Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-11-04

life and energy so gazed up at that desirable
destination rnd etermined to start again. This
time told my guides that would try it awhile
without their aid. and while they only smiled and
shook their heads. l started out right manfully
But alas for human aspirations. The first twen-
ty steps were amply sufficient to convince me that
it would be total impossible to climb that nearly
perpendicular ascent of loose ashes without help
l sunk above my ankles at every step, and slip
ped one and half back for each two steps
made forward; so gave it up and stopped to
rest again. My guides suggested another plan,
which put into operation, by mounting upon
the shoulders of the stoutest with my legs around
his neck and the other guide went in advance
pulling him by the rope that he held as I had
done at first. I felt quite comfortable perched
upon my mans shoulders, and holding on to his
head got along very we'll until he stumbled and
dumped me in a most promscuous manner into
the ashes and cinders a foot or more deep. did
not mind an accident so trivial as this bnt soon
succeeded IN busting out my ears, eyes and hair,
and with drink of wine washed down all that
in my mouth. looked up once more to see
how far off that topnaost round was, climbed up to
my perch and up! up!! upl! we went, every
now and then STEPPING over cracks and seams
through which were issuing smoke and the fumes
of sulphur which almost strangled us. At last
after long, steady pull, and one more final steep
pull with smoke and steam above, below and
around us, we halted, painting and almost bre ath-
less, on the edge of the crater.
This crater is not shelving BASIN but an ir-
regular gulf of lava, from which issues lets of
vapour and smoke, and which is too hot some
times to sit on or touch. In the midst of the
plain some funnel-shaped cones, about 100
feet high, the safety valves of the volcano eiv-
ing out their contents alternately, consisting of
smoke and occasionally explosions of scoria or
ashes. The rough plain, covered blocks of lava
and heaps of cinders, which stood at the top of
Vesuvius before the eruption of October 1902
was then succeeded by the present large oval
gulf which Is three miles in circuit about three
fourths of mile across. and 100 or 1900 feet
deep. This statement about the depth which the
most Intelligent of the guides made, was not &C.
cepted by myself, since | was unable to see by
what means or agency q computation, with any
degree of correctness, could be arrived at One
could as soon ascertain the depth of the Atlantic
ocean thousand miles from land, during a
bowling storm; with the waves rolling and foam
ing hundred of feet high. AS stood and looked
down into that dark, smoking, sulphurous pit,
almost concluded it was unfathomable and I re-
fected and called to mind the number of erup-
tons that had occurred and the vast quantities
of matter that had been elected from its fery
jaws. I we'll remember most graphic descrip-
tion splendid word-picture by Mr. Spurgeon
in one of his sermons regarding his impresso IONS
and reflections about thfs crater. His eloquent
tongue told it as none other could have DONE
I fully appreciated it as had been in that terri
BILE crater and seen and thought for myself I
will add that never before or since have receiv-
ed and INDUCED such feelings and impressions.
I was awed into silence and possibly influenced
DV some iodr VI Ivy SuIIOUuuIuSS. i he novelty
of the situation was strangely grand and impo-
sing; yet my hardwood and love of the curious
caused me to venture Tin opposition to the wish
es and advice of the guides) into the crater, for
short distance to obtain piece of aoarna lava as
a relic lit is cold snow,( and [ am a0arnaLy at
tached to this memento for the wonderful assoc-
atons it calls up whenever see it. with it's
strange home thousands of miles away. The
crater of Vesuvius is continually caying in and
diminishing the height of the mountain. Each
opI q in re oil
tude. That of October, 1922" cleared away
800 feet from the old cone, and brought down
the height of the volcano by that amount.
The time allowed for remaining on the summit
from the danger, but also from the fact that with
every change of the breeze or wind the smoke
and sulphur fumes are driven about often giving
one full benefit" / was compelled to hold
my nose nearly the whole time, and felt several
times like | would sutfocate or strangle | no.
ticed in the crater that the lava was yellow and
coated with birthstone. Yellow is the livery of
the crater, and birthstone is its most fragrant
perfume. Old Vesuvius is the Autocrat of vol
canoes the head of an ancentral line whose row.
al blood has freely flowed many field,
whose fiery mood may be suppressed at times,
ont never quenched
There is no we-defned shape or form to the
crater. but it appears to be quite uneven and
generally irregular. | did not have the satsfacto-
ry view I wished and [ could not make proper
or comprehensive examination of this interesting
locality owing to the restlessness and uneasi-
ness of our guides and the smoke that was re-
peatedly shifting about, and often in our faces
and eyes, and the odor of birthstone affecting
our olfactory nerves, made combination that
frail human nature was totally inadequate to
bear The guides told us that good number
of lives had been lost in the crater at different
times by persons who were too venturesome risk
ing their mortal existence in the foolish endeav-
ors to penetrate all the mysteries of this woner-
full place l suppose that they were persons pos
sessng rather too much individuality and con-
ceited ideas OF their own, who did care to tie
their faith 10 the accepted dogmas of theory and
science.
When I endeavor to sum together all my i'm
pressions of Vesuvus; those ideas and feelings
that affected and occurred to me at the time of
my visit, find they do not vary materially or
differ in any considerable respect from the same
class of thoughts flowing through the same
channel that the strange and wonderful place
appeals to my understanding now, when | can
calmly quietly and knowingly reflect and think
over those scenes, SO indellibly stamped upon
the tablets of my memory. Need tell you the
general character'o of my Impressions" would
it at all interest you, for me to say something not
acceptab le-nOtin unison with your own accept
ed views upon a subject whose interesting ma
ture will scarce awaken in your mind and breast
the amount of sober and careful consideration
as it did, and as it will ever continue to do, in
my own entire being. I do not feel that can
ever possibly be 9th erwise than fully impressed
q
and wholesome respect, almost amounting to
a species of veneration for a world renowned
wonder, whose every element and feature of
greatness are terribly sublime, grandly my steri-
Gus, puzzling the brains of the wisest and arous-
ing all the supersttious credulity of the I'M
learned In the years that are past / had often
heard and read the most wond erfully interest
ing descriptions of this volcano with its various
eruptions, and when mere youth it was one of
my pet wishes to be able at some day. in my flu
ture, to look upon ito ascend ito stand at
the top of its cone and gaze into its awful crater.
What school boy that has not seen an illustra-
ton of Vesuvius in his elementary Geography,
with the established and stereotyped amount of
smoke fire, lava, ashes, &C., gushing in a contin-
ued perpendicular stream from the mouth of its
tall summit, and how often has he with slate and
in multiplication, division, addition and sub
traction, spent the time in drawing what he sup
posed to be very faithful representation of "O'd
Vesuvius." With that never absent volume of
smoke curling up and away from its cone, these
are only the early impressions of youth as re-
CARDS its appearance; yet its impress upon the
mind is often retained in maturer years unal-
tered to any great extent very distinctly re-
member my anxiety to see this mountain that
had figured so prominently in history, and that
so often had shown Its Immensely destructive
power and as the train of cars that bore me
along that warm July day approached that glo-
rious city of Naples, | found my self frequently
putting my head out of my car-window, looking,
looking, looking in every direction, until l IL
nally spied it away in the distance, with the
smoke quietly, lazily rising from its crater, and
begun to feel that at least one stage of my boy
hoods wishes was realized, and l most earnest
ly desired to see and know more about that
of which had heard go much, until finally, as
have already told you, my wishes were amply