The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-08-25
Ponpeii.


the foot of Vesuvius, burned-out vol
cano, whose sides were covered with
vines and trees. No one remembered
when this volcano had been in activity;
no one ever expected to see it rouse to
action.
Pompeii was not a large city, as it
only had about thirty thousand inhabi-
tants; but it was favorite residence of
many wealthy Romans, and was a
busy, bustling town, with shops, manu-
factories, public baths, temples, and
theaters. Cicero speaks of his country
property at Pompeii. It's houses were
not magnificent in size, but many of
them were beautiful with inlaid floors,
marble columns, and with walls painted
in brilliant colors. These houses were
ornamented with pictures, beautiful
vases, and many curious and costly
things, showing their inmates to have
been people of wealth and cultivated
taste.
The streets of the city were very mar
row, with pavements raised high above
the roadway, which, in a rain-storm,
must have been a foaming torrent of
water. That this is fact is testified to
by the stepping-stones, placed on a
level with the pavement, which cross
the streets in some places. These
streets were roughly formed, some of
them too narrow for any vehicle what
ever. Others bear the traces of the
heavy wheels of the Ox-carts which the
farmers used. Over the broad road
ways, probably, dashed the gay chariots
of the wealthy.
There had been a high wall about
Pompeii to protect it from invading
armies, but the wall was already
crumbling into ruins, and the principal
use it was then put to was that of pub
| lie promenade, while its eight or nine
gates were no longer closed.
Away from the city stretched pleas
ant country, made beautiful by green
orchards and vineyards. To the west
rolled the waters of the beautiful bay,
now known as the Bay of Naples, en-
braced by the nearly surrounding land.
! Thus the people of Pompeii lived hap
PLY and quietly in their beautiful city,
buying and selling, going to the temples
and the theaters, and holding elections,
very much as we do now.
More than one hundred years before
the time of which I write there had
been an earthquake, which had over
thrown many of the public buildings,
and greatly frightened the people.
Several of the temples had toppled
down; so also had the colonnade of the
Forum, the great Basilica and the the
aters, and many houses and trucks.
Nearly every family fled from the
place, taking with them their furniture
and their statuary; and it was some
time before the Senate decided that the
city might with safety be repeopled and
rebuilt. But, no further subterraneau
disturbances occurring, the people grad
ually returned, and the injured or de.
molished buildings were restored or re-
built. This earthquake was a seriou:
injury to the city in an architecture
point of view, for many of the restOra
tions were cheap, and in bad taste. The
injured columns were plastered up with
stucco, and Ionic shafts received Corin
THAN capitals.
On the evening of the 23d of August
in the year 79, while many Pom
peiians were attending one of the the
aters, and the rest engaged in thei
, usual business, Vesuvius suddenly sen
forth volume of fire and smoke. Tht
ground shook, and strange noises wert
, heard in it, while peal on peal O
, thunder crashed down. The air grew
thick with dust. 1t came down likt
rain, rushing, spinning, whirling, ant
binding all in the streets. 1t wa
J evening, and, when the wind lifted tn,
cloud of dust for a moment, then tn,
, bright flames of the burning mountain
3 would kindle the darkness. The peopl
in the theater were filled with conster
5 nation. They rushed out and sough
their homes to find shelter from tn
= storm of dust and ashes. Vain hope
r Next came mingling with the ashes
= shower of light stones all ablaZe-I
snow of fire, which kept falling, falling
8 all the miserable night through. Th
! houses blazed, the burning sheet O
: flame blocked up the streets, the al
, was heavy and hot with ashes, smoke
= and burning cinders. The peopl
a rushed hither and thither for safety
e Those in the city ran wildly toward th
Y country to escape from the bnrnin
3 buildings, only to meet the countr
r people pressing toward the city, hopin
t to find shelter and protection from tn
, perils of the night. Some stopped t
t sieze their jewels and money; other
, gathered together their families, Will
: still others thought only of their ow
q safety.
Dion Cassius, who wrote a centur
e after the event, thus describes it: "Thu
day was turned into night, and ligh
4 giants were rising again, (fOr man
: pbantoms of them were. seen in th
a smoke, and blast, as if of trumpet'
A was heard), while others believed tha
a the earth was to retnrn to chaos, or t
# be consumed by fire. Therefore, me
i. fed, some from the houses out into th
/. ways, others that were without
+ into their houses; some quilted the Ian
n for the sea, some the sea for the lane
a being confounded in mind, and think
l. ing every place at a distance safer tina
4 where they were. Meanwhile, an ine1
Q pressible quantity of dust was blow
= out, and filled land, sea, and air, whic
4 did much mischief to men, fields, an
> cattle, and destroyed all the birds an
q fishes, and, besides, buried two entir
! cities, Herculaneum and Pompei
If while the population was sitting in th
I theater. For this dust was so abundaI
d that it reached Africa, Syria an
o Egypt, and filled the air above Romt
% and overloaded the sun, which cause
d much fear for many days, men neitht
l. knowing nor being able to conjectul
d what had happened. But they though
70 that everything was to be thrown
70 confusion, the sun to fall, extinguisheC
.r to the earth, and the earth to rise to tt
d sky"
N Pliny, the younger, describes 1
r length the terrible scenes. Though I'll
Of event seems to have come upon tt
,e city with terrible suddenness aft,
E. nightfall, yet, from his account,