Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-06-21
VESUVICS.
Fatal Effect OF the Eru ption.

y private letter just received from Naples
gives the following account of some of the
incidents of theslate terrible eruption of Y e.
suvius. The gentleman referred to as ''Mr.
S. is the son of an esteemed lady OF
foreign birth, for some years past resi-
dent of Philadelphia. The writer is also
forei Iner, which accounts for the idiCmatic
simplicity of expression, which, however,
only adds force to the sad story Of tle fatal
results ofthe volcanic storm:
"You have surely heard of the fearful
eruption Of Nesuvus which destroyed some
whole villages aud ruined many families.
Knowing that you felt so much interested
about the erUptiOns, and should have liked
so much 10 see one Of them while you We're
in Naples, will tell You something about
this last and awful one. Imagine what a
great misfortune we have escaped my
brother and Mrs. SIS son have nearly
been victims Of the lava, in the way
am now going to tell you. Mr. S,
who has been i'll Naples about a week, came
to pay visit to us on Thursday, 25th, and
told us he was going up to Nesuyius on the
same evening. AS we had seen, even from
town, for the last three Orfour evenings the
eruption getting every day more beautiful,
Mama allowed my brother to go with him,
telling them both to take care about them
selves. They promised they would be back
at midnight, and went away to join two
other Young men. When they had reached
a place near the observatory, where they
could not go further without danger, they
found the views so splendid, and they were
so tired besides, that Que of them proposed
to take a rest and stay there till daybreak.
Mr.. S. then said lie could not, because
he had promised my mother to bring her
son back to her safe and well AT midnight.
His advice was followed. and they came
back at about three O'Clock in the morning.
Early in the morning all my brothers
friends who knew about his having gone to
Vesuvius, came to ask if he had come
back. Two hours after they left it, on the
very same place v here they had proposed
to STAY till daYbreak, a new crater broke
out, and tie and heat killed all tho poor
people who stood in the neighbOrhOod.
How thankful we are to God that he pre-
served my brother from such an awful
death, and also Mrs. IS son: so it has
been quite interesting for both of them to
have been there on that night and seen
one of the most important eruptions.
Eight felloV-stLdentS Of my brother, one
OF them quite an intimate friend of his,
also went up and never came back they
were buried by the lava so that they could
not even fad their bones, and another
other son came back all burnt and covered
with wounds in 4 most pitiful state.
"They had gone with a little party,
which is all dead. Only one of the ladies
could be saved, but somehow after she
reached Naples, she died also, Suffering
immensely. About fifty persons Of those
who had gone for mere curiosity died.
Then We have had during the eruption
and after it, for nearly week, a continual
thunder-ille noise, which became so strong
sometimes that it made the ground move
like the earthquake. The thing which was
most disagrecable to us was strong run
Of ashes, which began the 18th and lasted
three or four days, sometimes getting SO
thick that one could not see anything at
hundred feet distant. On those days Ma
pies looked quite sad and desolate, so that
we could have perfect idea of what must
have been he end Of Pompeii : besides,
all the town was filled by those poor In
habitants Of the destroyed villages who
lad left their houses h.;"nng and come to
ask fsr roof and big. - AiI0IelphiG
Bulletin.