Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1868-10-02
THE DISPLAY AT vEsUvrUs.
Tine Singular Phenomenon OF the
Eruption.

| PHENOMENON
fE Eruption.
During the whole of July Mount
Ves,tvius has been I'm n state of
greater or less eruption, and has ex-
hibited most magnificent spectacle.
For four months, within a few days,
1t has been continuously pouring forth
lava In spite of the predictions of the
learned that the end was drawing
neal; 20 that our professors are under
the necessity vi distinguishing three
phases of the eruption-the first cx-
tending from the night of the 18th or
18TH or November to the 18th of jan
'iary; the second from the 10Th of jan
uary to the l1th Of February, during
which interval IL exhibited great va
ricties with less activity the third
from the l1th of February to the
present time, period of diminution
according to Palmirea, though an
pearances and daily reports are such
as 20 refute, the hypothesis. About
the beginning ofthis later period little
lava flowed, and the impression was
that the eruption was about over; but
on the 18th greater activity, which
continued to the 18th of February,
was observed; the detonations were
loud. generally in. the morning and
evening". some stones were thrown
out, and then comparative silence
ensued. During these two or three
days several shocks of earthauakc
were registered, and the apparatus of
variation was disturbed. a few SUBJ
Inmates were collcctedon the summit.
but not sufficient to mark the end OF
the eruption. On the 18th yet great
or activity was perceptible, and its
periodicity was confirmed; twice q
day Eesuvius put forth all its ener-
gies, interesting equally the scientific
and the curious. The guides of Vesp-
vius who reside in Resina say that i'm
their own town great shocks were
FELT, sufficient to make their doors
and windows tremble. Columns of
stone, they add, were shot intn the
air at the height of three hundred
metres, something little short of nine
hundred feet; The lava, too, pro-
crossed considerably, fleming at the
foot of the cone five different streams,
which pouredoTer like cascades. On
the 18th the great cone began again to
roar With considerable violence, and
shocks of earthquake were felt dis
tlnciy in Rcsina, the very summit
o. the cone fell in, forming by the
obstruction of the material three cra-
ters, which threw out large uuanti-
ties of stone, and offered, as 1t were,
magnificent display of fire works.
Ihe entire cone trembled, too, as if
shaken by an earthquake, four or five
seconds, while in the day the lava
forced an opening in the direction of
the Piano dele Ginistcre, and flowed
I'm a stream of full ten metres in
width. From this time to the end of
the month the mountain has contin-
ucd to thunder, and to throw out mas
ses of red-hOt lava, which dividing
into many streams, presents at dis
tance a spectacle of great beauty
Frequent, though slight shocks have
been felt at Resina, and, indeed, other
places i'm the immediate neighbor-
hood, but they create 10 alarm, as
the people are so accustomed to their
return. On the night, however, of
the 21th, there was one unusually
SSltar9RS.. ItFeeefmShnoM TO bets,on6rmGd
greatest euruption get every day about
half an hour later, cOinciding with
the evolutions of the planet. have
only to note the nature of the mate
rials which have been thrown out
during the third phase. The ashes
and sublimates have been I'm small
quantities, which, according TO Pal
miera's own assertion on several oc-
casions, indicate that the eruption is
not near its termination. The sub
Inmates which have appeared, how
ever, ON the smoke holes, have been
chloride of copper and lead, while the
absence of chloride of iron has been
noted rs remarkable, although on the
top of the cone it hns been united
with "oligisto" iron. The concourse
of visitors is greater than ever.