CHAPTER XIX
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VOLCANOES OF CENTRAL AMERICA; THEIR NUMBER—VOLCANO OF JORULLO—ISALCO—THE VOLCANIC CHAIN OF THE MARABIOS—INFERNALES—“LA BAILA DE LOS DEMONIOS”—VOLCANIC OUTBURST ON THE PLAIN OF LEON—VISIT TO THE NEW VOLCANO, AND NARROW ESCAPE—BAPTIZING A VOLCANO—ERUPTION OF COSEGUINA—CELEBRATION OF ITS ANNIVERSARY—SYNCHRONOUS EARTHQUAKES—LATE EARTHQUAKES IN CENTRAL AMERICA—VOLCANO OF TELICA—EL VOLCAN VIEJO—SUBTERRANEAN LAVA BEDS—ACTIVITY OF THE VOLCANOES OF THE MARABIOS IN THE 16th CENTURY—THE PHENOMENA OF EARTHQUAKES—EARTHQUAKE OF OCT. 27, 1849—VOLCANIC FEATURES OF THE COUNTRY—EXTINCT CRATERS—VOLCANIC LAKES—THE VOLCANO OF NINDIRI OR MASAYA—DESCENT INTO IT BY THE FRAY BLAS DE CASTILLO—EXTRAORDINARY DESCRIPTION.
No equal extent of the American continent, perhaps of the globe, possesses so many volcanoes, active and extinct, or exhibits so many traces of volcanic action, as Central America; that is to say, the region embraced between the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and that of Panama, or Darien. In the words of Mr. Stephens, the entire Pacific coast of this remarkable country “bristles with volcanic cones,” which form a conspicuous feature in every landscape, rising above the plains and undulating hills, and often from the edges of the great lakes, with the regularity and symmetry of the pyramids. It is a matter of surprise and regret that, affording as it does, so excellent a field for studying the grand and interesting phenomena connected with volcanoes and earthquakes, this country has not more particularly attracted the attention of scientific men, and especially of those who ascribe to igneous and volcanic agency so important a part in the physical changes which our planet has undergone. Humboldt did not pass through Central America, although fully impressed with the importance of its geological and topographical investigation; a deficiency which he deplores in many places in his published researches. Nor am I aware that any but very
## partial and imperfect accounts have been given to the world of the
volcanoes of this country, and those have been by persons claiming no consideration as scientific men. Recognizing fully my own deficiency in this respect, I should not think of venturing on the subject, except in the hope of directing anew the attention of competent persons to it, and thus contributing to supply the desideratum.
The volcanoes of Central America are all situated on the Pacific coast; the eastern slope of the continent consisting of broken mountain ranges, which exhibit few traces of volcanic action. In fact, they occur almost in a right line, running due N. W. and S. E., commencing with the high volcano of Cartago in Costa Rica (11,480 feet high), from the summit of which both oceans are visible, to Citlaltepetl, in the Department of Vera Cruz, in Mexico. There are several hundred volcanic peaks and extinct craters on this line, the most remarkable of which are Cartago, or Irasu, Turrialva, Barba, and Vatos, (9,840 feet high,) in Costa Rica; Abogado, Cerro Pelas, Miriballes, Tenerio, Rincon de la Vieja, Orosi, Madeira, Ometepec, Zapatero, Guanapepe, Guanacaure, Solentinami, Momobacho, Masaya or Nindiri, Managua, Momotombo, (6,500 feet high,) Las Pilas, Acosusco, Orota, Telica, Santa Clara, El Viejo, (6,000 feet high,) Coseguina, and Joltépec, in Nicaragua; El Tigre, and Nacaome, in Honduras; Amapala or Conchagua, San Salvador, San Miguel, San Vicenté, Isalco, Paneon, and Santa Ana, in San Salvador; Pacaya, Volcan de Agua, Volcan de Fuego, Incontro, Acatenango, Atitlan, Tesanuelco, Sapotitlan, Amilpas, Quesaltenango, and Soconusco, in Guatemala. There are many others which are nameless, or of which the names are unknown. Some ten or twelve of those above named are said to be “_vivo_,” alive,—that is to say, they throw out smoke, and exhibit other evidences of vitality. But three or four, however, can be said to be active at present, of which, Isalco, in San Salvador, is the most remarkable, having been formed within the last eighty years, and within the recollection of persons now living.
This volcano, and that of Jorullo, in Mexico, described by Humboldt, are, I believe, all that have originated on the continent since the Discovery. It arose from the plain in 1770, and covers what was then a fine cattle hacienda or estate. The occupants on this estate were alarmed by subterraneous noises, and shocks of earthquakes, about the end of 1769, which continued to increase in loudness and strength until the 23d of the February following, when the earth opened about half-a-mile from the dwellings on the estate, sending out lava, accompanied by fire and smoke. The inhabitants fled; but the _vaqueros_, or herdsmen, who visited the estate daily, reported a constant increase in the smoke and flame, and that the ejection of lava was at times suspended, and vast quantities of ashes, cinders, and stones sent out instead, forming an increasing cone around the vent, or crater. This process was repeated for a long period, but for many years the volcano has thrown out no lava. It has, however, remained in a state of constant eruption, the explosions occurring every sixteen minutes and a quarter, with a noise like the discharge of a park of artillery, accompanied by a dense smoke and a cloud of ashes and stones, which fall upon every side, and add to the height of the cone. It is now about 1,500 or 2,000 feet in height, and I am informed by an intelligent West Indian gentleman, Dr. Drivon, who has known it for the past twenty-five years, that within that period it has increased about one-third. At some times the explosions are more violent than at others, and the ejected matter greater in amount; but it is said the discharges are always regular. With the wind in a favorable direction, an annoying and sometimes injurious quantity of fine ashes or powder is carried to the city of Sonsonate, twelve miles distant. The volcano of Jorullo rose, I believe, in a single night; but, as we have seen, Isalco is the result of long continued deposits, and it seems to me that most of the volcanoes of Central America, including some of the largest, have been formed in like manner. In fact, I have been a personal witness of the origin of a new volcano, which, if it has not met a premature extinguishment, bids fair to add another high cone to those which now stud the great plain of Leon.
