Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1872-06-22
A Daring Exploit.
ASCENDING vEsUvIUs DURING THE
RECENT ERUPTION IAN ENGLISH
MANS ACCOUNT OF THE GRAND
SCENE.
To the Editor of the London Times:

10 tuc ElitOT VI tuc 1OuOOn xlnico
Sir-Yesterday morning about Z
o'clock, went out to get u carriage
to 20 up Mount Vesuvius, and on my
way | was asked by a respectable
looking man in the street it had
heard the news of the night. He then
told me that husldreds Ut people who
had gone up the night before to see
the burning lava in the Atrio Iii
Cavalio were dead. l had seen the
mountain at IL o'clock the night he
fore when there Was a STREAM Ut lava
running from the top of the cone into
the AtriO-tilat is the valley between
Vesuvlus aud the adjoining hill, the
SOmma, where there seemed to liz a
lake of fire.
Later in Ia aight there WAS a TIRE.
medOiis eruption, u large crater Open-
ing suddenly between the observatory
and the AtriO Iii Cavallo, acrvss the
path of the visitors, it is said, of a
mile in diameter. We started from
Naples at 3 o'clock. The view of the
mountain was magnificent. An rnor
nous cloud Of dense white smoke was
ascending to All immense height above
the mountain, like great fleeces Ofcot.
ton wool, quite unlike any cloud
ever saw. | cOulsl see the lava rush
ing from several openings to the right
Of AMI above the observatory, but lie.
low the cone. The lara was still
flowing from the cOue into the Atrio.
but no ash or dust was thrown up.
We drove on to Rtsina, where tie
population were in fearful excitement,
NOT kpOwaing what to do, and an.
par4ntly apprehensive 0fiustant death,
everybody making signs to us aud
telling ns to go hack We went Oh TO
the Piazza Iii PuglianU where We
were stopped and told that no one
, was allowed to go up the mOuatain,
by order of the police. However, af
ter some expOstulatiOl, | took a guile
ON the box and started again.
! In a few inmates afterwarl We met
a cart bringing down a dead body.
and az we went OH We saw other
l,Ulies-at least twelve-vf which only
one appeared to be living. They were
J srightfully burnt on the fac,. and
hands, and some which were carru,;
on chairs in Il sitting position were
/ CHASTITY objects Further on we m, I
people. officials apparently, comm :.
down, all warning Us to go back. All
length, when we had arrived at an eI.
bow of the road no, far. from the o,,
servatOry, we met the officer wiia had
charge of the observatory, who said
! We cOn!d not 20 o.; that the danger
was imminent that tn, lava was
running across aud down. ;he rua.l In,
fore us; thar he had orders Irum the
! Perfect of Naples tn prevent ANY N,,.
ascending and that we could not pass.
! My cOachman was getting a little
anxious, though | will do him the
! Justice to say he was not afraid, 80
consented not to take the carriage a5e
yond turn in the road above US to
the right, especially as did not wish
to meet the lava in narrow road
where we could not turn the carriage
We LIFT the carriage there and ascend
ed on foot with the guide by patti,
up tlle mountain side. At length We
stood on the edge of the fiat ground
slOning to the foot of the cone. Cur.
rents Of lava Was running down Oh
both sides of TN far below, but the
: craters from which thy flowed We're
. hidden by the smoke; clouds %,
smoke were ascending from The top %;
the cone, and the lava still POURING
down the AtriO. The roar of the
mo'intain, which We first heard at
l'Ortici, was now tremendous, cu,l-
tinuOus, and unlike anything else |
ever hearl-like millions of lMals OF
thunder rolling at the same tune
when suddenly, abSut noon, there was
a cessation with a low rolling sound :
and one heard the clicking and rim
pling Of lava cur ents lOnring down
the hill sides below. Then, in about
a minute, came a deateliing roar,
shaking the ground under our feet.
and new crater burst forth Just ol,
the further side of the observatory, as
1t seemed to us, and dense clouds OF
ashes and stones were thrown up into
the air on the left hand of, and ming.
ling with, the great whit. cloud,
making a great contrast with the
dark brown dust and ashes which
rose Perpen'licularly to an imIne,,.a,
height. The roaring runtiRned and
kept on increasing till il becs.m,
deafening, aud began to think Il
might injure our ears. We STAYED
there about an hour and a half: The
scene was magnificent, the smoke
occasionally clearing Always and civ
ing Us the view t0waris the Atrio,
that towards the cone being always
clear; but as some Of our party fancied
the ground might open under our ,4et
and that we might lind ourselves i'm
the midst Of a new crater, | at Ipnpt,
reluctantly sent the guide 20 bring nj,
the carriage. Had / been alone
should have stayed there till evening
When we had gone down a short
distance the same phenomena again
1 lntNsuro<I Tho