The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1851-05-02

b@-whicb we're honrshine at its base
These fossil cities have since been un
covered, and their antiquities may be seer
in almost every public museum. In the
wo,ds ofan eloquent writer, "After nearly
II centuries had rolled away, the city o.
Pompeii was disinterred from its silent
,nmbs, all vivid with undimned hues; It's
walls fresh az if printed yesterday; not a
lint faded on the rich MOSAIC OF its floors;
in is lis forum, The hal T finished columns,
,s left by the workman's hand; before
he trees in its gardens, The sacr6cial
rpod: in its halls, the chest of treasure
in its baths, the strigiI, IN its theatres.
The counter ocadmisslon-in its saloons,
the furniture and lamps,in its iriclinia, the
fragments Of the las, feasi--in it's cubic,
uls. The perfumes and rouge of faded
beau,y-and everywhere, the skeletons
"f those who once moved the springs OF
hat minute, yet gorgeous, machine Of
luxury and life"
"The beams Of the houses have under.
gone bu, little alteration except tba, they
are invested with black Gust, Linen
and fishing neis, loaves of bread with the
impress ofthe bakers name, even fruits,
as walnu's, almonds, and chestnu,s, are
still distinctly recognizable. The re.
markable preservation, for nearly 1000
years, Of whole cities, with their houses,
furniture, and even the most perishable
substances, beneath beds of volcanic
rocks, may be compared 10 those geo.
logical changes. by which the 10 esis Of
an earlier world, and line remains of the
colossal drngon-frms which inhabited the
ancient land and waters, have been per-
petuated"
New Islsnds formed bv volcanic spen.
cy, are among the mos, interesting results
Of this gigantic force. History atounds
with numerous examples of these: such
we're Delos, Rhodes, and the Cycladcs,
described by Piny and other ancient
writer's. Such was Sabrina, one of the
Azores, which rose in 1911 II was 800
fee, high, and a mile in circumference:
hut after som" months it disappeared.-
In 1907 The island call+d Isoa Nuova.
was thrown up near San,orini, and sill
remains. JIst before the great eruption
Of Skap,ar 'ku' in Iceland, in 1883, a
new island appeared offthe coast, which
afterwards vanished In l79j, one rose
to the heigh, Of $50 feet, having 2 miles
Of QGGsi GsGi86in%RaffFepes, 81 il, the Aleutian group,
In the same vicinity. another rose in
1906, 4 miles in circumference, which
also remains. In 1914, in the sam,
group, a peak arose, which was 5000 feet
high; and which remained standing q
year afterwards.
The most recent instance Of subaqueus
eruption with which we are acquainted,
is that which produced TIo,han or Gra-
hams Island, in The year 1881. This is
land was thrown up in the Mediterranean
between the southwest coast cf Sicily
and the African coast, in latitude 36 deg.
8 min. so sec. north, and longitude IL
deg. 42 min. Is sec. east. The erup-
tion seems to have been first observed
by John Corrao, the captain ofa Sicilian
vessel, who, passing near 10 the spot on
the 10Th Of July, observed an immense
column of water elected from The sea 10
the height ef 60 feet, and about 500
yards in circumference.
The island was visited, on the 4th OF
August following, by several scientific
gentlemen; and is said 10 have been 2oC
feet high; and three miles in circumfer'
renee.
From that time the island decreased
in size, for being composed Of loose SEQ.
rae and pumice, it was rapidly acted
upon by water, and on the 3rd of Sep
,ember, when carefully measured by
Captain Wodehouse, was only three fifIbs
of mile in circumference, and l07 feet
high. A, the end of October the island
had entirely disappeared, except one
small pom, composed Of sand and scorie
Captain Sw:nburne examined The spot
IN the beginning of the year 1882, and
fonnd an extensive sboal 10 occupy the
place where the island had been, and
in 1888 there was dangerous reef, Of
an oval form, three.fifihs of a mile in
circumference.
Earthquakes nearly always precedce a
volcanic e,uption; and cease when the
lava GETS vent. Hence the proximat
cause of earthquakes is obvious, VIZ
The expansive efforts of volcanic matter
confined beneath the earih's surface.-
Their ultimate cause, also, must be iden.
tical.
During the paroxysm Of an earthquake,
heavy rumbling noises are heard; the
ground lrembles and rocks; fissures open
on the surface and again close, swallow
ing up whatever may have fallen into
,hem-fountains are dried up--rivers are
turned out OF their courses-some por-
,ions OF the surface are elevated, and
Others depressed the sea is agi:aled
and thrown into vast pillows.
Cases Of cities and towns, wholly ol
partially submerged by the ocean--ol
destroyed by the violence Of the shock
in consequence Of earihduakes, are YER,