This plain is traversed by a succession of volcanic cones, commencing with the gigantic Momotombo, standing boldly out into the Lake of Managua, and ending with the memorable Coseguina, projecting its base not less boldly into the ocean, constituting the line of the Marabios. Fourteen distinct volcanoes occur within one hundred miles, on this line, all of which are visible at the same time. They do not form a continuous range, but stand singly, the plain between them generally preserving its original level. They have not been “thrust up,” as the volcano of Jorullo seemed to have been, elevating the strata around them; although it is not certain but the original volcanic force, being general in its action, raised up the whole plain to its present level. All these are surrounded by beds of lava, _mal pais_, extending, in some cases, for leagues in every direction. The lava current in places seems to have spread out in sheets, flowing elsewhere, however, in high and serpentine ridges, resembling Cyclopean walls, often capriciously enclosing spaces of arable ground, in which vegetation is luxuriant: these are called by the natives _corrales_, yards. Hot springs, and openings in the ground emitting hot air, smoke, and steam, called _infernillos_, are common around the bases of these volcanoes. For large spaces the whole ground seems resting upon a boiling cauldron, and is encrusted with mineral deposits. There are also many places where the ground is depressed and bare, resembling a honey-combed, ferruginous clay-pit, from which sulphurous vapors are constantly rising, destroying vegetation in the vicinity, but especially to the leeward, where they are carried by the wind. By daylight nothing is to be seen at these places, except a kind of tremulous motion of the heated atmosphere near the surface of the ground. But at night, the whole is lighted by a flickering, bluish, and etherial flame, like that of burning spirits, which spreads at one moment over the whole surface, at the next shoots up into high spires, and then diffuses itself again, in a strange, unearthly manner. This is called by the “gente del campo,” the people of the fields, “la baile de los Demonios,” the Dance of the Devils.
Around some of these volcanoes, that is to say those having visible craters, are many smaller cones, of great regularity, composed of ashes, volcanic sand, and triturated stones, resembling septaria. They seldom support anything but a few dwarf trees, and are covered with coarse grass. This grass, when green, gives them a beautiful emerald appearance. In the dry season this color is exchanged for yellow, which, after the annual burning, gives place to black. They constitute with their changes very singular and striking features in the Central American landscape.
On the 11th and 12th days of April, 1850, rumbling sounds, resembling thunder, were heard in the city of Leon. They seemed to proceed from the direction of the volcanoes, and were supposed to come from the great volcano of Momotombo, which often emits noises, and shows other symptoms of activity, besides sending out smoke. This volcano, however, on this occasion exhibited no unusual indications. The sounds increased in loudness and frequency on the night of the 12th, and occasional tremors of the earth were felt as far as Leon; which, near the mountains, were quite violent, terrifying the inhabitants. Early on the morning of Sunday, the 13th, an orifice opened near the base of the long-extinguished volcano of Las Pilas, about twenty miles distant from Leon. The throes of the earth at the time of the outburst were very severe in the vicinity, resembling, from the accounts of the natives, a series of concussions. The precise point where the opening was made might be said to be in the plain; it was, however, somewhat elevated by the lava which had ages before flowed down from the volcano, and it was through this bed of lava that the eruption took place. No people reside within some miles of the spot; consequently I am not well informed concerning the earlier phenomena exhibited by the new volcano. It seems, however, that the outburst was attended with much flame, and that, at first, quantities of melted matter were ejected irregularly in every direction. Indeed, this was clearly the case, as was shown upon my visit to the spot some days thereafter. For a wide distance around were scattered large flakes resembling freshly cast iron. This irregular discharge continued only for a few hours, and was followed by a current of lava, which flowed down the slope of the land toward the west, in the form of a high ridge, rising above the tops of the trees, and bearing down everything which opposed its progress. While this flow continued, which it did for the remainder of the day, the earth was quiet, excepting only a very slight tremor, which was not felt beyond a few miles. Upon the 14th, however, the lava stopped flowing, and an entirely new mode of action followed. A series of eruptions commenced, each lasting about three minutes, succeeded by a pause of equal duration. Each eruption was accompanied by concussions of the earth, (too slight, however, to be felt at Leon,) attended also by an outburst of flame, a hundred feet or more in height. Showers of red-hot stones were also ejected with each eruption to the height of several hundred feet. Most of these fell back into the mouth or crater, the rest falling outward, and gradually building up a cone around it. By the attrition of this process, the stones became more or less rounded, thus explaining a peculiarity in the volcanic stones already alluded to. These explosions continued uninterruptedly for seven days, and could be accurately observed from Leon in the night. Upon the morning of the 22d, accompanied by Dr. J. W. Livingston, U. S. Consul, I set out to visit the spot. No one had ventured near it, but we had no difficulty in persuading some _vaqueros_, from the haciendas of Orota, to act as guides. We rode with difficulty over beds of lava, until within about a mile and a-half of the place, proceeding thence on foot. In order to obtain a full view of the new volcano, we ascended a high, naked ridge of scoriæ, entirely overlooking it. From this point it presented the appearance of an immense kettle, upturned, with a hole knocked in the bottom, forming the crater. From this, upon one side ran off the lava stream, yet fervent with heat, and sending off its tremulous radiations. The eruptions had ceased that morning, but a volume of smoke was still emitted, which the strong north-east wind swept down in a trailing current along the tree-tops.
