The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-04-03
THE VOLCANO vESUVIUS.
The Wonders Of n Mighty PIT thst Beiches
Fire and SmOkr---A Terrible Record Of
Destruction.

The honuers OF hiHuNN TIT tuht betfhee
Fire and smOkr---A Terrible Record Of
Destruction.
A correspondent of the Troy (N "
Times gives vivid description of Mt.
Vesuvius, one of natures grandest and
most terrifying wonders. The writer
says:
Reaching the top, nearly 1000 feet
above plains below, we had a magnif-
cent view Of the surrounding country
stretching out like grand panorama
around and beneath us. On the one
hand is Naples, with its beautiful bay
filed with islands; to the west we see the
blue waters of the Mediterranean, stud
ded with sails and cleaning in the soft
sunlight. Inland we look upon cities,
towns, villages, rich vineyards and
beautiful plains the lofty Apennines
forming the background Southward
lie the marvellous ruins of Pompeii.
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, sui.
phur-coated abyss. The walls go per-
pendicularly down some 800 feet to
smaller one. This is the volcanoes CHM
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 volcano is but the
safety-valve. And this is Vesuvius that
has for ages been rumbling and roaring,
growing and laundering kissing, and
burning, smoking and blazing, vomiting
ont its wrath and spreading desolation
all around. We cooked our eggs and
warmed our coffee for breakfast in the
hot air that issued from the crevices of
the rocks. We descended on another
side of the mountain, running down
through ashes and gravel six or eight
inches deep, taking desperate leaps,
kicking up a 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 villages, destroying millions on mil
lions of property, and causing the death
of over 10000 persons. In 472 the vol
cano covered oil Europe with ashes. In
1881 there was an eruption that lasted
several days. Vast columns of smoke
larkened the heavens, explosions re-
sembling the discharge of artillery were
frequently heard, burning stones and
hot ashes fell on the sides of the noun
tain and on the surrounding campagna.
Rivers of melted lava, some of them
thousand yards wide, ran down to the
plain. The water of the sea was tossed
by subterranean force and became SO
hot that great quantities of fish died.
During the eruption earthquakes at fire.
quent intervals added to the terrible de
struction. 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 laid
waste, 10000 animals burned OF
drowned, and at least $19, 900, 900 worth
of property destroyed. But, more
mournful than all the rest, 1000 per-
sons had perished by the lava, the
water or the falling of stones and houses.
In 1896 the mountain poured out stream
of lava five miles long, 800 feet broad,
and more than 100 feet deep. In 1877
the ashes and pumice stone fell four
feet for miles around. In 1894 stream
of lava destroyed the town of Tore del
Greco, and run 400 feet into the sea,
making the water boil for two days. In
1922 the whole top of the mountain was
blown to pieces. In 1861 there was an
eruption, causing great loss of property,
remarkable for the fearful explosions
that accompanied it. In 1872 the vol
cano destroyed two villages and two or
three scores OF lives. And 80 almost
every year Vesuvius shows some signs
of wrath, the eruptions becom ing more
| freouent than in past centuries.