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.
-----
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.
-----
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]
-----
Footnote 33:
“Voyage Round the World,” vol. i. p. 162.
-----
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]
-----
Footnote 34:
“Voyage Round the World,” vol. i. p. 119.
-----
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]
-----
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.”
-----
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]
-----
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.
-----
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.]