The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-07-02
TRAVELS IN ITALY.
Letter from n wheeling Gentleman
yEsnY1us AND VENICE.

Latter from Wheeling Gentleman.
yEsuv1Us AND VENICE.
fThe follow ing letterby gentleman OF
,bis city now travelling in Europe was not
written for print, but has been fur
uI,hed by the recipient, at our request, for
publicadOn:l4a
FLORENCE, ITALY, June l, 1872.
= g.
You have read much OF the eruption Of
VesuVius, doubtless, and seen many pic.
lures pretending to give an idea. We
were In ConStantinople when we heard of
\, and tried to catch boat just leaving
Tor Italy, but were five hours too late.
The vessels only ran once q week, and by.
sailing time for the next one the telegraph
informed US that "all was over" Imag-
Inc il you can, our disappointment. We
would gladly have sacrificed Constantine.
pie, with only a few hours stay there, to
have seen Vesuvius pouring forth its lava.
Ave, ! would 90 half around the world TO
witness it. know Of persons that rushed
thither from oil parts OF Europe; and l
know Of q New Yorker who started at
once for the scene, got to Queenstown,
but, alas too late, only to learn OF its cess.
alton.
Though too late for the fire and It's
grandeur, we got to see its effects; we
crossed TO Naples and remained two days;
taking carriages, we rode out as near as
possible and then struggled. out as Tor as
twas deemed safe. Then We stood at
The foot Of the stream Of lava, black and
hOt, half q mile wide, fifty feet deep, and
running up the mountain side four thou.
sand feet, reaching far beyond our vision.
But where we stood was once a town;
several thousand people had lived there
but week before, and now only a few
houses on the outside remain. We were
inthe main street casting our eyes over q
perfect sea Of leaden matter and not a
brick Of q building in sight.
TOyou 1t must be inconceivable. Sun.
pose the hill above our house to begin
TO shoot up molten substance, then
suppose 1t to come rolling down an hun.
bred feet deep, burying all North Wheel.
ing, then imagine yourself on top of the
Grant House looking all over the scene OF
Oscillation and that black stuff called
aValying beneath you like some monster
bot and stiff, sending up clouds of sui.
ph1t and ammonia that would stifle a
million throats were they held over it.
But all around us were the victims of
this disaster, Their houses were gone.
They had gathered what they could and
carried to the edge Of the town and were
huddled together there. s'l.a
The Italians arc naturally the worst beg
gauin theworld. They certainly had cause
70 seize upon US, and most plteously did
Ihey oeset our guide to translate their
nAiortunes for them. TWAS truly o sad,
sad scene. They all appeared as'if they
aS1 ned from some awful confagration;
Snd there they were huddled together in
inc open air beds and no beds, clothes
Md rags the strong and the weak, the
aged and the young, together with help.
les infancy. We had 10 push our way
through them. Our aims went but .
Il1ue way. The government Is poor,
weak, and slow to act; the worlds GOOD.
ness mad not reached them, and suffer
taey must until It came, m
THIS was larger than any since Pom.
pell was destroyed, eighteen hundred
years sgo-so report says, But there is an
eminent professor, living at Naples, who
watched ,' i closely, and has given q lee.
@Ee, ~ which he denies the assertion: but
ne acknowledges il to have been greateI
.aSa tae three preceding ones, and that ID
sulnclent. This professor underwent
many perlls 10 take his observations. II
only another instance OF what iools
.aea become in pursuit OF their yoca
~vus, he built awooden house up onth,
mountain, right by the side Of the rushint
s %iteat There he stood taking his OBJ
StVaGEGns, the fire, as it were, raininl
aua heaven, producing another Sodon
Sau Somorrah round about him. Whel
" uSoding masses would rise to IN
S'otslII OF his hut, and would max
700 hot as well us too danger
Gus 10 stay, he would quietly AZ
stt IL and so a little farther dow
Tue mountain 10 commence again. 1t
wonderful how the guides. aud natlV,
NV! SsVe watched and studied the great Won
!!ing monster, until thuy Gun avoid b
@lOs Of agony, as the harpooner do
ae sIAshlng Of his victims tail. e / Al
@lu mat there was constant stream
Epegoing up TO the crater and cUmiI
S . from It, for thGfour entire days
Eruption, Just as, a great crowd can swa
, %na ITO behind the belching cannon, {
NY %sY AtriGd at the very mouth OIL. Il
S o,ssa while it poured destruction Il
-. B Z! NY persons tSer6 Killed." and no
w. They were drowned in the bur
Sus moods, great ocean OF lava had &C
S tSsa In ahOllow Of the mountain, SUI
t SsuIy one ofthe sides gave way, o.
S Ias trimming basin Of caustic matt
lO% u' PTTuting upon those who stood b
S %% They shouted and they ran, d b
vS a., turned II aside from them and on
sn S%ISS malt hundred were cut off Of
, s1s E The strangers (Americl
SSS NV hugllsh travelers) were conprepatC
IS to ~, y ~ was this circumstance whic
GssS II ~ !ae dispatch that some two hui
SCt I I tSS.! oeen killed. Its strange til
LAST January I was IN WaHi
S So1 We assembled Vesuyius. @rn
SoT the real thing SIao.o5 WY w.
@ss expectations, stS,SS ~ ~