The cone was patched over with yellow, the color of the crystallized sulphur deposited by the hot vapors passing up amongst the loose stones. The trees all around were stripped of their limbs, leaves, and bark, and resembled so many giant skeletons. Tempted by the quietude of the volcano, and anxious to inspect it more closely, in spite of the warnings of our guides, we descended from our position, and going to the windward, scrambled over the intervening lava beds, through patches of thorny cacti and agaves, toward the cone. On all sides we found the flakes of melted matter which had been thrown out on the first day of the eruption, and which had moulded themselves over whatever they fell upon. We had no difficulty in reaching the base of the cone, the wind driving off the smoke and vapors to the leeward. It was perhaps a hundred and fifty or two hundred feet high, by two hundred yards in diameter at the base, and of great regularity of outline. It was made up entirely of stones, more or less rounded, and of every size, from one pound up to five hundred. No sound was heard when we reached it, except a low, rumbling noise, accompanied by a very slight tremulous motion. Anxious to examine it more closely, and to test the truth of the popular assertion that any marked disturbance near the volcanic vents is sure to bring on an eruption, we prepared to ascend. Fearing we might find the stones too much heated near the summit, to save my hands, I prepared myself with two staffs, as supports. The Doctor disdained such appliances, and started without them. The ascent was very laborious, the stones rolling away beneath our feet, and rattling down the sides. We however almost succeeded in reaching the summit, when the Doctor, who was a little in advance, suddenly recoiled with an exclamation of pain, having all at once reached a layer of stones so hot as to blister his hands at the first touch. We paused for a moment, and I was looking to my footing, when I was startled by an exclamation of terror from my companion, who gave simultaneously an almost superhuman leap down the side. At the same instant a strange roar almost deafened me; there seemed to be a whirl of the atmosphere, and a sinking of the mass upon which I was standing. Quick as thought I glanced upward; the heavens were black with stones, and a thousand lightnings flashed among them. All this was in an instant, and in the same instant I too was dashing down the side, reaching the bottom at the same moment with my companion, and just in time to escape the stones, which fell in rattling torrents where we had stood a moment before. I need not say that in spite of spiny cacti and rugged beds of lava, we were not long in putting a respectable and safe distance between us and the flaming object of our curiosity. The eruption lasted for nearly an hour, interspersed with lulls, like long breathings. The noise was that of innumerable blast-furnaces in full operation, and the air was filled with projected and falling stones. The subsidence was almost as sudden as the outburst, and we waited several hours in vain for another eruption. Our guides assured us that a second attempt to ascend, or any marked disturbance on the slope, or in the vicinity, would be followed by an eruption, but we did not care to try the experiment.
From that period until I left Central America, I am not aware that there occurred more than one eruption, namely, on the occasion of the falling of the first considerable shower of rain, on, I think, the 27th of the month succeeding that in which the outbreak occurred. Nor have I learned that up to this time this promising young volcano has exhibited any additional active phenomena. I fear that its earlier efforts were too energetic, and that it has gone into a premature decline.
The discharges from this vent, consisting wholly of stones, may have been and probably were peculiar; for the volcanoes themselves, and the cones surrounding them, generally seem to have been made up of such stones, interspersed through large quantities of ashes and scoriaceous sand, alternating with beds of lava.
A few days before our visit, a deputation from the vaqueros and others living in the vicinity of Las Pilas had visited Leon, for the purpose of soliciting the Bishop to go to this place and baptize the prospective volcano, in order to keep it in moderation, and make it observe the proprieties of life. I believe a partial assent was obtained, and the city was full of rumors touching this novel ceremony, which I was exceedingly curious to witness. But its early relapse into quietude dispelled the fears of the people, and the proposed rite was never performed, much to my disappointment, as I intended to stand as god-father, _compadre_, to the _Volcano de los Norte Americanos_! This is an old practice, and the ceremony, it is said, was performed, early after the Conquest, on all the volcanoes in Nicaragua, with the exception of Momotombo, which is yet amongst the unsanctified. The old friars who started for its summit, to set up the cross there, were never heard of again.
Although believing that most of the volcanic cones have been formed in the manner above indicated, by gradual accumulations, yet the volcanoes which have shown the greatest energy are low and irregular, and devoid of anything remarkable in their appearance. Such is the Volcano of Coseguina, in Nicaragua, the eruption of which in 1835 was one of the most terrible on record.
On the morning of the 20th of January of that year, several loud explosions were heard for a radius of a hundred leagues around this volcano, followed by the rising of an inky black cloud above it, through which darted tongues of flame resembling lightning. This cloud gradually spread outward, obscuring the sun, and shedding over everything a yellow, sickly light, and at the same time depositing a fine sand, which rendered respiration difficult and painful. This continued for two days, the obscuration becoming more and more dense, the sand falling more thickly, and the explosions becoming louder and more frequent. On the third day the explosions attained their maximum, and the darkness became intense. Sand continued to fall, and people deserted their houses and sheltered themselves under tents of hide in the courts, fearing the roofs might be crushed beneath the weight. This sand fell several inches deep at Leon, more than one hundred miles distant. It fell in Jamaica, Vera Cruz, and Santa Fe de Bogota, over an area of one thousand five hundred miles in diameter. The noise of the explosions was heard nearly as far, and the Superintendent of Belize, eight hundred miles distant, mustered his troops, under the impression that there was a naval action off the harbor. All Nature seemed overawed; the birds deserted the air, and the wild beasts their fastnesses, crouching, terror-stricken and harmless, in the dwellings of men. The people for a hundred leagues groped, dumb with horror, amidst the thick darkness, bearing crosses on their shoulders and stones on their heads, in penitential abasement and dismay. Many believed the day of doom had come, and crowded with noiseless footsteps over a bed of ashes to the tottering churches, where, in the pauses of the explosions, the voices of the priests were heard in solemn invocation to Heaven. The strongest lights were invisible at the distance of a few feet; and, to heighten the terrors of the scene, occasional lightnings traversed the darkness, shedding a lurid glare over the earth. This continued for forty-three hours, when the shocks of earthquakes and the eruptions ceased, and a brisk wind springing up, the obscuration gradually passed away.
