The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-10-05
Pompeii.
PRESENT CONDITION OF THE EXCAVATIONS.

PRESENT CONDITION OF THE EXCAVATIONS.
A correspondent of the London AMenam
writes from Naples as follows
"a recent visit to Pompei after long in.
terval enables me to give you new and in
teresting details of that remarkable locality.
Let me caution, however, everyone against
visiting it at midsummer, when the ther-
mometer is at fever height, and the sun and
Vesuvius unite their powers to scorch one.
About two .ffths of the city have already
been disinterred, and the excavations are
now being carried on by an average number
of 100 men, toward the east and northeast.
This part was my principal object, for with
the other parts l was well acquainted, as are
most of the of the readers of the Athcn9up1.
Still, with talkative guide by your side,
some novelty en- passant always presents
itself. One must look in at the museum,
where fresh bodies or their forms in plaster
of Paris are constantly added. Years have
passed since was present at the first in
genious experiment which was made by the
present senator Fiorelli to recover the forms
at least of the dead, so that it is with no
slight interest that | regard any progress, and
considerable progress has been made in the
mode ofpreservation. 1t often happens that
from the superintendent weight and other
causes, the bones have been displaced
these are now removed from the debris as
far as possible, so that the figure is not de-
formed by bones protruding from wrong
places. This was first attempted in 1873,
and has been continued ever since with
great success. Perhaps the most beautiful
| figure in the collection is that of young
girl exquisitely formed she is lying on her
face, while her hand was evidently attempt,
ing to cover her eyes. The folds of her
dress, the very texture, and her hair, are all
sharply defined. Near her lay, and lies, a
man on his back, and by his side was, and
is, an iron rod, four feet long, with which
it is supposed he was forcing rod. Close
| by is another female figure, with iron san.
dals attached to the feet, the bones of which
are well preserved. Without lingering here
any longer, however, let us pass on to the
house in which an excavation was made il
the spring, in honor of our princess. The
objects found there and then, OF no grea
value, were presented to her Royal High
ness they are an amphora, a necklace with
eighty four pieces of coral, a mass of pain
of yellow color, and few other articles. Ii
this house was a shop for warm drinks
two or three good frescoes adorn the walls
and oil jars are sunk in marble slabs.
THAT comparatively so little of the trea
sures ofth Pompeiani is found is easily ex
: planned by the fact that the inhabitapts ,wh
escaped, and thieves broke into the houses
especially between the earthquake and tn
eruption, and carried off all articles of value
Most of the houses have indications of thes
visits in the modern masonwork which Gle
S ses hole. l am not aware that what al
4 called the "water castles" have been su
ficiently noted, perhaps for the reason this
most have been carelessly destroyed. On
g however, has lately been discovered, an
e propped up and bound round with irol
: They were buildings for supplying Il
neighboring houses with water. The ia
; was large vasca to which water was carrie
u l'up by leaden pipes, great number of whic
still lie under the level of the ground. L
pipes the water was again distributed fro
house to house from the vasca. The Sarn
T which supplied it, still runs underneat
Pompeii, and its impurity is evident fro
l hn l;all l. r., 4 Al
walls of the castle; its continual droppir
has covered them with king of stalactit
u Further examination shows that these
II posits correspond exactly with the stol
with which great part of Pompei WI
'e built. The stone was brought from Sarn
J. on the river of the same name, which tn,
supplied the inhabitants with building m
u terial and drinking water.
"The spot on which excavations are a
tually carried on now is called the bathil
establishment. 1t is an immense hall, III
: is still half full of pumice stone but in Il
very centre of the mass, after many feet
soil had been removed, there were foun
last month, four human skeletons, 'one OF
woman, and by them were the followil
precious objects, which they were evident
carrying of. In gold, two necklaces cons
= ting of ninety four pieces, representing i
. leaves, two earrings chain with an EN-,
aid. In silver, two casseroles, large loo
ing glass, three vases, ladle, six lar
spoons, sixteen smaller spoons, two forI
for making pastry, like scalop shells,
RS are well preserved and highly decorate
,r They have been sent to the museum, /
i. are not yet exhibited to the public.
r. "H. W.