New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-08-15
DAILY CRESCENT.
Ascent Of Mount vesuvius from Pom :
~ II peii, Afoot and Alone.

DIAlll l. SJlUIAhJOlJIsA
Ascent Of Mount vesuvius from Pom
~ II peii, Afoot and Alone.
The curling smoke of vesuyius for several
DAYS had seemed to invite me to try the ascent
and after g feeding up and recruiting for the
toll, got ready for start. ! had got all the
advice necessary from those who hao oeen up.
and faucied could see my way clearly. One
said must have two guides, another said that
/ needed three and donkey. | inquired the
expense, and the time necessary, and the route,
and thought that to pay from six to fifteen del
lars for little help on journey that at farthest
was but few hours, or say one day, seemed to
ME little nncalled for and extrayagant had
been in number of places where few Christian
men had been before. and thought could 60
in other places In o way Of my own, and not as
others did So l took the railroad Strada
Ferrafa-at Z in the morning; stopped o mo-
ment at Procida, close to Herculeneum, left
Gastellamare on the right, and in half an hour
the guard sung out Is Pom pa aye!
There it was not as jim the days of Pliny the
Elder. but after being exhumed from a burial
of eighteen hundred years under the ashes Of
Vesuyius But came here to climb Vesuvius,
not to describe Pompeii. The summit was II
miles distant, and 1000 feet high. took a bee
line as near as possible, but it was far from
IT,
q zigzag march; now in sight of the mountain,
and next out of sight behind high walls of lava.
A word touching this lava. 1t is quarried out
here for building stone, and much resembles
granite 1t is far more solid and heavy, and
less porous than any had seen before. The
walls or dykes by the road side were often twelve
feet high. There was no regular road from
Pompeii to the mountain top, but 4 took the
general direction, and when saw the mountain
top to my right, would take the next right
hand road I passed through one small, mean
looking village, about four or five miles from
Pompeii. Here stopped, and added little to
my stock of propart, as Capt. Dugald Dalgetty
would say. got my wine bottle replenished,
and bought few apples.
The roads were all deep sand-black volcanic
sand-thrown out Of the mountain. The ground
gradually began to rise, and soon came in full
view of the smoking summit, and did not lose
sight it of again. From the level and well Gull
tiyated fields and vineyards about Pompeii, the
ground became more broken, with q waste here
and there, not enclosed, and then vineyards
again, and little zig gardens. met and passed
many people, some riding on donkeys, but none
spoke to me. AZ last came to o little thicket
of wood-oak and chestnut-where some women
were gathering sticks The roads dwindled into
paths, and the paths grew less and less distinct.
and soon / came to the last fence, having left
the last house little way back. Here cut
me cane, d stout one, one destined to figure as
walking stick in Yankee land. | used due
caution in my theft, for, presume, had been
seen, it might have cost me dear, ! was some
what practiced, and, of course, a rather expert
thief--in the cane line / mean-for l had cut
classic cudgels before, and meant to secut and
come again My oak was about five feet long,
and it did me yeoman's service. I sat down by
the side Of wall Of lava, and overhauled my
provender, and took rest of half an hour
Except some scanty shrubbery. to be mentioned
hereafter, there was not bush, nor single
obstruction to the top of Vesuvius, now nearly
four miles from me Three quarters Of mile
over o gentle ascent, nearly level. with ridges
of lava and hard sand, brought me to the noun
tain proper, just to its base. / had walked over
eight miles from Pompeii and risen about o thou
sand feet.
To those who have not assembled volcanoes i
will mention the sleeper portion of the mountain
is in two separate flights. Those volcanoes that
/ have seen--and Vesuyius, though not a lofty
mountain, is good type Of the class--rise from
the base two-thirds or three fourths of the whole
height in pretty regular ascent, and there is
q sort of shoulder or resting place. This fret
ascent of Vesnvius is about 1000 feet, and, at a
guess, nearly on an angle of 40 degrees with the
perpendicular. This ascent was in alternate
ridges and valleys, the edges being slightly
covered with grass, and the valleys having a
stunted growth of bushes. The ridges seemed
to be worn into paths, and up one of them l took
my way There was mighty little variety in it,
and one step followed another, with the long
cane to push against and the grass to pull upon
till / surmounted the first and longest stretch
of the mountain.
The view from here was magnificent; the de-
serted streets and roofess houses of Pompeii the
white cottages Of Castelamare, the rocks of Sor-
rento, the whole city and bay of Naples, and
the islands of the Mediterranean, being plainly
in sight. On this shoulder of the mountain,
which may be likened to the shoulders Of man
it was nearly level, and walk over rough lava
about a quarter of mile brought me to the
neck or foot of the cone. This cone or GROWING
summit of the mountain looks from Naples to be
about 200 feet high, but found it at least q
thousand! You may believe it was steep. Al
the foot Of it rested for half an hour, and there
demolished the last Of my solids, and had left
about pint Of wine. 1t was light delicious
beverage, and not the abominable mixture O.
logwood and mahogany juice and bad whisky
that is 50 often sold for g wine" among us.
Far above me, near the summit, could see
several pedestrians, who appeared to have
assembled far to my right. Of all slow travelling
this was the chief. l could not go more thar
ten or fifteen steps before had to rest. Ths
process Of resting was easy. All I had to do wal
to fall down, or should have said up, agains
the side Of the mountain, and lay there until my
fatigue was gone. The aground /" was generally
smooth. 1t was fine volcanic sand, packed
hard and close by the wind, had to STRIKE
my heels and toes in to keep from slipping. Yor
can judge how steep it was when | tell You thai
in lying down against the side of the mountain
unless stuck my toes in, or had my cane fas
in the earth below me, would often slide end
wise right down the mountain
Time wore on, and my strength wore off; ant
began to see some little abatement of the steep
ness Of the mountain. Now came the peril A
/ approached the summit, and, as it proved
near the fiery crater, the ground grew soft
smoke came out of it, o strong smell of sulphu
was emitted, and it seemed as if there was dan
ger Of breaking directly through into the fer
bowels Of the volcano. Such fate would
like that Of Empedocles, but in my case withou
his fame
could see tracks about, but where safet
lay was more than could tell. But had gon
voluntarily without guide, and now / had I
take it as l could find it. l picked my wa
carefully, now and then going nearly over sho
deep, and saw the smoke burst out as | DIRE,
my foot away. The top was close at hand, an
on arriving at the edge as it were, there yawne
the horrible crater, at least five hundred fee
deep 1t was, should Judge, near o thousan
feet across, and ran down to a point in the cen
tire like funnel All through it could be see
fire, sulphur, flames and smoke; literally ri
Of fire and birthstone. Let it not be thought
am describing what believe of another world
but what have seen of this one had accom-
plished my object, and stood on the edge of tn