The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-11
,,,-New Diseoveries-A"w th
FOnR ,.ttons are Conducted.

excavation pic-nic' took place at
,a.s An last month, in honor OF the arri' |
LII nf Professor Peirce and the other men,
hers of the American Eclipse Expedition.
A correspondent Of the Boston Adoeff'Se'
describes the scene:
ON arriving at Pompei', the party were
fret conducted to the present limit OF the
excavations. that they might witness the
entire nrocess OF the labor. The whcet
harrow Is still unknown to the Italian Ia
horer. and his rude. broad pick ana nus
zopDa. which serves alike for hoe ana space.
would be disdaincd BY the meaneSt OF an
Americans "adoptcd fellow citizens.
Men and women, boys ana S"s,
are employed inditfcrentiy, ana 70
scrambling and chattering up the s' III
hank. with their little basketSlul OF uire
anon head mr. shoulder. A miniature rail-
way. operated by boy-powcr, Is ald near
the edge of the cutting, and rs fast rs Inc
oars are filed they are pushed away be-
yond the lines Of the city walls, and beyond
The amphi.theatre. where their contents are
dumped. Close upon the Slggers follow
another set Of wofkmen. Ihese prop up
crooked walls; repair breeches made by
tearing down the root. supports and lintels,
If these are of such extent rs to threaten
the crumhling Of the partitions; cut out
carefully and carry away such mural paint
ings or tablets as have any unusual value,
and can be removed in good condition, or
roof over or otherwise protect such as must
be left in place, but might suffer from ex-
posure.
just at present the excavators are reveal
ing nothing Of any intrinsic value, Tor the
street now opening appears TO nave Deen
almost exclusively occupied by minor shop
kcepers-some of them possibly III the mil
itary equipment business, for portion of
full-length and lite-sized painting of Ro-
man legionary in complete armor has re-
Gently been brought to light beside one shop
door. In many other places IN the neigh
boThood are painted up what seems 10 De
the names of candidates for various local Of
fees; so that perhaps this district was the
haunt of the ward roliticians OF an older
day. Accordingly, Professor Pelrce'S party
were warned that they must not anticipate
the finding Of any treasures, nor even be
disappointed if nothing were found, for this
is the case with many buildings, everything
having been either carried away or de-
stroyed.
lie street itself must have been pretty
one, for the buildings throughout nearly us
entire lengh were painted i'll high alternate
panels of red and black, relieved with
some light ornament. Doubtless 1t was
also lively one, for beside all its shops, it
boosted a livery stable, in front OF whose
broad doorway the sidewalk was sloped to
the roadway that the chariots might roll
out freely. The more modest art OF donkey
riding, too, found its opportunities here,
for a great room in the rear OF the stable
indicates by its trescoeS that the proprietor
did net content himself alone WIN car
rage customers"
Two or three of the more promising
shops and houses had been reserved by the
Superintendent for particular attention,
and in front Of them chairs We're placed for
the company. The debris had been left, as
I have intimated above, TO the depth OF two
or three feet over the floors, and the door
ways had been blocked by large stones to
keep the looSer dust from rolling out INTO
the clean-kept street. A dozen men were
immediately set to work, and about as many
custodi stood by, watching with all the
sharpness of their long-traincd eyes that
nothing might be caught up and concealed.
Experience has taught the directors in what
parts of each particular kind Of building
objects are most likely to be found and,
therefore, while one man was digging away
with the utmost ntS0ucidnce, his fellow,
close beside him, would be upon his knees
carefully scrapng away the dirt with his
fingers.
The first building was evidently shop,
with living-room at the back, but there
were no external indications of its charac.
ter. Digging soon developed Il great iron
furnace OF oven, leautil-CONcEeu, dliit SCI III
brick in the centre Of the front room and
the most popular Surlnise was the owner
had been cook, for few bronze vessels OF
the saucepan type were found near the
furnace, together with the bones of two or
three dogs and cats, which imagination tg-
ured us having sought the shop, after its
masters flight, i'll search of fat picking',
and as having paid for their glutlony more
dearly than by Il beating.
A couple of wine amphorG, lamp. bit
Of money, Il bronze ring, some ivory pallets
Tor the hinges of doors and movables, a door
key, and few nails, completed the trea-
sure-trove, the back room being absolutely
empty.
Fragments of the rcd tiles and some
charred bits of the woodwork, which
throughout the city was almost all 1gnlted
by the blazing cinders of the dies ird-were
mingled with the ashes and pumice, as also
were few broken jars and lamps; but all
these latter pieces were broken to atoms US
fast as found, that nothing recognizable as
bit of Pompcii might go elsewhere than
into the museum. The neXt-door neighbor
OF our shopkceper had left nothing for pos
terity but his simple mosaic pavement ;
perhaps, on the other hand, we thought,
his friend had left his tritles behind him in
order to take his stone carpet with him, for
in his two rooms we had found nothing but
the base earth for flooring.