Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-10-14
sTAUNTON. VA, TUESDAY OCTOBER H. 1873.

| lighted by apertures from above, and around
the sides, close together and in regular order
were very large stone jars, capable of holding
| from 20 to 80 gallons each. As | walked
! through these cellars and looked upon the long
rows of those large, well. shaped vessels, which
| doubtless had often been filed with good and
glorious old wines, nectar fit for the gods."
allowed my Imagination to roam backward fol
| near score OF centuries to that time when
Pompei lived and breathed with mighty lungs
her vital breath, when the busy hum of bu-
man voices, the noise of trade and traffic. the
pursuits Of the arts and sciences ceased not,
save in the quiet hours OF the night, betwixt
the latest eve and the earliest dawn, thought
of those grand banquet halls above. where uu-
der the floods of light, amid the sparkling OF
gems and the glitter of gold, the beauty and
chlvalry, the fair women and brave men, the
naughty DANES and proud mobiles, the youth,
the aged, the good and the bad were gathered
at some festive call, fully determined to pass at
least some of the hours of life to their hearts
full enjoyment, while the generous wine flowed
free and fast for all, and the servants were COM
ing and going, in and out of these cellars, bear
ing and carrying that which maketh the feast
SO merry" All little did they dream and
nothing did they know Of that terribly swift, of
that dlstressingly sad fate, so soon to overtake
|
Ooe who has stood and looked upon this city
that was SO long covered with ashes, and with
such painful history could easily indulge in a
host of reflections, both sad and instructive,
upon fate, which in all probability, was not
unlike that Of "Sodom and Gomorrah."
There is much to be seen that calls up vivid
y their every -day-life We were taken into the
oil and wine shops, and shown the large jars
just as they were found in their respective
places, and doubtless standing where their own
ers had left them when they were last in use
We also noticed the counters in the shops,
mostly OF marble and stone, and there were
worn places on the stone floors where the shop
keepers had stood in waiting upon their GUS
toners, and when we walked out into the Streets
we noticed the we-worn payements and the
curbing, and then the large fiat stones that
showed deep ruts, where many wheel had
rolled, and then the even, nicely adjusted step
ping or crossing stones that innumerable Pom
peian feet had helped to wear away-all, and
everything told of the past. Much has been
done and is still doing towards the uncoveriug
and bringing to light of very many things in
the various departments Of life, that will ex-
hibit much that has not been previously known
about this people, their manner of living and
that fatal and sudden destruction that overlook
them. A very ingenious and enterprising Ital-
ian, the Commentators Eorell, superinten-
dent of the Museum at Naples and the excava-
tioDs at Pompei has thought of introducing
plaster into the cavities found in the ashes and
sand. By this means he has obtained the shapes
of the DOORS windows, beds and furniture, and
what is still more wonderful of some of the cpl
sodes of the tragedy of Pompei; such as the
father dead by the side of his daughter the
pregnant woman and the slave that we saw in
the Museum at Portamarina. The girl has
gold ring On her fnger-the slave an iron one.
We further noticed on exhibition in the Pom
pei Museum, the representations of some half
dozen bodies of men and women, which had
been taken In this method; i e. by pouring the
liquid plaster into the cavities found in the sand
and ashes that had once been filed with human
flesh and bones These plaster bodies thus Sc
cured, showed the different positions and atti-
tudes that their unfortunate originals were in,
when their sudden fate overlook them. Iremem-
ber the figure of man whose limbs indicated
that he was running, and his left hand was held
over his eyes evidently for protection. [ also
saw the forms of woman and child with hands
clasped in each other, and both Fleeing from
the wrath that had come" The other cases
that have cited, without describing them, were
in various shapes, and all illustrating the quick
ness of the disaster that terminated their own
existence, and that Of their beautiful and luxu-
rious city The excavations continually advance,
and further labors in the course of time will ex-
pose completely the Southern limits of the city
During our visit. we saw hundred or more
of laborers engaged In removing the ashes from
the ruins Some were filling up the round
deep baskets. while the others bore them off
on their shoulders and heads to ravine' near
by, into which they would dump them. We
may expect to hear in few months, or a year
or so, Of the entire resurrection of the interest
ing ruins of this unfortunate city, and as the
work progresses from time to time we will hear
of new discoveries that may add and contrib
ute very much both to history and science -
Herculaneum was destroyed at the same time
with Pompei by the eruption Of Vesuvius.-
This city, however, was inundated and covered
with lava and scoria, while Pompei was buried
under the ashes from the same eruption. The
work of excavation has not progressed as rap
idly as at Pompei, from the fact that the re-
moval of lava is more difficult than that of ash
es. Herculaneum much resembles Pompei =
In the one, as 10 the other, the streets are
paved and bordered with pavements. There
is the same architecture, the same paintings
mosaics, and household furniture, utensils, &C.
We saw in the museum at Naples quite large
number Of statues that had been taken from
the ruins, and | noticed two particularly that
were fine, Those were equestrian statues of
Nonio Balbo and his son.. The discovery of a
large number of Papyrus, made at Herculane-
um, has given it still greater importance. -
Among the contributions from this city to the
Naples Museum we also observed the remains
of food, bread, eggs, fruits, vegetables, ETC.
All OF these were IN very remarkable state of
preservation as regards shape, size, &c., &C.
The greater part of this town is still buried
under the lava and scoria, and the most later
estiDg buildings discovered are those of the
Theatre. the Basilica, and the two houses of
Argus and Aristides. Herculaneum is much
nearer the base of Vesuvius than Pompei, and
it is also on the opposite side of the mountain
aud only walk of few miles from Naples
The general impression, and the accepted be-
lief is, that the red-hot molten lava, in one
great continual stream, completely covered up
and buried this city, while, at the same time,
the ashes from the eruption were blown across
to Pompei, and, as we know, perfectly sub
merged it for many feet above the tops of the
houses, and thus Pompei remained for so long
a time, until the simple process of the sinking
of a well by an Italian peasant, who in the
progress of his work dug through the roof OF
house, caused the Investigation which led to
the development OF so much that has proved
useful, interesting aud instructive 10 reference
to these two lost cities that lay buried out oi
sight for so many hundred years.
Herculaneum does not appear to be SO large
a CITY as Pompel, although as yet its dimen-
sions cannot be ascertained with any degree ol
accuracy or certainty, since the work of exca-
vaiion goes on more slowly. We noticed ir
some places where the lava, when in its moter
STATE, had run together, forming immense mass