The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-06-15

Eruption of VesuVius.

The lava has now advanced ten miles from
its source, and is doing terrible damage. l
have before me the report of Cozzoling 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 q 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, hred
as it were, two heavy cannonades; ana alter
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 on the side
of the Cavello as far as the Minatore. Here
four other craters have been formed, which
throw up bitumen in the manner of pyramids,
and resemble gigantic exhibitions of fireworks.
The whole of the summit of the crater is there
fore like sponge, and must inevitably fall in.
The thin crust trembles under your feet. You
may see the stones dance with the tremulons
movement the part Immediately around the
crater, looks like the sides of heated copper
boiler. Such is true statement of what is
going on on the summit. These are reports of
an opening towards Pompeii, which is not I'M
likely, and of another towards Resina. but l
have not been up for some days. as the danger
is now very great. Before | write again l
shall make the attempt. Last night went to
the scene of most stirring interest, after an in
terval of two days. The whole length of this
usually quiet road was 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 ap
preached the menaced neighborhood, the in
habitantS were removing their goods and on
a bridge, in the little township of CercolO,
! Through which, in the winter time, thunders
down from the summit of Vesuvius one of
those mountain rivers SO we'll 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 down rapidly. Here again
were the 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. Where l walked on Sunday
| light was now sea of fire. The side road
by which had come down in the main stream
from Poena and Masdi Somme was now full
of blackencd coke. The houses Oh the Dor
ders of the village had iallen-in one 80 poor
people lived, small chapel was swallowca up,
gentleman'S villa, and a sad extent OF vine
yard and garden around. On the other side
of the great lava bed another stream was
branching Oft to San Sebastiano. We had
hoped to have crossed it, and assembled to the
cascade again, but it was no longer possible !;
for, as one says, speaking OF marshy country
in the winter, the lava was out. The fire had
begun to enter the burial ground of the little
town, but was diverted from its course by a
wall On the opposite side Of tue stream were
the king and all the royal family. The banks
on either side were thronged with curious and
anxious multtudes. whose faces were lighted
up with the blaze of hundreds Of torches, and
with the more resplendent fame Of the rapidly
descending lava. Since the morning it had
moved mile.
1t was like vast river of glowing coke
As it moved on, the tens of thousands of Jumps
rolled and tumbled one over the other, crack
ling and grinding and grating and when, from
the very face of it., large lump Tell of, the
appearance was that of an iron furnace when
the iron is being drawn. To make the resem-
blance more complete, at such times men dal t.
ed forward with long poles taken from the
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 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 de
vOuring them bodily, and then marching on in
the same silent, unrelenting, irresistible man.
ner as before. There was a spot beneath my
feet Where wall 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 it rose in height, and swelled out
its vast proportions, and then vast masses fell
off and rolled forward then it swclled again
as fresh matter came pressing down behind,
and so it broke and OH it rolled, again and
again, till it had arrived at the very edge
There was general buzz, and murmur of vol
ces. The royal family stood opposite to me,
intermingled with the crowd, looking on with
intense anxiety. At last it broke not hur-
riedly, but with certain show Of majesty
At first few small Jumps fell down, then
poured over pure liquid of metal, like thick
treacle, clnging sometimes mass to mass, from
its glutinOus character, and last of all tumbled
over huge Jumps of scoria. Then on it moved
once more in its silent, regular couse, swelling
up and spreading over the vineyards on either
side and now there was rush for the road
which traverses this lava bed. Houses and
the bridge bordered the road, the carriages
had all been ordered off, and the bridge was
being broken down--we were cut Oft COM
pletely. The sentinels would not let US pass,
and struck and drove US back, but we forced
our way, and then found too surely that it was
impossible to get on. The bridge was half de-
molished, and by the light of the torches we
could see the soldiers above, working away with
the pick and the axe. We had therefore, to
retracc our steps, and making long circuit