirt is
chopped out in cubes ii by Is inches In
size and weighing from sixty to seventy
five pounds carefully wrapped in hay and
brought down to the railway station at
Anecmeca every morning in time to catch
the train on the Interoceanic road for the
tropics The Indians are paid 81 a hundred
for the ice delivered at the railway station.
In this way are supplied sugar plantations,
bacieudas and small towns where there are
no ice factories in the hot country along