The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-24
THE VOLCANO VESUVIUS.
The Wonders of a Mighty Pit that Belches
Fire and Smoke---A Terrible Record Of

The Wonders Of Mighty Pit that Belches
Fire and Smoke--.A Terrible Record of
Destruction,
A correspondent of the Troy IN. ~
Times gives a vivid description of Mt.
Vesuyius, one of natures grandest and
most terrifying wonders. The writer
says:
Reaching the top, nearly 1000 feet
above plains below, we had a magnlh-
cent view of the surrounding country
stretching out like a grand panorama
around and beneath US. On the one
hand is Naples, with it's 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 Southwark
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 a mile in diameter. Let us
approach the verge of the crater and
look down into the deep, smoky, sui.
phur-coated abyss. The walls 60 per-
pendicularly down some 800 feet to q
smaller one. This is the volcanoes 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 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
out it's wrath and spreading desolation
all around. We cooked 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. mixzh
Vesuvius is the most active volcano
in the world. Since the eruption of A.
D. 70 (the first one on reeord), the one
by which Pompeii and Herculaneum
we're 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 20, 900 persons. In 472 the vol
cano covered oil Europe with ashes. In
| 1851 there was an eruption that lasted
several days. Vast columns of smoke
darkened the heavens, explosions re-
sembling the discharge Of artillery were
frequently heard, burning stones and
hot ashes fell on the sides of the moun-
tain and on the surrounding campagna.
Rivers of melted lava, some of them a
thousand yards wide, ran down to the
plain. The water Of the sea was tossed
by a subterranean force and became so
hot that great quantities Of fish died.
During the eruption earthquakes at fire.
quent intervals added tothe;terrible de-
struction. When the frightened people
who were 80 fortunate as to escape re-
turned to their homes, they found more
than forty cities, towns and villages laid
waste, 10000 animals burned. or
drowned, and at least $40, 600 worth
of property destroyed. But, more
mournful than all the rest, 1000 per-
sons had persisted by the lava, the
water or the falling of stones and houses.
In 1896 the mountain poured OUT stream
of lava five miles long, 300 feet broad,
and more than 100 feet deep. In 1877
the ashes and pumice stone fell four
feet for miles around. In 1894 a stream
of lava destroyed the town Of Tore del
Greco, and run 400 feet into the sea,
making the water boirfo two:days. In
1922 the whole top of the mountain was
blownsto pieces. In 1861therew was an
eruption, causing great loss of property,
remarkable for the fearful explosions
that accompamiedlt.g In 1872 the vol
cano destroyedtw two villages and two CT
three scores of lives. And 80 almost
every year Vesuvius shows some signs
of wrath, the eruptions becoming more
frequent than in past centuries.