The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-07-02
TT IyIS1yys or MOUNT VESUYIUS-PdST
td or ITS ERUPTYONS.


- I1s1JSs or AoUNTy YEsUpIUs- PAST
Or ITS ERUP7YONS.
fCorres,s,nscrvs-
lsii Wishing 70 have ahotlsr u u London % Times s.
hours Of day. started rom Naples last, at about two
from all tbs varied s~e dMys Of guid& "'er escaping
drivers, and host of other improviscd bearers
myself after threc-quarters Of hours wal' iound
OF tho fire Early as IT were many thsront
fore ms gazing On the wopdrous scene. A vyst bed
burning rAstalic looking coke sweeping down over
smiling vineyards, carrying everything before IT, The
mass was should say, SEQ feet In width 1the Jouna
says half how long the eye could not calcu-
late locking upward lives Lost behtpd the heights
As to the rate at which it travelling nothing could
be more deceptive. Had II been q marrow channel II
would have been comparatively easy to make decis
on but its very grandeur baed me- Row after row Of
the vines however fell before groat trees shivercd
and shook and tossed about lisa heavy wind were
blowing though II dead calm and soon yielded to
tho desroyerand marching continually over the black
fragments Of scorie On the surface, it without
ceasing. sSE gsaM 8R aSRUpdtia8
day 1t had advanced full 100 PAGES There had
been icse point not far distant tenanted few
hours before the fragments of which saw in The folds of
the lava The poor creatures had taken refuge in
formed between the upper and lower strata of old
eruption Behind the shoulder of ahllock stood hand
some villa which had been saved by its position the
grounds belonging to it were ALL however, buried under
the black masses and the tenants standing the
terrace looking down upon the ruin and calculating the
probabilities Of the stream touching them Though the
whole of this enormus bed in movement STILL running
over it, sometimes under were two channels of liquid
red hot ava which had never stopped since they issued
from their sources. The blackened bed had become SO
by interval of suspension and was moved on by the
immense weight behind, On looking up and around me
my wonder whence could have come this enormous
quantity OF matter. Could it speak, what history
would it tell how it had been turning about to and fro
under the surface of the land for the last six months
uphcavng and running great cities destroying cultivated
lands, and carrying death tomany thousands
The speculation was not an idle one for in less than
an hour later said Prof Palmier to me. II think the
period of earthquakes has Terminated for the pres
ent. l connect this eruption with them passed
through humber Of fine young vineyards, where the
clustered fruits held out the promise of abundant
yntages One after another they were shriyelng p and
flaming like small Torches while the country people
We're saving what they could / pass on to the next
point Of importance il is half way up the mountain
wind and wind up, and make series of short CUTS steep
enough to take all the breath out of man body and
stand all at once crag which commands a view of
ono OF the most magnificent spectaces ever witnessed
The whole stream visible from the source to the place
which have Just left It is coursing down. rather
they are corrsing down, for there is more than one
stream rapid cascade in fact they arc cascades
of as pure liquid fire be well conceived some
times they hidden under the backened scora and
then they emerge again, and run If impatient Of
destruction R sasr
1t one of those spectacles so astounding to look
upon that man seeks in way to relieve his feel
ngs. He bursts If he is silent he must shout scream
anything TO Let off his pentup excitement, and suppose
that did 80 myself 1t is dusk the Italian night
is descending rapidly upon MS, the sun has Just gone
down. and the stars out in minute and have yet
TO climb TO the top; pull more. There is q lazy
blae Frcnchman, with his O. 1T iogjors 10. And
why should go further" but we pull him along
morally and physically and at last arrive al the Hermit
age Behind is another grand spectacle perhaps grnder
even than what have just described. There is less
apparent activity but the gorge is wider and the slow
bvt certain manner in which the gives us
striking idea of power. It 750 feet in width to
calculate its bulk by millions Of tons would be only ting
with gant-we might better calculate by the million
the enormous quantities which issuing every minute
from the many sources.
In all there II and upwards says Prof Palmeiri
and this fact constitutes of the striking features Of
this eruption does also the fact that they do not
in one line but are opened in various parts. Another
new feature is the long continued udty Of the lava all
showing the rgoged state Of the mountain and the
immense power at work 1t the opinion of the Pro-
fessor however, that the eruption the decline
no internal runbings were now heard The lava had
found its outlets, and pouring down with the
rapdity and tranquility of an unobstructed stream
There have been eight earthquakes since the eruption
began, local only perhaps and the last marked in
the seismograph of Palme had taken place that
ing at "a o'clock. Nothing had been removed from the
Observatory, in fact there any immediate dam
ger, thers vast depth behind which not filed
up as yet.
An Inconvenience might have arisen from a union of
the two streams which were flowing down and men
always out the watch and to report On descending
we met thousands Of people route from Naples The
path for miles down marked by line Of torches the
gorge down which the lava coursing looked from
distance like vast crater the walls of which IRA
dated by the fire below The stream had advanced 30
rapidly to cut off our road were compelled to
make long detorr. Arrived at the lava bed we
stopped to gaze the of ruin and of grandeur
bought some coins imbedded in lava and falling into the
descending line of human beings found ourselves In
Resni. II Is only short hours drive to Naples, and
grand the spectacle which the mountain presented
from distance up to the very streets the reflection Of
two great streams fell across the sea-
On Sunday at midday the eruption seemed to be on
the decrease, and the spectacle less grand in the
evening Last evening however there as much greater
activity, and this morning the increased length of the
line of smoke to indicate much greater activity
No life has yet been lost legs and havo been
broken, and child who had strolled out to the ott
ano side of the lava had fallen asleep and not until the
stream close up to it had perceived its
dangerous situation and rescued it at considerable risk
to themselves
From the N. Y. Journal OF Commcrcel
The recent eruption OF this celebrated volcano
count of which published few days since from the
London Imes has called renewed attention to the facts
and phenomena Of volcanic fires.
The age of Mount Vesuvus AZ u volcano Il not known