The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-12-13
Mount Vesuvius.
SOME ACCOUNT OF TIE ERUPTION

,,,o, Nov On, Correspondence OF the Lohdon liines
rhsve done scarcely more than note the
as Sey ~ aernntion Of Yesuvius, but so mucn mas
a. iaSU Scaased SINCE Wednesday last, and so marVel
isIv beautiful is the spectacle, tnat u nerltS I"
,ors detailed report. Unlike those terrlnc @ us.
i1,S vvbich we have had at times and when cease
pr;th one great effort this is lava eruption, IN
oreas;ig ever i'll force and beauty, and pronislhs
a duration OF some weeks, If not mouths: II soI :;
ond n is the opinion Of those most experiences IL
thsse maLters-al the world may see IL as
soon as the groundess fears as 10 Ihe s.a.e ~. y,
Naples have vanished For the nrst Que VI wv
nights the mountain was Inouess enGuSA 80 =.
its demonstrations; tongues oi nfe I'D snoO thin
stream of lava trickled down behind ID the oireS-
ton of Ottaiano, which lies on the Southeast sloe
of yesuviuS Some friends who went up there
esrly gave vague idea OF the scene, anu spohe ol
s;gbt Or tan new craters, being no more than so
mspv fssures opened by the explosive force OF ths
nn1uutains and which change NUMBER anu
character from day to day. For the last two OF
three nights, however, the. scene mas peen as
grand as can well be conceived; but, before giving
deta, Is let me describe the actual state and ap-
pearance of the mountain. Since December, 1861,
it has been almost quiescent, with the exception o.
one or two sulky aud uncertain pulls, ana our oeaI
blue atmos phere has ceased 70 be markeo VIII @ se
spiral columns of smoke. On the very summit has
eapeI the huge crater, measuring nearly seven
hundred feet IN circumference, around WHICH
even children might have played, Delug care
full ouly to avoid certain sulphurous exnsialIons
whlc were emitted at intervals. During the las
two years small cone has been formed by the mat
ter gradually elected from this sulphurous nole.
We could scarcely see its head above the walls OF
the large crater, but within the last week, ike
some presumptuors STRIPPING, It has shot up ABOVE
its venerable parent and this it is which has been
fuming ard spluttering and storm1ng wlth al the
arrogant impatience OF youth since last Wednes,
dav. II has sent forth an immense quantity OF
lava converting the surrounding crater INTO lake
Gra fret Or
within bounds; but gradually 1t has rsen anc
ris.n until it is now flowing down In sever a.
directions where the abrupt and irregular wal
admits of passage. The result has shown
that it is lower III the direction OF Ottalano
on the Southeast, aud those vino do not care tc
make the ascent, may have glorious view OF 1t
from Sorrento. still, there is nothing ike
mounting to the top, so let rs be OIL; yet, Det.
ter stIl, suppose 1t 70 have oeen done, ana t9a'
last LII 5ut. Giovanni Cozzolro was our gqlde,
who, by virtue Of having accompanied Hum
boldt aad many of tue sciel tific and literary
men of the age, expects his own pane 10 DC en-
rolled in literary annals. He Is, however, a very
slfe and intelligent guide There was no incident
to marx until We got to the foot Of the main
cone when we heard the thunder OF the mountain
and felt the shocks as Of an earthquake al every
effJlt made to disgorge the liquid hre. Ascending
by the usual road, we were compelled, on approacn-
ing the summit to skirt little round to the South
east for Two reasons hrst, to get on the ollnd
side Il the wind. which might have brought down
upon rs an lnconveplent shower OF stones; ana,
secondly. to OBJ ain better view OF the main
stream which was fed, not only by the great cra-
tsr, but by another orifce opened outside, about
twenty feet in diameter. From this spot the stream
OF living fire. full twenty to thirty feet IN width,
poured down to the bottom Of the mountain rapid
" where it met with no obstacles, and wheee 1t
Gid struggling energetlcaly until it carried every
thing before 1t. To the edge OF the crater it was
impossible to approach, the heat was scorching;
&C what would have been the conse-
Quences had the lava boiled over and
come. down upon us2 1t was difficult,
size, but one might have supposed that 1t
was not more than seventy feet i'll diameter. IL
was not 8 moment, however, for figures wheo Ma
ture was exhlnltmg her power ID one OF It's grand
est forms. There was a roar ana shock, and
then shot forth flames and stones full one thoa-
sand feet in height, intervals Of from o. - five
seconds according 10 the watch OF one OF me )ar-
ty; these tremendous convulslons we're lep1 ted,
and then cane the descending shower, Co. tosed
Of stones OF various sizes, some certainly half
ton in weight, judging by the bulk. We could
mark their course by the eye rs long as they re-
tanned their red heat, but on approaching the
earth they blackened, and then the ear alooe coud
tell what spotting and plttlng the eartn
around. By the Same person who had already
actel as calculator it was declared that the de-
scent occupied five seconds-much ID excess,
should imagine, OF the actual time. Precision, OF
course, was impossible in the excitement
Of such a scene; and if we say that ols
thousand feet vas the height attained, we shall
MT be wide OF the mark. It was nervous prox-
unity to danger on which to stand, so the whole
party soon decamped, and got back to Naples
shortly after midnight, awe struck by scene
which never can be forgotten. Yet, without the
fatigues Of an ascent, any one can from the city
enjoy spectacle Of marvellous beauty, only
diminished in proportions as compared with that
which have just described. There is no sound,
but there are those everlasting flames, across the
centre of which is sometimes drawn q swathe Of
dark clouds, giving to their SUBMITS the appear
CO of greater height; and the sky is glaring
with a aeep-red color; and mighty stones, reduced
by distance, are falling like myriads of stars on
the summit Of the mountain, the foot of which is
wrapped in darkness. What gorgeous scene, and
and how much more gorgeous it promises to be!