COSTA RICA— VULCAN'S SMITHY 



495 



YoJ canoes ojC^ 



of Santa Clara, about 1,000 feet above 

 sea-level, to the towering height of 10,965 

 feet. Its beautiful crater^ fo.rming a 

 narrow, elongated basin, is: constantly 

 active, a strong current of sulphuric and 

 aqueous vapors, mixed with sand, escap- 

 ing noisily from a broad vent at its 

 westernmost extremity. The only known 

 violent eruption of this volcano, however, 

 took place in 1869, when it poured forth 

 huge quantities of stones and fine sand, 

 the latter of which were carried by the 

 trade-winds westward to Punta Arenas 

 and farther away over the Pacific Ocean. 

 Within close proximity of Turrialba is 

 Irazu, about 360 feet higher, and far 

 better known on account of the facility 

 with which it is reached on horseback 

 from Cartago. This volcano shows three 

 large extinct craters, and, far down on 

 its northern slope, numerous solfataras 

 and hot-water springs. It enjoys the un- 



deserved reputation of being the one 

 point from which both the Atlantic and 

 Pacific oceans are visible at the same 

 time — a peculiarity that in reality is 

 shared by Turrialba and several other 

 points of vantage along the ridge of the 

 southeastern system. Its historical erup- 

 tions took place in 1723, 1726. 1821, 1822, 

 1844, and 1847, singularly enough in each 

 instance, except the first (which began 

 in February), during the month of May. 

 The eruption of 1847 ^^'^'^ simultaneous 

 with heavy earthquakes, which were felt 

 from Rivas in Nicaragua to the city of 

 Panama. 



POAS. THE world's BIGGEST GEYSER 



From Irazu the range continues west- 

 ward until it reaches Poas, a picturesque 

 mountain with a geyserian crater, photo- 

 graphed for the first time by the writer 

 in 1888, and which seems to have shown 



