Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-12-05
WHOLE NO. 1860.

cent of Mt. Vesurius by way of Re
sina. A ride of considerably NOR
than an hour all the way along
built up-ssreet, brings Us to Resin,
| where we engage a guide 40
mules. The carriage way winds q,
the side Of the mountain, through
vineyards and highly cultivated
fields until it comes to the overflow
of 1872, over which for nearly al
hour the road winds TO ne Her.
mitage which is the limit of Carriage
travel. This Iva stream Is black
and lies In great waves and ridges,
such as woald be formed by semi.
fluid mass rolling down tho noun
tain, stiffening as it cooled 1t ia
the ideal of desolation itself. not a
green thing being able to live up
on it.
From the Hermitage one can 90
by foot or by mule over q rough
path to the base of the cone which
is reached in about an hour. This
rises 1900 feet and ih. ascent can
only be made on foot. As the cone
rises at an angle of about IS degrees
and consists of Stag and loose ashes
which slip back under the feet at
every stop. the climb is most faligu-
ing. The traveller is beset with men
who offer their services and piU help
unless they are resolutely and ener-
getically repulsed. Some 90 lust
ahead and extend strap 10 the
traveller by which he can be partly
pulled up while others get behind
and "boost," and by that combined
means even the weakest finally reach
the top.
From the edge of the crater is q
magnificent panorama. Before US
we see the country for miles around,
the bay, the city and far out ct sea,
while turning around we look down
into the smoking pit, some two hun
dred feet below US. mbering
down the hot, s,eaming sides we are
at last at the very mouth of the era
ter, cnd to all appearances at the en-
trance TO the Internal regions. The
night before our ascent, the first dis.
play OF the present season Of activity
took place, and the sky was lighted
with flames from the burning noun
tain. We found that there had been
q small overflow during the night.
and that some two acres of the bot
tom OF the inner crater had been COW
cred with lava, which by the time
We reached it had cool crust an
inch or moro thick, on which we
could walk with care Through the
cracks in it we could see the red hot
mass not two inches under our feet.
The guides cooked eggs in these
cracks, and pressed coins in the melt.
ed lava which were drawn out with
part of the cooled lava attached to
them. We conld hear the melted
mass in the interior of the mountain
surge from side to side as 1T boiled,
and as often as once q minute melted
lava would be thrown into the air
through the little cone in the inner
orator and fall near US. The air was
full of sulphur fumes which were at
times so oppressive tina, we could
hardly draw breath. Great masses
of pure sulphur were scattered all
around US.
At the end of half an hour we
were glad to clamb up the side of
the crater out of the saws of hell"
and with another long look at the
grand view before as we scrambled
down the steep side of the cone and
returned to the city. After this we
shall have all faith in the power of
Vesuvius and when We read that in
an eruption it threw a stone weigh
ing Is tons distance of Is miles,
we shall shut our eyes aud swallow
the statement without word of
dissent.
After another visit to the Museum,
and to some parts of the city not
mentioned in this letter, we with re-
greet, take train fer Rome. We shall
never forget how, as we rode for
miles along the ruined arches of the
acqueduct, while we were entering
Rome, the full moon just rising.
fiashey,. through the arches which
seemed to fly pas. us. With this
vision of moonlight on the Campag-
pa, amid the ruins of the great, st
nation and city the world has ever
seen, we retire for the night, and 10
the morning will ask our readers TO
go with W. over the Eternal City,"
o. r BuRcHARD.