The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1868-02-13
THE ERUPTION, OF VESUVIUS.
What Bayard Taylor Saw and EXpe-
rienced during His Recent
Visit to NeSuTiuS.
from the New York Tribune.
NAPLES. January Z. ISf

| eruption Of November seemed to be
rapidly subsiding. The last outbreak
which occurred on the 10th Of December
and seemed to threaten Tore del Greco,
| finally sent its lava into the volcanic gorge
called the Atrio dell Cdudlto, laying be
tween Vesuvius and Monte Somma; and
Prot. PalmieH announced that the tor
mented mountain was relapslng into
quiet. We saw the smoldering fires OF
the crater through rain and cloud, by
night, and the volumes OF ever rising
smoke by day, and imagined that all the
srander aspects of the eruption We're at
an end.
As the sloppy New Year, Day drew to
close, it became evident that the noun
tain was burning much brighter torch
than the evening before. Fortunately
the mists cleared away as 1t grew dark,
leaving the cone unobscured. except by
its own smoke, through which strong
flames Of light, at intervals OF twenty or
thirty seconds, made, themselves seen.
| A fresh wind came from the sea and
lifted the curtain, and we beheld Vesu-
vius again in full activity. The smoke
was blown northward, behind the fore
most peak Of Monte Somma, leaving the
summit of the cone PERFECTLY clear, and
the jets Of fire thrown up from 1t We're
so brilliantly defined against a back
oronnd of nitch-dark cloud, that we could
see the falling stones from our window
/ in Naples) with the naked eye. BY the
aid of strong field glass, the wonderful
| spectacle was brought so near that all It's
features could be observed.
| The top of the cone resembled a shall
| low basin with Clipped and cracked edges
and the opening OF the crater lay behind
| it. apparently at some depth. Out OF 1t
and around it poured a steady glow, from
| the stream of lava running over the
| further side and descending toward the
Atrio del Cavallo. But at intervals of
not more than half a minute, there were
| thrown up columnar jets OF intensest
| fame, to hight varying from 100 to 200
| feet. Volumes Of smoke, dull vermillon
at first. but soon fading to a dark ash
color, rolled off the ieeward side OF those
fiery pillars, as they rose and whirled
away, broadening into the darkness.
What seemed to be pure, solid fire, as it
issued from the crater, changed into a
thousand scarlet sparks, which turned
outward on all sides In sheaf-hke-form,
and showered down again into and be-
vond the crater could roughly estimate
the hight of the jet by the time which
the stones occupied in falling. Some OF
them were evidently of enormous size.
For hour after hour | watched the ex
, blossoms, which seemed to threaten an
impending catastrophe, yet were as regular
and unchanged in their action as wave
beats on the seashore. Indeed there ap
peared to be a ninth wave "a recur-
renee, after number OF moderate jets
of one grand, fierce outbreak OF oppres
sed force, hurting its dazzling sparkle
against the red cloud which hung dlrectl,
: over the crater These displays were
inexpressilby grand. ! have called thu
color scarlet, but this only expresses 1t
general character. The one of the shat
) was of a ruddy gold, and It's SUNNI
f dissolved into feeting rose-blooms. Th
darkness Of the night-the outline OF tn
mountain being barely visible against
mass of clouds-intensified the effect.
Next day the top OF the mountain wa
t hooded in smoke, and for a hours m
observations were very fragmentary an
imperfect. But on the morning OF tn
: Sd the cone was again clear, and | sal
two lines of dense white steam rising a
: from assures in the side toward Naples
. They were not assures, however, bu
rivers Of lava, which had burst forth frol
t a new crater, opened little below tn
X summit Their rapid march downwar
/ was very apparent; the guides hay
o since said that they reached the base c
the great cone of Nesuvius in three hours
The black promOntory created by tn
S lava Of 1858 then hid the stream fro1
: view for time, and provoking cloud
descended upon the mountain. Nhe
NIGHT came, the molten streams mad
! themselves visible I can only compar
n them to forked streaks OF Eghtnln
i caught and held permanently IN thel
place. The color was as intensely trans
> parent and dazzling as that OF the jet
l. from the crater There was Il singh
stream from the outlet. which parted 0
V the shoulder of the cone, descended in tw
; irregular, wavy lines. and met again jus
I, before reaching the bottom. On elthe
d side of these veins Of fire were occasion;
! detached sparkles, where the lava, afte
having crawled for some distance unde
the ashes and scorie, was forced again
n the surface. Sometimes a stronger ttoo
It from above made these hidden thread
e visible and attached them to the MAJ
:, currents; whereupon other and sinlla
Z" fountains would gush up at a little furtf
err distance
Having reached the base of the grea
cone IA distance of about mile, tn
, lava encountered obstacles and marche
lie more slowly. 1t came upon the beo. {
= 1858, which threw up a great mound
front, now serving as a breakwater, an
y forcing the stream both to the right an
n left for some distance before 1t can tn
" outlets to the lower slopes of the moul
20 tain. Late in the evening we saw I'll
: fire appear at the top of the deep ravir
+ which opens below the Astronomic
TO Observatory, but it did not seem to al
" vance further The next evening v
|, could see that it had made conslderab
nrorress. and that branch had gone c
TO to the right, toward Tore del Gree
1t The left hand branch, however, was niue
!, fine stronger. and had become threatel
inc in its aspect. With glass coul
y observe the fall of portions of the bur
t. inc mass down the decllvlties OF the o
s lava. 1t seemed that day or two mo-
N of the same progress would bring 1t
:" the edge OF the cultivated land.
g On the evening of the 9th there al
he reared to be a diminution in the ortfo
err from the crater. The right-hand strea
as had almost ceased, and nearly the who
body lava was pressing down the ravii
n partly filled by the eruption OF lS5
The weather up to this time had been
NJ stormy and changeable, that we ha
=, little prospects of a remunerative ascel
iai of the mountain. Yesterday we went
n Reslna to have nearer view. and mai