Burlington tri-weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1852-1855, 1855-06-08
ERUPTION On vEsuviUs.

ERUPTION OF vEsuviUs.
The Naples correspondent u the london
Daily News ina lotter dated May 10Th, thus
The pres nj fearful eruption Of the
famous old volcano.
The lava has now advanced ten miles from
its source, andis doing terrible damage.
have before me the report Of Cozxolino rs to
the latest change, which have taken place
about the cone. just OF tho base Of il lake
Of IRE has bccen formed, which looks like .
red sea IN an undulatory state. In the very
centre of this has opened another crater,
which is throwing out red hot stones. On
the morning Of the 7th the crater at the very
summit fred MS il were, two heavy c,nnon-
AIDES; and after sending forth tightening,
fames and stones, broke up altogether. In
the middle OF the cone ten cratcrS have been
formed, and from these the lava pours forth
like river, and runs On the side ofthe Cav
allo as far as the Minatore. Here four 9TH
or craters have been formed, which throw up
bitumen in the minncr If pyramids. and re-
semble gigantic exhibitions of fire works.
the whole of the summit Of the crater is
therefore like sponge, and must inevitably
fall in. The thin crust trembles under your
feet. You may sec the stones dance with
the tremulOus movement; the part i'm
mcdiately ar ,und the crater looks like the
sides Of q heated copper boiler. Such is the
true statement Of what is going on on the
summit. There arc reports of an opening
towards Ponpeii, which was not unlikely,
ard OF another towards Resina, but have
not been up for some days AZ the danger il
no Y very great. Before ! write again
shall make the attempt.
Last night went to the scene Of most stir
ring interest, after an interval Of two days.
The whole length Of this usually quiet read
was like fair, and such was the throng Of
carriages which were moving on IN three
lines, that it was with difficulty we ever mr.
rived at our destination. As we approach
ed the menaccd neighborhood, tho inhabit-
ants were removing their goods, and on a
bridge in the little township of Ccrcolo (thro'
which in the winter time thunders down
from the summit Of Vesuvius one Of those
mountain rivers so we'll known in Itaiy) stood
. company of sappers. Creeping under this
solid handsome bridge into the bed of the
river we went up in face of the lava which
was now comming rapidly down. Here again
were sappers raising mounds on either side,
to divert the ruin from some private grounds
and keep the lava in one straight course. The
smoke which rose over the heads cf the null
titudes told US We were close on the spot,
and climbing up the bank and walking .ong
the top, we looked down on this mighty mass
of fire. How changed the neighborhOod 10
two days! Where walked on Sunday night
was now a sea Of ERE. The side road by
which had come down into the main stream
from Pol.ena and Massa di Somme was now
full Of blackencd coke. The houses on the
borders of the village had fallen-in one
thirty poor people lived; small chapel was
swallowed up, gentleman's villa, and sad
extent of vineyard and garden ground.
On the other side Of the great lava bed
another stream had branched off to SanSebas-
tan, We had hoped to have crossed it, and
assembled TO the cascade egain, but it was
no longer possible; for rs one SAYS speaking
Of marshy country in the winter, the lava
was out. Tie fire here had begun TO enter
the burial grouni Of the little town, but was
diverted from its course by wall. On the
opposite Of side the stream was the king and
the royal family. The banks On either side
were thronged with curious and anxious null
titudes, whose faces were lighted up with the
blaze Of hundreds Of torches, and with the
more Respondent fame Of the rapidly de-
scending lava. Since the morning it had
moved u mile. 1t was like vast river Of
glowing coke. As it moved on lie tens Of
thousands of Jumps rolled and tumbled one
over the other, cracking, aud grinding. and
grating; and when from the very face of it q
large lump fell off, the appearance was that
Of an iron furnace when the iron is being
drawn. To make the resemblance more
complete at such times men darted forward
with long poles taken from tho neighboring
vineyards, and pulled out great masses Of
lava, in which they imbedded money for sale.
What struck me at first and still strikes me
s;he most maj site feature in the whole
scene, is the slow silent, irresistible motion
of that fiery food. Active Almighty power
withogk an effort! swearing every hing before
it, overcoming every obstacle. growing up
against intervening walls or houses, and de-
vouring them bodily, and then march ing on
ip the same silent unrelenting, irresistible
manner as before.
There was spot beneath my feet where
fall Of mason work had been built, to break
the violence of the wintry floods; 70 this spot
all eyes were directed. The fiery river would
fall over it in an hour; IS yet it was distant
from it seventy yards perhaps. Gradually it
rose in heighth and swel!ed out in vast pro-
portions and then vast masses fell OF and
rolled forward; then swelled again as fresh
matter came pressing down behind, and so it
broke and on it rolled again and again tiIlit
arrived 81 the very edge. There was o gene
raj buzz md murmur Of voices. The royal
family stood opposite to mr, 'intermingled
with the crowed, looking on with Intense
anxiety. At last it broke not hurriedly, still
with certain show of majesty. At FIRST =
few small Jumps fell down; then poured over
a pure liquid Of metal, like thick treacle,
clinging sometimes mass to mass, from ito
glutinous character, and last Of all tumbling
over gigantic Jumps of scorie. Then on it