Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-06-05
The Grand ERUPTION OF vesuvius.

A letter dated Naples, May TO- gives thrilling
account of the progress of the eruption of Vesu-
vius, Of which we have already had accounts,
and which absorbing general attention, the
king, ministers, people, and all being on the
spot. The lava has advanced ten miles from its
source, and is doing immense damage. The let
ter says:
!" Just at the base of it lake of fire has been
formed which looks like red sea in an undua-
tory 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 fired, as it were, two heavy
nonades; 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 Cavalo as far as the Min
atore. Here four other oraters 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 trembles under your feet.
You may see the stones dance with the tremu-
lous movement. The part Immediately round the
crater looks like the, sides of a heated copper
boiler. Such is true statement of what is go
ing at the summit. There are reports of an
opening toward Pompeii, which is not unlikely
and of another toward Russia but have not
been up for some days, as the danger is now very
great"
The writer, after an absence of two days, re-
visited after night the vicinity of the eruption,
and thus describes what he saw:
''Where walked on Sunday night was now
sea of fire. The side road by which had come
down into the main stream from Pollena and
Mussa d Somme was now full of blackened coke.
The houses the borders of the village had fall
an. rfu 10 1rrad all
chapel was swallowed up, a gentleman villa,
and sad extent of vineyard and garden ground.
On the other side of the great lava bed another
stream branched off to San Sebastiano. The fire
had begun to enter the burial ground of the little
town, but diverted from its course by wall.
On the Oppose side of the stream were the king
and all the royal family. The banks on either side
were thronged with curious and anxious multi
tudes, whose faces were lighted up with the blaze
of hundreds of torches, and with the more re-
splendent flame of the rapidly descending lava.
Since the morning it had moved mile. 1t was
like a vast river of glowing coke AS it moved
on, the tens of thousands of Jumps rolled and
tumbled one over the other, cracking and grind
ing and grating; and when from the very face of
il 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 the neighboring vineyards and pulled
money for sale. What struck me at first, and
still strikes me as the most majestic feature in the
whole scene, is the slow, silent, irresistible mo-
ton of that fiery flood. Active almighty power
without an effort! Sweeping everything before
IT, overcoming every obstacle, growing up against
intervening walls or houses, and devoting them
bodily, and then marching on in the same silent,
unrelenting, irresistible manner as before. There
was a spot beneath my feet where a fall of mason
work had been built to break the violence of the
winter floods to this spot all eyes were directed.
The fiery river would fall over it in an hour; as
yet it was distant from it seventy yards, perhaps
Gradually il rose it height and swelled out its
vast proportions, and then vast masses fell off
and rolled forward; then it swelled again as fresh
matter came pressing down behind, and so it 4
broke and on il rolled again and again till it had
arrived at the very edge. There was general
buzz and murmur of voices. The royal family
stood opposite to me, intermingled with the
crowd, looking on with intense anxiety At last
il broke, not hurriedly, still with certain show
of majesty.
AT first few small Jumps fell down; then
poured over pure liquid Of metal, like thick
treacle, clinging sometimes mass to mass, from
its glutnous character, and last of all tumbled |
over gigantic humps Of scorie. Then on it moved |
once more in its silent regular course, swelling |
up and spreading over the vineyards on either |
side; and now there rush for the road |
which traverses this ava-bed Houses and bridge |
border the road, and carriages had all been or |
dered off, and the bridge was being broken down, |
we were cut off completely. We had therefore |
TO retrace our steps, and make long circuit
through the open country and over walls, came /
round to the top ef the bridge-"run," said the
sentines, cor you will be too late" We crossed |
the narrow parapet which was still remaining, |
and soon afterwards down went the whole fabric. |
In this way, it is hoped that the lava will be di-
verted from the townships of ST. Sebastano,
Massa di Somme, and Pollena, which stand on
either side, and have yet only suffered parti- |
ally Cercolo, through which, however, the |
stream is rolling, will be sacrificed. The expec-
tation is that the lava, should the eruption con-
tinue, will flow down to the Ponte Maddalon |
and into the So grand and so destructive |
an eruption has not been known for many years, |
and even cannot tell how or when Il will |
terminate The mountain is literally scanned |
with lava, and many fear violent explosion as
the final scene of the tragedy"
Know-Nothing Victory.
The other day the Wing papers were rejoicing
al e a. c.. - r