1894 
Amecaxaeca 
(Mexico) 
January 
short time the frozen ground below caused the overlying mass to freeze 
so that areas of newly deposited matter an hour or so old had already 
become a mass of ice nearly to the surface. This goes on day after day 
until a ridge is built up and the drainage thrown to one side in the 
hollow left. It in turn is built up. In this way is stored an enormous 
mss of accumulated water about the base of the snow-covered cone. The 
ashes from above being transferred lower down and held by the ice, 
t 
Should a new eruption occur and a sudden intense heat occur in the sides 
of the cone this ice would be melted and an enormous mss of liquid mud 
be turned loose. At present this built up slope affords the only access¬ 
ible road to the summit. 
As the sun set this evening the few clouds that had been hanging all 
day about the mountains faded away. The shadow of coming night fell on 
the dark, pine-wooded base of Iztaccihuatl end a soft amethyst haze 
spread over the rugged slopes to the white mantle of the summit now be¬ 
coming faintly golden tinted. Beyond lay the fathomless blue of the sky. 
A feint, gauzy gray veil of smoke arising from a forest fire at the east¬ 
ern end arose slowly and spread out over the feet of the figure. TJp crept 
the she.dews and the misty amethyst changed to purple and the shroud had 
become a delicate rose-tinted covering of exquisite beauty. Then the sun 
dropped suddenly behind the wooded heights of Ajusoo and the last loving, 
lingering beam of rosy light rested on the oold bosom of the lady as & 
lingering caress and the shadow of death seemed to suddenly envelope the 
great form in palled white of a strange and mysterious kind. 
Back of the crest, and forming a rich background, lay the dark purpl¬ 
ish twilight steadily deepening into night until the snowy crest seemed 
at times like frosted silver. Then the earthbom shadows of night orept 
up from the pine forests at the base and joined the blackness of the 
heavens where the stars were already showing their points of light. The 
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