Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-20

MeXil(
DOPOcATAPETL and Its
i Vast Treasures of Sui
phur on the Market-One
Hundred Million Tons Al
ready Mined-Cog Railroads
to "Old Popo' and the white
Woman'-A Love Story of
the Gods = Climbing the
Mountain and Look at the
Crater-Other Mexican Vol
canoes-The Worlds Great
Earthquake Belt and the
Mightiest Fire Mountains.
copyrighted. 1915. by Frank G. Carpenter
Special Correspondence of The Star.
MEXICO CITY.
~ @ you want to buy
!: !. !. !: !. !.
a volcano?
A @N If so. come to
8H " u Mexico and size up
2H II IA Popocatapetl. You
@ A/A may have to take
~ H 1(h Your life in your
HA ~ ~ hands on account
I@&ZM 81 of the Zapatstas
80 MzkNH 81 and other rebels
HA GSI camped near its
vs. ~ foot but you will
~ be moderately safe
at the top Popocatapetl is the highest
smoking volcano on the North American
continent, and I am told that as soon as
matters are quiet it can be made to pay
big dividends on the price now asked FOR
il The old mountain has been for sale
off and on. for the last twenty-five years
II was bought in 1904 by a syndicate OF
Americans, headed by Capt. Charles Holt
of New York. The consideration was
S1oOoOOO0 in Mexican money, and the
American com pany had an authorized
CAPITAL of S10.o00,O0 in gold. The plan
was to work the enormous sulphur re-
sources OF the volcano and at the same
time to supply ice to Mexico City from
the ice fields which cover the peak The
principal forests about the base of the
mountain were also to be converted into
beautiful park and an inclined railway
10 the top was to bring tourists here
from all over the world. This sale was
only half contaminated The title was
disputed and the MeXicans could not de-
liver the goods. After several years the
project was abandoned. and the mountain
came back to Gen. Sanchez Ochoa. one or
the great mining engineers of Mexico
who has owned il these many years. L
am told that the Pearson syndicate
backed by Lord Cowdray. has since con-
sdered the purchase. and that it's plans
include cogged railroads. not only to the
top of old "Popo'' but also to 1Xtacci-
huatl, or THE White Woman" that
mighty extinct volcano which rises into
the clouds only few miles away.
Popocatapetl itself is live volcano. or.
at best. it is only sleeping. Since the time
OF Cortez it has had ten mighty erup-
tons. 1t is the Vesuvius of America. and
i liable to break out at any time in an
Other great OurSl OIL HTe anu ldVa ltS
last eruption was in 1902 but it is still
breathing birthstone fumes from the
great holes in its crater. These holes are
from seven to twelve inches in diameter.
and they ooze liquid sulphur. making the
ter a great birthstone factory.
The crater of old Popo is about mile
wide at the top and something like a
thousand feet deep. 1t is shaped like a
bell, the diameter at the bottom being
one fourth of mile and the floor, which
is pure sulphur. going down. it is said, a
thousand feet deeper. The mountain is
splitting out sulphur at the rate of more
than million tons per annum. Since the
conquest of Mexico more than 1Oo.OOO.U0O
tons have been taken out of it, and 1t is
estimated that there Is half as much
more on the floor of the crater. running
down to depth Of 800 feet.
The supply is far beyond the demands
of all the world. and if it couln he mar
keted il represents wealth beyond the
dreams of avarice. The annual conSump-
ton of sulphur in the United States and
Europe is perhaps six OF seven hundred
thousand tons. The most of tn, product