The air was literally filled with an almost impalpable powder, which entered the eyes, ears, and nostrils, and produced a sensation of suffocation, a gasping for breath. At first the doors and windows were closed, but without effect; the exclusion of air, joined to the intense heat, became intolerable. The only relief was found in throwing wetted cloths over their heads. The horses and mules suffered not less than the people; many died, and others were saved only by adopting the same precautions.
For some leagues around the volcano, the sand and ashes had fallen to the depth of several feet. Of course the operations of the volcano could only be known by the results. A crater had been opened, several miles in circumference, from which had flowed vast quantities of lava into the sea on one hand, and the Gulf of Fonseca on the other. The verdant sides of the mountain were now rough, burned, seamed, and covered with disrupted rocks and fields of lava. The quantity of matter ejected was incredible in amount. I am informed by the captain of a vessel which passed along the coast a few days thereafter, that the sea for fifty leagues was covered with floating masses of pumice, and that he sailed for a whole day through it, without being able to distinguish but here and there an open space of water.
The appearance of this mountain is now desolate beyond description. Not a trace of life appears upon its parched sides. Here and there are openings emitting steam, small jets of smoke and sulphurous vapors, and in some places the ground is swampy from thermal springs. It is said that the discharge of ashes, sand, and lava was followed by a flow of water, and the story seems corroborated by the particular smoothness of some parts of the slope. The height of this mountain is not, I think, more than three thousand five hundred feet.
The anniversary of this eruption is celebrated in the most solemn manner in Nicaragua. I witnessed the ceremony in the church of La Merced, where, in common with all the foreign residents, I was invited by a circular letter as follows:
LEON ENERO 20 DE 1850.
Por imposicion de las sagradas manos de S. E. Yllma. el dignisímo Sr. Obispo Dr. D. Jorje de Viteri y Ungo, he recibido hoy el orden sacro del Presbiterado; y por su disposicion, subiré al augusto Altar del Eterno á celebrar por la primera vez el tremendo sacrificio, el dia 23 del corriente, _aniversario décimo quinto de la erupcion del volcan de Coseguina_, en la Yglesia de Ntra. Señora de las Mercedes, por cuya poderosa intercesion, salvamos en aquella vez de los peligros que nos amenazaron. Allí predicará el mismo Excmo. Sr., mi amado Prelado.
Tengo el honor de participarlo todo á U., suplicandole su interesante concurrencia, y firmandome con placer, su muy respetuoso seguro servidor y capellan Q. B. S. M.
RAFAEL PABLO JEREZ.
TRANSLATION.
LEON, JANUARY 20, 1850.
By the imposition of the sacred hands of His Excellency the most illustrious and most dignified Bishop, Dr. Don Jorge de Viteri y Ungo, I have this day been invested with the orders of priesthood; and by his direction, will ascend the august Altar of the Eternal, to celebrate for the first time the tremendous sacrifice, on the fifteenth anniversary of the eruption of the volcano of Coseguina, the 23rd inst., in the church of our Lady of Mercies, by whose powerful intercession we were then saved from the dangers which threatened us. There also will preach the same excellent Señor, my beloved prelate.
I have the honor to inform you of this, and to solicit your concurrence. With pleasure I subscribe myself your very respectful, faithful servant and chaplain,
Who kisses your hands, RAFAEL PABLO JEREZ.
The ceremony was very impressive,[31] and the memory of the terrible event thus commemorated was evidently strong in the minds of those who had witnessed it, and who might be distinguished by their greater gravity and devotion.
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Footnote 31:
Byam, an English traveller, makes the following statement, which is copied without any endorsement of its truth:—
“On the morning of the 23d the fall of ashes became more dense, and the natural grave of man seemed to be rising from the earth instead of being dug in it. The women, with their heads covered with wet linen, to obviate the smothering effect of the falling dust, again hurried to the churches with cries and lamentations, and tried to sing canticles to their favorite saints. As a last resort, every saint in the churches of Leon, without exception, lest he should be offended, was taken from his niche and placed in the open air,—I suppose to enable him to judge from experience of the state of affairs—but still the ashes fell!
“Towards night, however, a mighty wind sprung up from the north, and the inhabitants at last gained a view of the sun’s setting rays, gilding their national volcanoes. Of course the cessation of the shower of ashes was attributed to the intercession of these saints, who doubtless wished to get under cover again, which opinion was strongly approved of by the priests, as they would certainly not be the losers by the many offerings; but during a general procession for thanks, which took place the next day, it was discovered that the paint which had been rather clumsily bestowed upon the Virgin’s face had blistered from the heat of the numerous candles burned around it, and half Leon proclaimed that she had caught the smallpox during her residence in the city, and in consequence of her anger the infliction they had just suffered was imposed upon them. Innumerable were the candles burnt before the ‘Queen of Heaven,’ and many and valuable the offerings to her priests, for the sake of propitiation,”—_Wanderings_, p. 37.
