The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-06-22
A NIGHT ON VEsUvIUs DURING AN
a7 ERUPTION,

Mr.. Z. L. Capen, of Boston furnishes
the following interesting account of a
night eruption of Mount Vesuvius,
witnessed by himself:
On the 9th of April party of us
among whom were Mr.. w. w. Girls
com, sound scholar and scientist from
Philadelphia, and his pupil, Master s.
G.. Stanton, of Boston, now resident
of London-started for the scene.
We reached the stream of lava before
sunset, and the summit before dark.
We had o close view of the crater, at
the foot of the great cone, which, hav-
ing no accumulation of elected matter
i. e. no cone of stone and ashes, shows
clearly how it was first formed. A
thick bed of solid rock seems to have
been rent by the pent up forces be-
meath, and forced upward into verti-
cal position, like the jaws of mon-
ster broad at the base and tapering
toward the top. Three or four of
these vast rocks form the chimney,
through which pour volumes of steam
and smoke, roaring flames and lava,
with great violence, as if from mighty
confagration under intense pressure
below. Our party were in haste to
descend as the night drew on; but l
was not satisfied, and being on the
ground resolved to stay until morn
ing, and [ was well repaid for my
trouble and priyaGon. Lt Ieeaat
1t is impossible to do justice to such
a subject in a brief article. There are
really three separate throats, so to
speak, from the depths below, quite
distinct in their mode of action Two
are within the main crater at the sum-
NIT, and on q line with the new one,
above named, (which is near the N. base
OF the great summit, or apex cone,
and whose action / have described
The middle throat or register is the
only one that was violent in its action
and through the night, at. longer or
shorter intervals, it was terrific. Af-
ter brief periods of rest it broke
forth again with tremendous explo-
sion, as sudden and Intense, as that of
the heaviest cannon, but many, many
times vaster and grander. as it a mag
azine of. powder or nitroglycerine had
suddenly been ignited far do wn in the
deep bowels of the earth. eel. -. ..7l.
Sometimes one, oftcner several re-
ports, came in quick succession
Sometimes the first was loudest, but
OAtCAi oCCOho anu Us lOl-
lowed with increasing violence and
with much greater intensity than the
first. AT all the explosions of this
opening immense volleys of glowing
stones and red-hot cinders, 100 to 200
feet, spreading into magnificent bou-
quets of great brilliancy, many of
these stones, some of large size, falling
outside of the crater and rolling down
tho oln from TO 10 fo
base. Sometimes the explosions were
preceded by subterranean rumblings
tar down in the deep caverns of the
mountain accompanied by a trembling
OF the solid frame to its very base. al
The action OF the third spout or
register was wholly different from the
other two. There was no violent ex-
plosion, as of pent up power, as in the
case of that just described, though,
like that, its delivery was fitful :blow-
ing out at intervals and never uniform
continuaue and explosive, like the
first-described new crater outside the
cone, whose flow was copious COM
pressed volume of smoke and flame,
as from Well-fed furnace, and with
no noise, except that OF the constant
roaring of the flames. The third reg
lister made great blowing noise, like
an immense fuse, and very much like
the noise of an ascending rocket, of
immense proportions. 1t threw ont
volumes of black smoke and great
bouquets of glowing cinders, but with
much less violence than its companions
as if the opening were much larger
so much larger in proportion to it's
discharge as to divest it of all explo-
sive violence. L should regard this
as the old and nearly spent crater.