Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1858-07-13
SflRetrs MistfIlanu.
The Great Eruption of Vesuvius.
Account of Ib- Coinmc nc e,,,cnt of the rrun,;,,
by an Eye Witness.

by an Eye Witness
The following letter to the London
| Times details the commencement of the
great eruption of Vesuvius, now in pro.
gress
NAPLES. May 27, 1858.
1ote Editor Of tie Lordo,. Times
/ knowing your great anxiety to give
your numerous readers information on
every matter OF interest. have thought
you would consider sight have ius,
witnessed worthy of Your consideration.
have been a few days in Naples. and
came here. as mauy others do, chiefly TO
visit Mount Nesuvius. Since my arrival
the weather has been considered BY our
guide unfavorable for an ascent, and un-
I'll yesterday the wind was in a quarter to
render an ascent almost impossible, blow
ing the smoke from the top of the noun
tam right down the path of ascent to the
top of the great cone.
This morning | nd friend who is at
the same hotel as myself, lost all patience.
aud we determined TO make a trial. |
saw the wind had changed and was blow
/ ing from the north. | accordingly went
Gu, to procure a carriage for the Hermit
age aud back, and engaged an excellent
one at 4 = scudl, which is somewhat less
than Murrays excellent book names as
the price, and as | walked down the Gaia
amone ! was surprised to see as 1t were
a cloud hanging between the Monte Som
ma aud the great cone of Vesuvius, In the
valley Atrio Cavailo. | asked at the
shop and was told we should see nothing
of the mountain that day, and not 10 at
tempt the ascent. On my return 10 the
hcIeI with the carriage, our guide refused
10 60 with us, and wished me to send
away the carriage. saying II was of 40
use 20 ascend, the mountain being all cov-
cred with " clouds.
| Observed, however, that the so-cailed
clouds did not ascend to the top of Vesu-
vius, tut hung in an extraordinary man
ner III the valley: and despite the guide
/ who would 40, go, we started from Naples
at about bali pas one p. IN. We drove
To the Hermitage IN about one hour and
/ three quarters. The road up the noun
tain is for the most part excellent, having
/ been recently repaired, and there are
only Two or three bad spots on the whole
/ line.
Al Resina, as is usual, we were beset
/ by guides. who in Italian fashion demand
| ed all kinds Of exhoTbitant prices for their
services; ultimately we hired man,
| boy and two ponies who met us at the
/ Hermitage.
As we were about TO start a party of
French came in from the top of the noun
tain and told us they had seen a grand
| sight of lava; we therefore pushed along
| brisily, the strange cloud hanging more
! heavily over the Atrio del Cavalo,"
and which ! now resolved in my own
mind was clearly smoke.
| The Resitia guide now Informed US for
the first time that lava was flowing
| through the valley of the /" Atrio del Ca
va 10 and that the ordinary path 20 as
cend the cone TO the crater was cut oft,
and he brought us forward over a path
seldom travelled and of Il most difflcalt
nature, we. however, proceeded, the
| cloud OF smoke increasing as we went on
all sides. We had to part with our horses
aud proceed on foot, and ha not gone
over three or four hundred yards from
where we left the horses when we came
Cd with an enormous mass of hot lava roll
| ling onward towards the Somma, and we
now became aware we were IN the I'M
mediate neighborhood of considerable
eruption Our curiosity now became
great indeed, and we pressed on, and
presently arrived at a wonderful scene.
/ The entire of the lower part of the great
cone of VesuvIus appeared on fire, and
4 thick masses of smoke were thrown up,
mixed with red hot stones and takes OF
I lava. Travelling over mesi rugged way
Of old lava, we made our way up 10 the
point whence the stones, lava and smoke
seemed to raise In great quantiiies, and
we arrived on a rise just over the great
est assure.
Il Is difficult to explain our feelings on
beholdins this wonderful and unexpected
sight. We here found several guides,
and from them we learned that about 9
O'Clock Il. NJ. that morning number of
small craters and assures had suddenly
opened, and lava had commenced pouring
out.
t l, was now nearly five O'clock, and we
went quite close up TO the largest crater,
{ which we were enabled to de, as the wind
blew steady and strong down the valley.
and thus we got within eight or ten yards