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It has been observed that any great eruption, like that above recorded, is often attended by similar phenomena in other and remote localities. Thus, a few weeks after the eruption of Coseguina, the whole of New Granada was convulsed; the subterranean thunder was heard simultaneously in Nicaragua, Popayan, Bogota, Santa Martha, Caraccas, Hayti, Curacoa, and Jamaica. These synchronous evidences of activity in subterranean forces is very well illustrated in the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, Peru, Chili, the Antilles, Central America, Mexico, and California. The centres of greatest violence seem to have been in Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Chili. In Costa Rica the places nearest the volcanoes of Orosi and Cartago suffered most; among these were the cities of San José and Heredia, and the town of Barba. Many churches and private dwellings were thrown down or injured. The shocks occurred on the 18th of March last (1851) at about 8 o’clock in the morning; on the Isthmus of Panama on the 15th of May; in Chile on the 2d of April. The amount of property destroyed in Valparaiso was estimated at a million and a half of dollars. In the island of Guadaloupe the earthquakes commenced on the 16th of May, and continued until the 18th; and in San Francisco they were felt on the 15th of the same month.[32]
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Footnote 32:
A number of severe earthquakes have happened within the last few years. One occurred in Guatemala in 1830[I.]arly if not quite as severe as that of 1773. In February, 1831, and September, 1839, severe shocks were felt in San Salvador, and in 1841 in Costa Rica. The last nearly destroyed the city of Cartago, which had previously suffered a similar catastrophe. May, 1844, was distinguished throughout Nicaragua by a series of earthquakes occurring at regular intervals, over a period of several days. The city of Nicaragua suffered much, and the waters of the lake were observed to rise and fall with the throes of the earth.
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The volcano nearest Leon is that of Telica, which is the smallest of the group, being not more than three thousand feet high, but exceedingly regular in outline. It has recently been ascended by my friend Prof. JULIUS FRŒBEL, whose interesting account I subjoin:
“From Leon, I made an excursion to the volcanic cone of Telica, which is more easy of ascent than any other peak in the neighborhood. In fact, the road to the summit is more fatiguing than dangerous. I rode one evening to the village of Telica, which is two leagues distant from Leon. I mounted my horse the next morning at 4 o’clock, in company with a good guide, and well provided with water and provisions. At first by moonlight and afterwards in the morning twilight, we rode, slowly ascending, through a thick forest. The path gradually became more steep and rough. As the forests disappeared, savannas followed, which, where they had been recently swept by fire, were clothed with a fresh and tender green. Manifold trees and shrubs, some without leaves, but gay with blossoms, formed park-like groups in the broad mountain meadows. One of these small, elevated valleys was ravishingly beautiful. It was surrounded by the highest summits, whose sides are covered with grass, out of which shoot the single stems of the wine-palm, (_coyol_,) while a little grove of this and other trees, mixed with shrubbery, stood in the lake of grass, six feet deep, which filled the bottom. The coyol-palm furnishes, by tapping, a sweet, cooling, and healthy juice, which is sometimes drunk when fresh and sometimes when undergoing fermentation, under the name of _chicha-coyol_. The nuts which depend from the crown in immense clusters, are about the size of small apples. They are a favorite food of cattle, and are sometimes eaten by the natives; they furnish an oil, which is much finer than the cocoa oil, and is adapted to a variety of uses.
“At last, high above, the grass grows scattered among sharp blocks of lava, which make the road toilsome and dangerous. At the limit of shrubbery we left our horses and all our heavy equipments behind, and continued our journey on foot. In an hour we had reached the summit, and stood on the edge of a crater from two to three hundred feet deep. We lowered ourselves with a rope down a perpendicular wall of rock, from sixty to seventy feet deep, and then clambered toward the centre. The hot steam which here and there came from the damp and heated earth, and a great weakness which I felt in consequence of a violent fit of vomiting that seized me on the way, prevented me from penetrating into the lowest depths. There is little of interest to be seen there, however; for the crater is filled with fragments which have tumbled down from the side walls, so that, with the exception of some crystals of sulphur and sublimated salts, no substance is to be found which I had not already picked up on the side of the mountain. It is a mass of black, porous lava, faded to a reddish brown on the outside from the effects of the weather, and sprinkled with small crystals of glassy feldspar. On the outside, near the summit, it is frequently raised into oven-shaped curves, with a laminar division of the strata, but generally occurs in angular masses or flat cakes. The whole mountain, like all the cones of this region, has been built up by the masses hurled from its depths. In the crater I found a few small specimens of crystalline lime, and others of a remarkably hard variety of augite. Inside and deep down, there was a small bush, apparently a _vaccinium_, (whortleberry,) with panicles of beautiful white, hirsute, bell-shaped flowers, and some bunches of tasteless blackberries. On the upper edge of the crater I found an _orchidæ_, whose crimson spike of blossoms resembled some varieties of our German orchis. A small fir-tree stood rooted among the rocks near the summit; the other vegetation was grass and a few insignificant weeds.
