Pike's Peak

TIn; probability of a voloann exii-ting in ¦ he llocky mountains has never entcrcd I ;he mindá of our citizons. Couelusive I vidcnce thut such a thing does exist, I ind not very lar, from Colorado Springs, I tías reccntly been furnished us by Sergt. I 1) 'Keel'e, of tha signa! service. The first ¦ L-nuwledge that was given us of this I ar aod newly discovered phenonienon, I was reported last Saturday afternoon, aud ¦ ince that time a Gazetle reporter, under I the guidance of Sergt. O'Keefe, visitcd the ¦ raene of what proved to be one of the ¦ most wonderous discoveries ever brought I lo light in this inountain región. Nearly all the citizens of Colorado I Springs have seen or read of the cráter M which is located ncar the sumuiit and justl west oí' the peak. It has always been con-H ceded by scientists that this sel f sanie M cráter had in times gone by been the sccneH of a terrible eruption, as partióles of lavaB had been diacoyered in the crevices of theH rock adjoining it. Those who have inves-H tigated more closelv the variousformationsB which are peculiar ti a volcante raountainH generally have affirmed that there areH plenty of evidences to show plainly thatH the Pike's Peak cráter has in its center a I circular or cup like opening througb which ¦ lava has eertainly been etnilted. It was on the night of the 29th of Oc I tober that the crater lirst displayed anyH eigns of volcanic activity. Sergeant O'-H Keefe was aroused from bil .'lumbers by dreary, doletul sound which apparentlyH euianated from beneath ihesignal station.H His first convictions were'that it was &nH earthquake, but this impresión was aoonH dispelled by the fact that the sounds MtillH oontinued without any signa of ajar. ThtH seargeant concluded to investígate th(H cause of this my.tenous sound, ;u ¦ he and his assistant, Mr. F. L. Jones dressed themselves and started out in scarelH of the cause. They had barely steppecfl over ihe door sill when a briglit ttash, al first thought to be lightnin?, surniounteoW the sumuiit of the peak. It was only of fl second's duralion and the peak was agaifl clouded in darkoess. From this time ol the sound heietol'ore described seemed tfl decrease until the usual quietof thesolemH mountain peak was again restored. The following day Sergt. O'Keefe visiteiB the crater, t'eeling coutident that tho suimfl heard on the night previous emanateiH froin that souruo. What was his surprisH ¦ on looking down into the crater to discoveH vapor curling up from the cup like incilosB ¦ re. This discovery only prompted Iml H to further continue his researches, anl ¦ after two hours labqrious climbing hefounS H himself standing within two hundredyardH of the crater chiinney. The heat, even aH Dfais ülliaiivKi E¦ ÏCIj url...raalïc, ....J 'H ground aboat hiui was covered with puH ¦ verized ashes and lava, which had beeH emitted froui what he believed to be an rl cipient volcano. I ¦ O'Keefe was lost in astonishment. TliH ¦ snow for a distance of half a raile ïrnm tliH ¦ crater had entirely disappeared. This W:H ¦ all the more reuiarkable as it had upon i iH I day previous been severa! feet ia deptM The seargeant was very much astonisheH ¦ at the remarkable discovery brought tH ¦ light, but be was not deceived by thH ¦ ealni. He was convinced that theabsoluH H repose that the volcano then di.splayeH would be of short duration. ¦ Since the 29th of October but one eruH ¦ tion has occurred, and that was on til H night of November 7, when another otfl ¦ similar to that which occurred on the 2'.HB H only more violent, occurred. SergeaiH I O' Keel'e happened to be up ou the rofl ¦ ot the signal station on this occasion, aiM he portrays the niajesty of the scène as llfl H grandest that he has ever witnessed, nfl excepting that of Vesuvius, seen by nM ¦ in 1862, when he was a lad, and beforc !¦ ¦ left hia native Ireland for America. ¦ The eruption began with a tremendo ¦ Imrst. which shook l'ike's Peak to its vefl ¦ foundation, hurling into the air dcnfl clouds of asbes andl" " These explosioiH H snoooodcd eacn other with rapidity aia ¦ ¦ creaeed violence for about one hour, whcH H the volcano seemeil to enter into profounH ¦ sleep. During the eruption the clouds afl ¦ strongly illuminatcd by the reflection ¦ ¦ the glowing lava in the cráter, giving tH ¦ scene the appearance of a vast conflagrfl H tion. This will account lor the peculi I light which has been noticed by the sheeH ¦ herders on the plains east of this city. I H Sergeant O'ííeefe informa us that !¦ flow of' the lava tends toward IIuxtonH H creek, whenoe tbe water for the supply H H the city is procured, and there is no douM ¦ that the hot lava will, if it reaches tlH ¦ creek, so heat the water that it will be M ¦ no earthly use for drinking purposes. ¦ ¦ is evident that the eruption has butjuB ¦ begun, and should it continue any lengfl ¦ or time there is no doubt but that ÚoloradH ¦ Springs will meet the same fate as thfl H which destroyed the flourishing oátiea S H Pompeii and Ilerculaneum. The flow S ¦ lava has already extended a distance fl ¦ three miles from the mouth of the crateB and only two eruptions have taken placH