Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-06-08
NlISCELIANY.
Eruption of Vesuvius.


The recent earthquakes at Broussa were
the heralds Of an eruption of Mount Vesuvius,
which is now in progress on sublime scale.
Every school boy has read of the first re-
corded eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in the
year 20 of the Christian era Then the elder
phny persisted, and the cities Of Hcrcula-
neum and Pompcii, were overwhelmed
and buried by lava and ashes. Since that
time there have been fifty eruptions, the pre-
sent one making up the hall-hundred.
The best account of the present eruption
which we have yet seen is given in the fol-
lowing letter to the London Daily .Nors
NAPLES, Thursday, May 10, lojj,
The lava has now advanced ten miles from
Wits source and is doing terrible damage.
have before me the report of Cozzolini as to
the latest changes which have taken place
about the cone. just at the base of it lake
of fire has been 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 9TH the crater at the very
summit fired, as it were, two heavy canno-
nades and after sending forth Lightning
flames and stones, broke up altogether. In
the middle of the cone ten craters have been
formed and from these the lava pours forth
like river and runs on the side of the Caval-
10 as far as the Minatore. Here four other
craters have been formed, which throw up
bitumen in the manner Of the pyramids, and
resemble gigantic exhibitions of fireworks.
The whole of the summit of the crater is
therefore like sponge and must inevitably
fall in, The thin crust tremblos under your
feet. You may see the stones dance with the
tremulous movement the part Immediately
round the crater looks like the sides of a
heated copper boiler. Such is true state
ment Of what is going on at the summit, There
are reports of an opening toward Pompeii,
which is not unlikely, and of another to-
wards Resina, but | have not been up for
some days, as the danger is now very great.
Before | write again | shall make the at
! tempt. Last night | went to the scene Of the
most stirring interest after an interval of two
days. The whole length of this usually quiet
road was like fair, and such was the
throng of carriages which were moving on in
three lines that it was with difficulty we ever
arrived at our destination. As We approached
the menaced neishborhood the inhabitants
We're removing their goods, and on bridge
in the middle of the little township of Ger
colo (through which in the winter time thun-
Of those mountain rivers so well known in
ltaly) stood company of Sappers. Creeping
under the solid handsome bridge into the bed
OF the river, we went up in face Of the lava,
which was now coming 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
of the multitudes told us We were close on
the spot, and climbing up the bank and
walking along the top, we looked down on
this mighty mass Of fire. How changed the
neighborhood in days Where | walked
on Sunday night was now a sea Of fire. The
side road by which had come down into the
main stream from Pollena and Mussa di
SJmme was now full of blackened coke. The
houses on the borders Of the village had fall
len-in one 30 poor people lived small
chapel was swallowed up, gentleman s villa
and sad extent of vineyard and gardei
ground. On the other side of the great lava
bed another stream was branching off to Sar
Sahastiuno. We had hoped to have crossed
il aud assembled to the cascade again, but il
was no longer possible for as one says speak
Ing Of a marshy country in the winter, th'
lava Mas out. The fire here had begun t,
enter the battle-ground Of the little town
l,ut was diverted from its course by wall
CA tho opposite side of the stream were tn,
King and all the royal family. The banks or
either side were throuGed with curious anC
anxious multitules whose faces were lighteC
up with the blaze of hundreds Of torches, an,
with the more rcsplendent flame of the rapid
IL descending lava. Since the morning 1t has
unu,ed u mile. 1t was like vast river o
glowing coke a. it moved on, the tens y
tnouS .nds of Jumps rolled and tumbled ON
over thc other, cracking aud grinding an'