“The view from the summit is magnificent. Near at hand is the whole group of volcanoes, from Momotombo to Viejo. Behind the former of these flashes the Lake of Managua, a great part of which is visible. Over and beyond it, the landscape is lost in the haze of distance. On the other hand, the eye wanders wide over the uncertain horizon of the Pacific, against which are traced, in sharp outline, the winding bays and headlands of the coast. You can trace its irregular line from the neighborhood of Realejo far to the south-east, and overlook the isthmus between the Ocean and Lake Managua. To the north you have the long mountain chain which stretches from the San Juan River, along the north-eastern shores of Lakes Nicaragua and Managua, through the districts of Chontales, Matagalpa and New Segovia, to the States of Honduras and San Salvador. At the foot of this chain, which is completely separated from the volcanic group of Momotombo, Telica, and Viejo, rise a number of conical hills, some of them in the plain which extends from the north-western extremity of Lake Managua behind the volcanoes, toward the Gulf of Fonseca. The whole view is a splendid picture of plain and mountain, covered with brilliant vegetation as far as the eye can reach, the rich, cultivated plantations being scarcely discernible in the vast space. Here and there the shimmer of a sheet of water enlivens the universal green.
“I reached the village in time to return to Leon the same evening. A few days previously I had visited two sulphur springs at the foot of this mountain—called respectively San Jacinto and Tisate. At the former place, a hot, insipid, reddish-brown water, whose steam had an acrid, sulphurous flavor, boils up from the soil in numberless small holes. Through the agency of various metallic salts and oxides, the hot, soft clay exhibits all shades of white, yellow, brown, red, green, blue and black, while the soil is crusted with sublimated sulphur and freed salts of different kinds. At the latter place, a sort of ashy gray, boiling slime, or rather clay-broth, is hurled into the air from a small crater. Near it a hill has been formed of the same variegated earths and salts as are seen at San Jacinto. These are two genuine chemical laboratories, where a number of processes are going on. In the clayey slime, penetrated with hot steam, sulphuric acids and gases, I found thousands of shining sulphur pyrites, which, according to all appearances, were constantly forming.”
The volcano of El Viejo was ascended in 1838, by Capt. Belcher, of the British Navy, who made its absolute height 5562 feet; but according to my own admeasurements it is just 6000 feet. As the cone of El Viejo rises sheer from the plain, it probably appears much higher than the more elevated peak. of Cartago, which rises from an elevated mountain range. Capt. Belcher thus describes his ascent:
“At four P. M., having procured guides, we proceeded to the foot of the mountain, where we designed sleeping. Our journey lay partly through the woods, where the guides halted for a draught of the fermented juice of the palm, which they had prepared in their previous visits, and others were now tapped, in readiness for our return. After scrambling through much loose lava-rock, which I was surprised to see the animals attempt, as it was entirely hidden by long grass, we reached our sleeping station at seven o’clock, when, having picked out the softest stone bed, and tethered our animals, we made the most of our time in the way of sleeping.
“At dawn on the 10th (of February), we remounted our animals, and passed still more difficult ground, until half-past six, when we reached the lower line of the “Pine range,” that tree observing a distinct line throughout all these mountain ranges. It became, therefore, a matter of interest to ascertain this elevation, which by barometric data is 3000 feet above the sea level. Temperature at this time (before sunrise) 66° of Fahrenheit.
“Having tethered our beasts, we now commenced our ascent _à pied_. The first efforts, owing to the long grass, were fatiguing, and the mate was _hors du combat_ before we reached half way. As we ascended, the grass disappeared, the breeze freshened, and spirits rose, and at nine we had turned the lip of the crater. Here I was surprised by a peak presenting itself on the opposite side of the crater, and apparently inaccessible. I nevertheless descended to the edge of the inner cone, from whence I thought I discovered a narrow pass; but it was only by dint of perseverance and determination that we could persuade the guides to re-shoulder the instruments and go ahead. Difficulties vanished as we proceeded, and we found a path beaten by the wild bullocks, which led to the very peak. Here I obtained the requisite observations for determining the position and height. The range of the temperature here during our stay (from half past ten until half past one) was from 77° to 80° Fahrenheit.
“I was unfortunate in the day; it blew freshly (although calm at the base), was hazy, and excepting high peaks and headlands, I lost the most interesting minutiæ. The volcano now consists of three craters. The outer one is about fifteen hundred feet in diameter, having the peak, or highest lip, on the western edge. Within, it is precipitous, for the depth of about one hundred and fifty feet. From the inner base, at that depth, rises the second inner volcano, to the height of about eighty feet, having within it still another cone. Around the western base of the first or inner, the cliffs rise precipitously, with luxuriant pines growing from the vertical face. Here vapors arise from many points, and doubtless to this cause they are indebted for their peculiarly healthy and vigorous condition. No minerals worthy of carriage were discovered. We had been informed that sulphur was abundant, but those who descended to look for it found none. Here there was a hot spring, the temperature of which exceeded the range of my thermometers, doubtless coming up to the boiling point. The view was very beautiful; the map of the country was at my feet; even the main features of the Lake of Managua were visible. _Mem._ People who ascend high mountains, with weak heads and weaker stomachs, should reserve spirits for cases of necessity only—as medicine!”[33]
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Footnote 33:
“Voyage Round the World,” vol. i. p. 162.
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Besides the hot springs mentioned by Capt. Belcher, at the summit of El Viejo, there are also orifices emitting rills of smoke, which, under favorable states of the atmosphere, may be seen from Leon. When the pirate Dampier was on this coast, this volcano exhibited unmistakable signs of life; for this old voyager states expressly that it was an “exceedingly high mountain, smoking all day, and sending out flames at night.”[34]
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Footnote 34:
“Voyage Round the World,” vol. i. p. 119.
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The great plain of Leon, at its highest part, is elevated about two hundred feet above the sea; yet in the vicinity of the range of volcanoes which traverses it, in digging wells, beds of lava, fifteen feet thick, have been found, at the depth of seventy-five Spanish varas, or about two hundred and ten feet, and this at a point not the highest of the plain, but according to my calculations only one hundred and thirty feet above the ocean. Unless there is some great error in these data, and I can discover of none, they would seem to prove that there has been a subsidence of the plain since the almost infinitely remote period when the stream of lava flowed upwards from the depths of the earth. I may mention that in the vicinity of the volcanoes, water is scarce, and can only be obtained by digging to great depths. The
## particular well to which I refer is at the cattle estate _de las
Palmas_, eighteen miles north-east of Leon, and is upward of three hundred feet in depth, the water pure, with no saline materials in solution.
