The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1856-04-10

p'SNo ochHu uS, OH every Sluo we see
what Vesuvius has done in former ages.
The green fields are in many places dark
ened with long ridges of lava which rolled
down its burning torrents into the sea, the
currents here and there cooling and stop
ping IN their course. sad memorials of past
desolation. As we approach Tore del
FAnpunzata, our road turns gradually
to the left, bringing into view ano' her side
OF Vesuvius, revealing new assures, out Of
which the smoke is escaping, and the
smooth cone Of the mountain is now seen
to be Jagged and ridged with the ravages
of the floods of fire that have so often
belched forth from the crater at the ton.
On our left, and between us and Vesuvius,
and nestled at its very base, and at some
points extending up its slope, are clusters
OF villas in peaceful seclusion from the
world and apparently unconscious of dan
ger, and before us is n vast plain stretching
on for several miles and sprinkled over
with pleasant houses surrounded by Il lux.
uriant vegetation. In the midst of gardens
and olive orchards and vineyards and fig
trees our carriage suddenly stops before
small guard house by the road side, and
'0e are at PompeiI Originally the city stood
on an elevated piece of ground of n trian.
gular form, the sea washing it on two sides,
and rendering the harbor one Of the mos,
desirable in this vicinity. Now the sea is
distant at least mile, the whole enterven-
ing space being a fruitful plain-the Tor.
rents of lava and mud from Vesuvius having
filled up the entire bay, and by the cult
uvation OF two thousand years converted it
into ore of the most quiet and lovely rural
scenes in the world. We were taken en-,
tirely 10y surprise when told to alight and
enter Pompeii; and still greater was our
astonishment when, following our guide,
we found ourselves in less than two min.
utes standing before its old walls. The
usual approach to the city is by the street
of Tombs and the gate of Hercuaneum.
But for some unexplained reason we had
come down TO the vicinity of the Gate of
the Sea" and as we soon learned were APP
preaching the most important Temples of
Pompei. We stopped before the wall and
tired TO imagine the scenes of those four
eventful days that turned this beautiful
home of the living into one great tomb for
the dead. 1t was mid dav, we are told,
when the people received the first warning,
on the oath of August, 4. ID. 20. Many
descriptions in sober history and in romance
have been given of the overthrow Of Her
culaneum and Pompeii-but how far do
all tall below the sad and dreadful reality,
The facts are stated perhaps more simply
and intclligibly by our scientific country.
man Prof Si'liman than by any other
writer | have seen. He saws a. darkness
tlIut l,., r.l, Il, l. a.
ioundest gloom the mid day sun, aud ashes
feel like snow upon the mouatan. the
plain. the Bay of l5ai;r aud ot Naples, aud
far into the surrounding country. Rain
from the condensed steam of the eruption
delugcd the whole district torrents of fluid
mud, formed by the ashes and water
swept over every obstruction and filled to
overilowinG every depression OF the sur
face" 1T is not unlikely that the inunda
ton was accompanied by torrents OF car.
Donlc acids and other noNiouS gases. so
abundantly eXhaled in more modern ernp
/ tions of Nesuvius, by which the refugees
from danger were 50 suddenly asphyxiated
rs 10 remain unmoved ia the positions
where they were found" Torrents of mud
must have passed through the streets Of
Pompeii, since d:y ashes and elections of
lapili and pumicc unaided by water could
never have found their WAY into the inte
rior of closed amphorT, nor made perfect
mou!ds of the human form, nor left a level
water line upon the inner walls of close
arched passages. The shower of materials
which buried :he city was mainly composed
OF small pieces Of white pum:ce and round
ed IapIlIa of various colorS. intersperscd
with some large projected masses of rock,
bombs such rs Nesuvius has often thrown
oHt IN later times. These by their fall
broke through the roofs, and at the place
where they struck depressed the Mosaic
pavement into n concave form. as | saw in
several Of the houses; and darker colorcd
sand appears to have allernatcd with the
punice, and often forUI thick and dis.
unct layer upon it," "Thc loose materials
fell as snow falls in our climate when div
en- 10y the wind, being thicker in the an
giles than IN the centres Of the houses, and
rising IN curves corresponding TO the ele.
vation and depression of the surface"
Such are the facts which n careful scien
ttic examination has established. That
the greater majority of The inhabitants Of
Pompeii escaped in safety, there is no
doubt That many hundreds if not thous.
ands mot with sudden and awful death is
equally evident, from the numerous skele.
/ tons found in the streets and dwellings of
Pompeii, and in its vicinity. 1t is we'll
known that the elder PIiny, who was in
| command OF the Roman fleet at Msenum,
was one OF the victims at Stabia, some five