Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-26
VESUTIUS.
Graphic Accounts of the Recent
Eruption.
Early Stages OF the Disturbances-The
Third NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of Life
Scenes Among the NeapOIitans-
The Last Alarm. e
From the london Telerranh.

HelSnDOf has not only Doen unusually DOis-
ferrous this time, but it has excelIed itself in
treachery. The overwhelming of Hercula-
naeum, If not myth, may have been SEN
sational in its day, but in tragic horror it
must have fallen behind some of the heart
rending scenes which we have been obliged
to witness during the past week. Before
the storm there was calm-an exquisite
calm-for which the Destroyer decked him
self in his most transcendent beauty. For
several nights before the new craters burst
the mountain was so enchanting in its robe
/ of fame that Naples could not think of go
| ing to bed. Hour after hour, until the re-
| turn of daylight, one and all of us fingered
in the streets, or by the shore of the bay,
| drinking in the glory Of Vesuvian trans
| hguration. Few who witnessed it will
| ever forget the first of these nocturnal dis
| plays. When darkness fell on the night
of the 23d the great cone seemed suddenly
to festoon itself with wreaths of fire. From
its summit three craters were playing SIM
ultaneously. Continuous clouds of lumin-
| Gus smoke assembled in the starlit-sky. On
their wings they bore solid masses of scorie.
which, after rising to considerable dis
lance, either fell back into the crater or
were thrown over the side of the cone into
the streams of lava which were flowing
| down the mountain. The moon, as if ieal-
Gus Of terrestrial rival, shone with such
brillianey as only southern heavens are ia
vOred with. The three craters emulated it
in the steadiness of their illumination. From
hour to hour the scene maintained an I'M
changing grandeur, until toward sunrise,
when it efaced itself almost as abruptly as
1t had appeared. 1t was past three
O'Clock before l could turn my back
on Vesuvius, and wend my way home
ward, thinking distrustfully of the
probable sequel. Next night the cone
| did not fulfil our eager anticipations. Two
of the three craters failed to take part in
the salamandrine spectacle, but the third
belched and flashed and smoked with a
triple energy. The scori@ which it elected
were peculiarly interesting and varied in
shape. Some looked like stones of vast size;
others were star-shaped, and others; as
they assembled, exploded into millions of
fiery fragments. The discharge Of lava,
which on the first night had been hardly
noticeable, now assumed prominent part
in the drama. 1t was vomited forth with
such energy as to carry it above the lips of
the cone and throw it some distance down
the slope. There it quickly divided into
two streams, and made its way in one di-
rection toward the Observatory, and in an
other into the old Atrio del Cavallo, which,
by aid of the reinforcement, resumed its
menacing course toward Ottojano.
THE THIRD NIGHT.
On the third night the spectacle had fur
ther diminished in brilliancy, but those
who were not absorbed in spectacular en-
joyment could discern indications of in
tongues Of flame, though they had lost some
of their dazzling brightness, shot higher up
than before. The lava and scori5e were
also carried to greater height. The for
mer was elected in larger volume, which
ultimately showed its increase in the accel-
Grated flow Of the lava-streams. The sub
terranean thunder, which early in the week
had made Itself heard but dimly, like the
sound of heavy artillery at many miles dis
lance, now grew more audible, and appear
ed to be approaching nearer the city. All
through this Inflated night the premonitions
of catastrophe followed hard upon each
other. Yet, of what did happen,
no one could have the slightest warning.
1t was ar incident unprecedented in the
treacherous, capricious history of Vesuvius.
The sympathetic sky was full of omens.
Its crystal clearness had departed, and in
place of it feecy clouds were driving across
the heavens. From thousand-tinted eff
fulgence they declined into dullness, then
into heavy, threatening darkness. Moon
and stars paled their lights ere they were
yelled by the haze which overspread the
sky. But the surface of the bay continued
smooth and CLASSY, unrufled by even a
summer breeze. AS the shadows of smoke
and fame cast upon it from the mountain
became more somber, it partook of their
reflected gloom, otherwise it was appar-
emily unconscious of the Titanic struggle
which was rending the bowels of the earth
beneath and around it.
DESTRUCTION OF LIFE.
As day was dawning, a fearful horror
occurred on the side of the mountain next
the city. Of late years access to Vesu-
vius has been greatly facilitated Ly the short
railway which skirts the bay and connects
Naples with Castalamere, town at the
opposite corner. This faces the mountain
throughout the whole distance, and in its
vicinity will be found most of the villages
whose names always obtrude themselves
during the progress of an eruption. One
Of these, Resina, is a favorite point for max
ing the ascent from. 1t is not far from
Prof. Palmieri's Observatory, and it enjoys
the more exciting distinction of lying in the
line of great current of lava. Thousands
of visitors have assembled the hill nightly
from Resina, driving up as far as to the OBJ
servatory, and then walking to the bed of last |
years lava. On Friday morning many
such excursion parties were assembled |
directly under the cone. They had begun |
to dispense with the first indication of sun
rise, but hundreds still fingered on the spot. |
Without single movement to warn them, |
the earth opened under foot, and the dead |
lava which they had been treading upon as
a curiosity turned again to molten fire. !
Those who were not ingulfed in the chasm |
as it burst forth attempted to flee for their |
lives. Happily, the feet and sure of foot
were many. They reached safety; but woe |
to whoever fell by the wayl The earth
they fell on was already at furnace-heat, |
and fresh waves Of lava overlook them ere |
they could rise again. A few were miracU-
lousy delivered by noble efforts on the part
of the strong-nerved men in the company.
Dragging them in haste toward the OBJ
servatory, their deliverers placed them on
the carriages which were waiting there, and
accommodation was provided for them at
Resina. 1 have been told by friend, who
NeS dI tllc very SuSSe Vi JIG CHdSIu Wien
it burst open, that the effect on the
imagination was as though the whole
mountain had begun TO move from its basis
AS he fed he felt as though the mountain
was following him, and not until he had re-
covered his senses at Resina could he con-
vince himself that what he had seen was
only partial eruption of the crust which
overlies the hidden fires of Vesuvius. An
account furnished to Neapolitan
journal affirms that there were two stimuli
taneous openings, and that the flames,
bursting out from both, enveloped in cir
Gle of fire all who were within reach. A
carriage which happened to be inside this
circle was burned up in an instant, as if it
had been spirited away. Shortly before
the eruption lady was seen in it, but OF
her nothing whatever has been seen since.
The burns inflicted were Of a peculiarly
painful character, even when they looked
slight. The patients, on reaching the hos
pitals, were Immediately enveloped in wool.
Notwithstanding the care with which they
have been dressed, and the skill with which
they have been nursed, they cannot move