Much might be said on the phenomena of earthquakes as they occur in this country. The shocks seem to be of two classes; the perpendicular, which are felt only in the vicinity of volcanoes, and the horizontal, which reach over wide tracts of country. The latter are very unequal; in some places being violent, and in others, nearer their assumed source, comparatively slight. The undulating movement seems to be only a modification of the horizontal or vibratory. Sometimes these motions are all combined, or rather succeed each other with great rapidity. Such was the case with the earthquake of the 27th of October, 1850, which I experienced, and of which I can speak authoritatively. It occurred at about one o’clock in the morning. I was aroused from sleep by a strong undulatory motion, which was sufficiently violent to move my bed several inches backward and forth on the rough paved floor, and to throw down books and other articles which had been placed on my table. The tiles of the roof were also rattled together violently, and the beams and rafters creaked like the timbers of a deeply-laden vessel in a heavy sea. The people all rushed from their houses in the greatest alarm, and commenced praying in loud tones. The domestic animals seemed to share the general consternation; the horses struggled as if to loose themselves, and the dogs commenced a simultaneous barking. This undulatory motion lasted nearly a minute, steadily increasing in violence, until suddenly it changed into a rapid vibratory or horizontal motion, which rendered it difficult to stand upright. This lasted about thirty seconds, and was followed as suddenly by a vertical movement, or a series of shocks, such as one would experience in being rapidly let down a flight of steps, then declined in violence, but nevertheless seemed to stop abruptly. The whole lasted about two minutes, and can be compared to nothing except the rapid movement of a large and loaded railroad car over a bad track, in which there are undulations, horizontal irregularities, and breaks.
No considerable damage was done. Some old walls were thrown down, but in various places in the country I afterwards observed that rocks had been detached and portions of cliffs broken off by the shocks. The thick adobe walls of my house were cracked in several places from top to bottom. Many other buildings suffered in like manner. The motion which seemed most dangerous to me was that which I have described as _horizontal_, in which the earth seemed to slide away from beneath my feet.
The night was clear moonlight, and it was very still; not a breath of air seemed stirring. The orange trees in my courtyard, during the continuance of the undulations, swayed regularly to and fro; but when the other movements followed, they had an unsteady or tremulous motion. The water in my well, which was very deep, seemed also much agitated. The direction of the undulations was from north to south, and they were felt throughout the entire State of Nicaragua, and in Honduras and San Salvador, and even perhaps beyond these limits.
I learned from old residents, that, as compared with the others which have occurred within the last quarter of a century, this earthquake ranked as about seven, the maximum being ten.
All observers here concur in saying that, while earthquakes are common at all times of the year, they are much more numerous and violent at the entrance and close of the two seasons, the wet and the dry; that is, about the last of October and the first of November, and the last of April and the first of May. They are observed as particularly numerous and strong after the heavy rains, at the close of the wet season in October. It is also observed that a general quiet seems to prevail, for a period, both before and after their occurrence.[35]
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Footnote 35:
Oviedo observes respecting the earthquakes of the country, that “they are frequent at the time of storms,—though to tell the truth, rain rarely falls. These shocks,” he adds, “are not light, but are real earthquakes, very severe and very long. During my stay in this city, I have seen some violent ones, so much so as to compel us to abandon the houses, through fear of being crushed to death beneath them, and to take refuge in the streets and squares. I have counted upwards of sixty shocks within twenty-four hours, and that for several days. During the shocks the lightning struck and inflamed houses. All this I saw at Leon, but certainly these earthquakes cannot be compared with those of the city of Pozzuoli, which I saw completely overthrown by an earthquake, of the same kind with those at Leon. If this last mentioned city had been built of stone, like those of Spain, it would soon have been destroyed, with great loss of lives.”
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It is difficult to discover the connection between these different phenomena, but there seems to be a concurrence as to the facts here stated. It is certainly true, that the only shocks which I have felt were in the periods indicated, and it is also certain that nearly all occur in the night. Perhaps, amidst the occupations and distractions of the day, the lesser ones pass unobserved.
There are many striking features in the topography of Central America, which seem entirely due to volcanic agency. Those which have more
## particularly attracted my attention, are what are popularly denominated
extinct craters, now partially filled with water, forming lakes without outlets or apparent sources of supply, save the rains. Some of these occur on the mountain and hill ranges, and are surrounded by evidences of having been volcanic vents. But this is not always the case. The Lake of Masaya, which I have already described, may be taken as an example. It is not less than eight or ten miles in circumference, and is not far from one thousand feet, perhaps more, below the general level of the country. The sides are sheer precipices of trachytic rocks, splintered and blistered, and exhibiting every indication of having been exposed to the intensest heat. Yet, if these were true craters, where are the lava, ashes, and other materials which they have ejected? There are certainly none in their vicinity, which have emanated from them, no traces of lava streams surrounding them, nor are their edges elevated above the general level. Upon one side of the particular one which I have mentioned, rises the extinct volcano of Masaya or Nindiri, with its proper crater, whence have flowed vast quantities of lava, part of which, falling over the precipitous walls of the lake, have quite filled it upon that side. Some of the lakes are more or less impregnated with saline materials, but others are perfectly fresh, and abound in fish. The burned and blistered walls indicate, it appears to me, that they have not been caused by the subsidence, or the falling in of the earth.
