Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-04-25
The Volcano vesuvlus.

Reaching the top, nearly 1900 feet
above the plains below, we had mag
nificent view of the surrounding country,
stretching out like grand panorama
around and beneath US. On the one hand
is Naples, with its beautiful bay filled
with islands; to the west we see the blue
waters of the Mediterranean, studded
with white sails and cleaning in the soft
sunlight. Inland we look upon cities,
towns, villages, rich vineyards and beau
tiful plains; the lofty Apennines form
ing the background. Southwark lie the
marvellous ruins of Pompen.
The top of the cone is about a mile in
circumference, and of course less than
one-third of mile in diameter. Let us
approach the verge of the crater and look
down into the deep, smoky, sulphur
coated abyss. The walls go perpendicu-
larly down some three hundred feet to
smaller one. This is the vocano's Chin
ney, and from it there issues, even when
the old mountain is at rest, a cloud of
suffocating smoke and sulphurous gas.
Down the inner crater is the vast lake of
fire of which this vocano is but the safety
valve. And this is Vesuvius that has for
ages been rumbling and roaring, growl-
ing and laundering, kissing and burning,
smoking and blazing, vomiting out its
wrath and spreading desolation all around.
We cooked our eggs and warmed our cof-
fee for breakfast in the hot air that issued
from the creviees of the rocks. We de-
| scended on another side of the mountain,
running down through ashes and gravel
| six or eight inches deep, taking desperate
leaps, kicking up tremendous dust and
covering ourselves from head to foot with
ashes, reaching the base of the cone in
ten minutes, though it took us an hour to
get up.
Vesuvius is the most active volcano in
the world. Since the eruption of A D.
70 (the first one on record), the one by
which Pompeii and Herculaneum were
destroyed, there have been at least sixty
fearful eruptions, burning cities and vii
lagos, destroying millions on millions of
property, and causing the death of over
20, GOO persons. In 472 the volcano COW
cred all Europe with ashes. In 1851 there
was an eruption that lasted several days.
Vast columns of smoke darkened the
heavens, explosions resembling the dis
charge of artillery were frequently heard,
burning stones and hot ashes fell on the
sides of the mountain and on the sur
rounding compagna. Rivers of melted
lava, some of them thousand yards wide,
ran down to the plain. The water of the
sea was tossed by a subterranean force
| or hot hot n+i M
flesh died. During the earthquakes al
frequent intervals added to the terrible
destruction. When the frightened people
who were so fortunate as to escape, re.
turned to their homes, they found more
than forty cities, towns and villages laiC
waste, 10000 animals burned or drowned
and at least $19, ,0O0, 900 worth of property
| destroyed. But, more mournful than al
the rest, 900 persons have perished by
lava, the water, or the falling of stones
and houses. In 1895 the mountain poured
out o stream of lava five miles long, three
hundred feet broad, and more than hun
dred feet deep. In 1877 the ashes anC
pumice stone fell four feet for miIe
around. In 1894 a stream of lava destroy
ed the town of Tore del Greco, and ruI
four hundred feet into the sea, making
the water boil for two days. In 1922 tht
whole top of the mountain was blown tx
pieces. In 1861 there was an eruption
causing great loss of property, remarka
bic for the fearful explosions that accom-
panied it. In 1873 the volcano destroyed
two villages and two or three scores O
, lives. And so almost every year Vesuviu
shows some signs of wrath, the eruption
becoming more frequent than in past cen
turies.