Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
ERUPTION OF VEsUVIUs.

NAPLES, May 10, 1855.
The lava having now advanced ten miles
from its source, is doing terrible damage
have before me the report of Cozzolino
as to the latest changes which have ia
ken place about the cone. Just at the
base Of it lake of fire has been formed,
which looks like red sea in an undula-
tory state. In the verycentre of this has
opened another crater, which is throw
ing out red hot stones.
On the morning of the 7th, crater, at
the very summit, fired as it were, two
heavy csnnonades and after sending
forth lighting, 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 a river,
and runs on the side of the Cavello as far
as the Minerva Here four other craters
have been formed, which throw up btu.
men in the manner of pyramids, resem-
bling gigantic exhibitions of fireworks.
The whole of the summit of the crater is
therefore like sponge, and must inev
itably fall in. The thin crust trembles
under your feet. You may see the stones
dance with the tremulous movement
the part Immediately round the crater
looks like the sides of heated copper
boiler. Such is true statement of what
is going on at the summit.
There are reports of an opening to-
wards Pompeii which is not unlikely, and
of another towards Resina, but | have
not been up for some days, as the danger
is now very great. Before / write again
l shall make the attempt. Last night 1
went to the scene of the most stirring in
terest, afteran interval of two days The
whole length of this unusually 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 neighborhood,
the inhabitants were removing their
goods, and on the bridge in the middle
of the township of Cercolo Through
which in the winter time thunders down
from the summit Of Vesuvius one of these
mountain rivers so well known in Italy,)
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
coming rapidly down. Here again were
sappers, raising mounds on either side,
to keep the lava in a 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 offre. How chan
ged the neighborhood in two days
Where L walked on Sunday night was
now sea of fire. The side road by
which l had come down into the main
stream from Pollena and Massa di Som
me were now full of blackened coke. The
houses en- the borders of the village had
fallen-in one, thirty poor people lived;
small chapel was swallowed up, gen.
tleman's villa, and a sad extent of vine
yard and garden ground.
On the other side of the great lava bed
another stream was branching off to San
Sebastiano. We had hoped to have
crossed it, and ascended to the cascade
again, but it was no longer possible for,
as one says, speaking of marshy coun-
try in the winter, the lava was out The
fire here had begun to enter the burial
ground of the little town, but it was di-
verted from its course By wall. On
the opposite side of the stream were the
king and all the royal family. The banks
on either side were thronged with curl
Gus and anxious multitudes, whose faces
were lighted up with the blaze of hun
dreds OF torches, and with more resplen-
dent flame of the rapidly descending la
va. Since the morning it had moved a
mile. 1t was like vast river of glow
ing coke.
As it moved on, the tens of thousands
of Jumps rolled and tumbled one over the
other, cracking and grinding and grating;
and when, from the very face of it,
lump fell off, the appearance wa: that of
an iron furnace, when the iron is being
drawn. To make the resemblance more
complete, at such times men darted for
ward with long poles, taken from the
neighboring vineyards, and pulled out
great masses of lava, in which they i'm
bedded money for sale. Whal struck me
at first, and still strikes me as the most
majestic feature in the whole scene, is
the slow, silent, irresistible motion of that
fiery food. Active almighty power,
without an effort sweeping everything be-
fore it, overcoming every obstacle. grow
ing up against intervening wallsorhouses,
and devouring them bodily, and then
marching on in the same silent, unrelent"
ing, irresistible manner as before.
There was a spot beneath my feet