Oviedo makes special mention of the range of volcanoes to which I have so often alluded, which he calls by the aboriginal name, “Marabios.” At the time of his visit, some of them were active, or rather sent out large quantities of smoke. These were probably Santa Clara and Telica, which appear to have been most recently in a state of eruption. He says, “About the centre of this chain three peaks can be distinguished, rising one behind the other. They are very steep on the north side, and descend gradually to the plain on the southern. This country is very fertile; and as the east winds reign here continually, the western portion is always covered with smoke, proceeding from these three mountains, the most elevated of the chain, and five or six leagues in circumference. The volcano the nearest to the city of Leon (Telica) is four or five leagues off. It sometimes happens, when the north wind blows strong, that the smoke, instead of escaping on the western side, as usual, takes a southern course; then it scorches and withers the maize fields and other productions of the soil, and causes great mischief in the villages, which are numerous. The ground suffers to such a degree from the heat, that it remains arid for four or five years after.”
I have elsewhere introduced Oviedo’s account of his visit to the volcano of Masaya. In another part of his MS., the chronicler gives a summary of the relation of the Fray Blas de Castillo, who, in 1834, descended into the crater of this volcano. It seems that in his narrative the Fray referred to the Historian in such a manner as to excite his anger, and in consequence he indulges in several pungent little episodes in the resumé, of which the following is a very fair example: “It is a hard matter,” observes Oviedo, “to contradict all the falsehoods diffused through the world; and even if successful in so doing, it is a matter of greater difficulty to undeceive those who have heard them. Now if the Fray Blas de Castillo had thought that his account would one day fall into my hands, he would not have said that I, Gonzales Hernandez de Oviedo y Valdez, Chronicler General of the Indies, had asked permission of his Majesty to place the volcano of Masaya on my coat of arms, because I had happened to visit it. I have never made such a request; I have no desire to carry such arms; nor do I think any Christian would approve of it; the Fray has lied!”[36]
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Footnote 36:
Although Oviedo denies so indignantly that he received the volcano of Masaya as a device on his coat of arms, yet, having resided thirty years under the tropics, the Emperor Charles V. gave him the four beautiful stars of the Southern Cross as amorial bearings. This method of rewarding men was common in the active period following the Discovery. Thus Columbus received, as the chronicler words it “para sublimarlo,” to honor him, the first map of America,—a range of islands in front of a Gulf: Sebastian de Elcano, the first circumnavigator of the globe, a globe with the inscription, “Primus circumdedisti me:” and Diego de Ordaz, who first ascended the volcano of Orizaba, a drawing of that high and conical mountain.
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The descent of the Fray Blas was conducted with great secrecy, and under the full belief that the molten matter seen at the bottom of the crater was gold or silver. “This matter,” he says, “resembles a red sea, and its commotions make as much noise as do the waves of the ocean when they dash against the rocks. This sea looks like the metal of which bells are made, or sulphur or gold, in a state of fusion, except that it is covered with a black scum, two or three fathoms thick. Were it not for this mass of scum, or scoriæ, the fire would throw out such an ardor and lustre that it would be impossible to remain near it, or look upon it. Sometimes it breaks apart in certain places, and then one can perceive the matter, red and brilliant as the light of heaven. In the midst constantly rise two large masses of melted metal, four or five fathoms across, which are constantly free from the scum, and from which the liquid metal leaps forth on every side. The sound of these melted streams, dashing amongst the rocks, is like that of artillery battering the walls of a city. The rocks around this sea of metal are black to the height of seven or eight fathoms, which proves that the liquid matter sometimes rises to that distance. Upon the north-eastern side of the crater is the opening of a cavern, very deep, and as wide as the range of an arquebus. A stream of burning fluid flows into this cavern, which seems to be the outlet of the crater. It runs for a few moments, stops, then commences again, and so on constantly. There comes forth from this cavern a thick smoke, greater than rises from the whole lake, which diffuses on all sides a very strong odor. There comes forth also, a heat and brilliancy which cannot be described. During the night the summit of the mountain is perfectly illuminated, as are also the clouds, which seem to form a kind of _tiara_ above it, which may be seen eighteen or twenty leagues on the land, and upwards of thirty at sea. The darker the night the more brilliant the volcano. It is worthy of remark, that neither above nor below can the least flame be seen, except when a stone or arrow is thrown into the crater, which burns like a candle.
“During rains and tempests, the volcano is most active; for when the storm reaches its height, it makes so many movements that one might say it was a living thing. The heat is so great that the rain is turned into vapor before reaching the bottom of the crater, and entirely obscures it. Both Indians and Spaniards affirm, that since the Conquest, during a very rainy year, the burning metal rose to the top of the crater, and that the heat was then so great that everything was burnt for a league around. Such a quantity of burning vapor came from it, that the trees and plants were dried up for more than two leagues. Indeed, one cannot behold the volcano without fear, admiration, and repentance of his sins; for it can be surpassed only by the eternal fire. Some confessors have imposed no other penance than to visit this volcano.”
Oviedo adds, that, although no animals were to be found on the volcano or its slopes, paroquets abounded, both on the summit of the mountain and within the crater, at the time the volcano was still active. The Fray Blas made two descents into the crater, and by means of a chain lowered an iron bucket into the molten mass of lava. He was much disappointed in procuring only a mass of gray pumice, when he had expected to find pure silver or gold. The second descent was performed in the presence of the Governor, who afterwards forbade any similar enterprises. The fires are now cold in the crater, and the “Hell of Masaya” is extinguished.
[Illustration: THE PAROQUET.]
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