The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-11-29
MOUNT vEsuv1Us.

taken place, a violent eruption may be ap
pretended. Twice in twelve months indi
cations of coming CONFUSION have take1
place. In this connection, the following
Twill be read with interest:
1t is remarkable circumstance that the
temporary cessation in the action of Mount
Vesuvius, which, since the end of August
has done nothing but fume and crumble
has been marked by the occurrence of sew
eral earthquakes in the south of Europe.-
Two shocks were experienced in Gibraltar:
then large portion of Turkey was shaken,
and, lastly, II sharp shock was experienced
in Malta. These disturbances followinc
1 each other within so short a space of time.
suffice to confirm the opinion that the sub
terraneaa forces whose effects have been
experienced from time to time over a dis
trlct extending from the Canaries and
Azores, across the whole basin of the Medi-
terranean into Syria, form Il single system,
OF which Fesnvius, Etna, Stromboli. and
the volcanoes of the Grecan Archipelago
are the outlets. We do not remember any
former instance in which the evidence has
been SO decisive. The fact that Ischia and
vesuVlus are intimately associated with
Stromboli and Etna had been confirmed by
several striking phenomena. When Ischia
was In full activity before the great out
burst OF Nesuvius in 70, the fires of Etna
had seemed to be gradually expiring, inso-
extinct volcanoes: But during the long in
terval of rest which Vesuvius experienced
before the great eruption of 1900, Etna was
In a state of unusual activity, a circum-
stance which Sir Charles Lyell considers to
indicate that "the great Sicilian volcano
sometimes serves as channel of discharge
to elastic fluids and lava that would other
wise rise to the vents in Campania.'' But
although such facts as these had been no.
tlced, and the connection of the Italian
with the Archipelago and Syrian volcanoes
had been suspected by many biologists and
selsmologists, yet we do not remember any
former instance in which the temporary |
quiescence of Fesuvius has been followed |
by earthquakes occurring in portions of the |
South European volcanic system so widely |
as Turkey, Malta and Vcsuvius.
1t is worthy of notice that from the time |
of the great eruption of -, Vesuyius had
been i'll activity only at distant intervals
until the eruption OF 1866. In 1851, in
deed, it seems us if the mountain were grad
ually assuming the condition of an extinct
volcano. AT that time Bracini wrote as
follows: ''T The crater of Vesuvius is five
miles in circumference, and about IA thou
sand PAGES deep; its sides are covered with
and at the bottom there is
plain on which cattle Craze. In the woody
parts wild bears frequently harbor." One
s reminded by this description of the con-
iltion of the mountain before the convul-
'ions which preceded the eruption of 20
At that time the mountain presented SO
small an appearance of activity that the
bands of slaves and pirates which f1ocked
20 the standard of Spartacus found refuge
within the very crater of the sleeping vol !
,ano. In December, 1851, the mountain
irst blew away, by a violent eruption, the
covering of rocks and cinders which had
the woods and pastures described
~ Bracini Then seven enormous streams
# lava poured from the crater. Resina,
quilt over the site of Herculaneum, was en-
irely destroyed; and torrents of mud, !
'aused by heavy showers of rain which fell ,
IN the heaps of ashes and volcanic dust
round the cone, effected an amount of de- .
truction scarcely less terrible than that ,
which resulted from the lava streams. :
But since the eruption of 1866, Nesuvius
las scarcely ever been at rest for ten years ,
ogether. Many of the eruptions also which
lave occurred during the last two hundred
ears have been as remarkable as any which =
ook place before the eruption of 1866. In t
he great eruption of 1879 molten lava was $
propelled vertically upward to a height of 1
t least 10000 feet. According to the ac- !
cunt of Sir William Hamilton, Vesuvius !
vas surmounted continually by what APP 4
'eared as an enormous column of fire, the 7
eat of which was distinctly perceptible at '
distance of ut least six miles ON every 4
ide Equally remarkable, but quite diff c
erent in character, was the great eruption q
# 1893. In place of lava streams millions $
# red-hot stones were propelled into the t
III. DIR. Clarke relates that, these stones ,
cached II height ut least equal to half that I
# the cone itself. Enormous masses of I
White smoke were vomited forth by the !,
disturbed mountain, and, gathering them )
elves together at height of several thou f
and feet above the cone, they formed Il t
ugo and Respondent canopy, constantly t
Illuminated 10y the glowing fires within the /
mountain, and seeming to open from time y
o time tn hurl down dark streams of vol +
anic dust and vapor ,,nixed with cascades /
If red-hot rocks and scori;e. In the great
ruption of 1622, enormous a mass of v
arth and rock propelled from the era t
er that an abyss was formed extending for