Middletown transcript., 1876-07-22

darker than blackest night. The torche
could scarcely guide the way in thi
obscurity. lighted from time to time b,
the infammable gas which escapes
through the assures in the soil, ant
cast sinister CLEANS upon those scene
of desolation.
Pliny directed his steps toward tn
shore. The sea was rough-the wind
contrary, and thousands Of asphyxiatet
fish covered the beach, left there by tn
retreat of the waves Forced to retrac'
his way. sail was spread for him, ant
he lay down to contemplate all tha
was passing; at this instant flames CAM
out Of the soil, even where he was ly'
ing; his affrighted slaves fed; be arose
then suddenly falling back, he expired
suffocated by the poisonous gases aris
ing from the earth Three days after
when this disturbance was ended, h
was found lying in the same place
under thick covering Of ashes. Thu
Pliny perished, victim to his love O
science.
During this time awful scenes were
being enacted at Herculaneum and
Pompeii; these two cities, situated
under the very shadow Of Vesuvius
were deluged by rain Of fire.
The inhabitants Of Pompeii were as
sembled in the amphitheatrs at the time
of the catastrophe. Inexpressible dis.
order reigned in the city. Some, re-
membering the first eruptions, fed te
the country or to the surrounding cities;
others. delaying too long to secure rings
jewels. coins and costly fabrics, were
walled in by the cinders, or crushed by
the fall of their houses. A number
thought to find a refuge in collars, and
to await there the end of the convulsion
The calculation was accurate in part
only; the walls did not give way, the
ashes did not reach them, but they were
buried alive. condemned to die of starv.
alton in their prison.
Among other objects have been found
the skeleton of a dog and that of man;
the man died of inanition and the dog
devoured his corpse. Prisoners in the
stocks, slaves hound in their inches and
forgotten by their masters, have been
discovered as death overlook them.
Many perished in the streets, crushed
by the fall of a column, statue or house,
but especially were they sYffocated by
the gases. to the action Of which Pliny
succumbed Woe to him who lay down
upon the ground. The poisonous air
rising from the soil killed him speedily.
Those, on the contrary, who continued
on their way, with eyes protected from
the dust and pillow on the head to
deaden the effect of falling stones, ar
rived safely at their place Of refuge.
The number of persons who perished at
this time is estimated at 1, 500, a tenth
part of the population.
Herculaneum, the city of Hercules,
was the theatre of another kind Of de-
vastation. There it was not hot ashes
or stones which fell, piling up success
sive strata, until at last the most sub
stantial sdiices gave way under the
accumulated weight, but liquid mud
which flowed in the streets and houses,
filing and hermetically sealing every
opening and crevice with kind of &C.
ment, taking the form of every object,
and securing it from injury by contact
with the external air. After several
centuries the mass of plaster could be
detached with pickaxe, and the sleep
ing city was found intact. 1t was the
mud, not lava, which overwhelmed
Herculaneum the lava burned every
thing it came in contact with.
When the storm was passed the in
habitants of Pompeii could find their
homes, and carry away articles which
were of value; those Of Herculaneum
found only a mound in place of their
city, which was completely buried
Upon the site are seen to-day the lovely
villas of Portici.
Excavatlng was done IN these unfor-
tunate cities in the early part Of the
seventeenth century Works Of art
were taken from them, comprising
statues, bronze busts, ornamental arti-
cles of furniture, manuscripts, and a
variety of objects which would give US
a precise knowledge of ancient times.
The most valuable came from Hercula-
neum Pompeii was city of trades
people, and the inhabitants were able
to remove anything of value, while Her.
culaneum was city of luxury, adorned
by works Of art, and, from the nature
of the eruption, nothing was removed.
and there the explorer will find an in
exhaustable mine of antiquities.