The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-05-24
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DARING EXPLOIT.
Ascending Vesuyius During the He
cent EruptiOn-An EnSIishman's

Account Ofthe G rand Scene.
To the Editor of the London Times:
SIR-Yesterday morning about
o'clock / went out to get a carriage 10
20 up Mount Vesuvius, and on my way
l was asked by a respectable looking
man in the street if l had heard the
news of the night. He then told me
that hundreds of people who had gone
up the night before to see the burning
lava in the Atrio di Cavallo were. dead.
had seen the mountain at ii o'clock
the night before, when there was a
stream Of lava running from the top Of
the cone into the Atrio-that is, the
valley between Vesuvius and the ad-
joining hill, the Somma, where there
seemed to be a lake Of fire.
Later in the night there was tre-
mendous eruption, a large crater open
ing suddenly between the observatory
and the Atrio di Cavallo, across the
path of the visitors, it is said, of a mile
in diameter. We started from Naples
at s o'clock. The view of the noun.
tain was magnificent. An enormous
cloud of dense white smoke was ascend
ing to an immense height above the
mountain like great feeces OF cotton
wool, quite unlike any cloud ever saw.
| could see the lava rushing from sew
eral openings to the right OF and above
the Observatory, but below the cone.
The lava was still flowing from the cone
into the Atrio, but no ash or dust was
thrown up. We drove on to Resina,
where the population were in fearful
excitement, not knowing what to do
and apparently apprehensive of instant
death, everybody making signs to US
and telling US to 60 back. We went on
to the Piazza di Pugliano, where we
were stopped and told that no one was
allowed to 60 up the mountain by order
of the police. However, after some
expostulation, l took guide on the
box and started again.
A few minutes afterward we met q
cart bringing down a dead body, and as
we went on we saw other bodies-at
least twelve-of which only one ap-
peared to be living. They were fright
fully burnt on the face and hands, and
some of which were carried on chairs
in a sitting position were very ghastly
objects. Further on we met people,
officials apparently, coming down, all
warning US to 60 back. AT length,
when we had arrived at an elbow OF
the road not far from the Observatory,
we met the officer who had charge Of
the Observatory, who said we could not
90 on; that the danger was imminent;
that the lava was running across and
down the road before us; that he had
orders from the Project Of Naples
to prevent any one from ascend
ing, and that we could not pass. My
coachman was getting little anxious,
though | will do him the justice to say
he was not afraid, so consented not to
take the carriage beyond turn in the
road above us to the right, especially
as did not wish to meet the lava in a
narrow road where we could not turn
the carriage. We left the carriage
there and assembled on foot with the
guide by path straight up the noun
tain side. At length we stood on the
edge of the flat ground sloping to the
foot OF the cone. Currents of lava were
running down on both sides of us far
below, but the craters from which they
flowed were hidden by the smoke;
clouds of smoke were ascending from
the top of the cone, and the lava
still pouring down to the Atrio,
The roar OF the mountain,
which we had first heard at
Portici, was now tremendous, contin-
uous, and unlike anything else l ever
heard-hke millions of peals of thun-
der rolling at the same time-when
suddenly, about noon, there was a ces.
sation with a low, rolling sound, and
one heard the clicking and ripping OF
the lava currents pouring down the hill
sides below. Then, in about minute,
came a deafening roar, shaking the
ground under our feet. and new crater
burst forth Just on the further side Of
the Observatory as it seemed to us, and
dense clouds of ashes and stones were
thrown up into the air on the left
hand of, and mingling with the great
white cloud, making great con.
trast with the dark brown dust
and ashes which rose perpendicularly
to an immense height. The roaring
continued and kept on Increasing
till it became deafening, and began to
think it might iDjure our ears. We
STAYED about an hour aud a half; the
scene was magnificent, the smoke occa-
sionally clearing away and giving us
the view toward the Atrio, that toward
the cone being always clear; but as
some of our party fancied the ground
might open under our feet and. that we
might find ourselves in the midst of
new crater. l at length reluctantly sent
the guide to bring up the carriage. Had
I been alone should have stayed there
until evening. When we had gone
down q short distance the same
phenomena again appeared. The
sudden cessation Of the tremend-
Gus roaring, the clicking and. rip
pling of the falling lava, and the
low muttering became then again
audible; then the fearful roar and the
shaking of the ground, and another
crater burst forth on the bank Of the