The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-10-30
THE DEAD CITY.
A Connenoration at Ponpeii-Tho 18O0th
AnAiversary Of the Destruction.
n IN hn r. 0sAn TNw~n . ,


PoMPE11, Sept. 25.-The heat yester-
day in Naples was excessive; the atmos-
phere was heavy and suaocating, massive
thunder-clouds were gathering over the
hills, and above Vesuvlus hung a de nse
mass of smoke, spreading tar away on
each side and sometimes hiding the crest
Of the mountain. At night masses OF
bright flame burst forth from the crest
from time to time, and everything seem
ed to indicate that the day chosen to COM
memorate the 1800th anniversary OF the
destruction of Pompeii would be one OF
storm and tempest. But the sun rose on
a clear sky, this morning, and by Z
o'clock people were hurrylng to the rail-
way station, and crowded special trains
for the Pompeii Station followed each
other in rapid succession, while the road
by Portici and Tore del Greco was alive
with hundreds of vehicles of all kinds,
from the eorricolo with its merry load, to.
the handsome equipsges Of the nobility.
It might have been Neapolitan Derby
day. In front OF the roadside inn, dign1-
fed with the titlo OF Hotel DiOmede,
through which one enters Pompeii, the
road and all space around was crowded
with empty vehicles ct every descripti on
and such motley groups as can
only I've found in Neapolitan ter
ritory. Beggars, of course, abound
ed. There were men with dancing dogs.
sellers of pulcinelle and rude toys, ven
ders of grapes with their baskets heaped
high with the luscious fruit, stalls with
n<ovr Al. o411 ,h11 ~ e1,
ter-carriers with their barrels on their
backs, and many Others, forming a per-
feet Babel Of never-ceasing voices. This
phase ended ut the gate, through which
admittance was only by ticket; but 5000
or 1000 tickets had been issued, and the
streets Of this silent city of the past were
filed with as busily moving and as gay a
crowd as circulated through them eight
cen centuries ago. We first hurried to
the great basilica. 1t was crowded as of
yere, with the difference that the tops Of
the ruined walls and columns were also
occupied. On the tribune the more dis
tinguishcd guests were assembled, and in
front stood Signor Michele Ruggiero,
chief director of the excavations, who
read an address, giving brief history
of all that had been done since the first
remains of Pompeii were laid open. On
table IN front Of him lay some tele-
grams just received. He spoke in Italian,
and was followed by Prof. Quinto Guam
ciali' and Prof. Antonio Mirabelll, who
each spoke in Latin hexameters to loud
repeated applause. On the tribune stood
Signor Forelli, who for 80 long directed
the excavations of Pompeil with
such unsurpassable ability; Prot
Henzen, representing the German Ar
cheological Institute at Rome; Sen
ator Faschlotti, prefect Of Naples;
Signor Bonghi, Ernest Renan, Count
Coello, Spanish Minister to the Quirnal;
the Portuguese Minister, and many others
1t is strange that the only foreign scientl-
fic body represented was the Academy Of
Chrstophe Colomb Of Marseilles. In the
meantime the many hundreds who could
not gain an entrance to the basilica had
been busy examining various parts of the
unearthed city. The opening ceremonial
ended, bell lang to summon the people
to the excavations. In different parts of
the ninth region ten chambers were to
be opened and their contents revealed,
and there was an eager rush from all
points. It Is impossible to describe the
intense expectation on every face as the
first picks struck the ground, or the
scene around each piece to be excavated.
Crowds were pressing round every open
ing; people ", re perched all along the
tops Of the broken walls to the eminent
peril Of their limbs, and groups were
thick:y gathered along the higher unex-
cavated level and on every other point of
vantage. Each room to be excavated
had been cleared of the upper falling in,
leaving about four feet to I've removed.
The indications given by the preparatory
work IN one of the larger rooms having
been particularly favorable, I took my
station there, and witnessed in the course
of three hours, as the various objects
peeped forth from the scoria, one by one
and were taken up, such a revelation as I
shall never forget. For the first five
minutes there was breathless silence as
the men worked, then, as the scorie fell
away, part cf q green object became visi-
bic. In q moment the workmen's hands
had cleared the space around it and
amid the cheers small bronze horse,
nine inches In length was held aloft
Then large amphora appeared; then two
bronze vases, one with handles; then
large iron key, and as each in turn
was lifted high for all to see, "Ben, benz
burst in a chorus Of hearty satisfaction
from the people. A list, with the brief
est description Of the things which then
followed in rapid succession, would fila
column. There we're at least dozen
bronze vases of different shapes, sizes,
and uses, with and witout handles, and
in them number of bronze coins oxy-
died together, and many other coins
were found at intervals during the exca-
vation. There are many handsome bronz,
bracelets, number Of rings. many terra
Gotta vases, tazze, and amphora, and a
remarkable number Of little terra Gotta
water cups for bird cages, various kitchen
utensils, spit, forks ana knives Of iron
bronze bottle, number of little bronze
bells, q dagger with ivory handle, knife
with ivory handle, bronze casserole, and
terra-cotta money-box. Af,er these
and many more objects, of which trayfnl
after trayful was carried away, had been
taken out, q mass of black material ap-
peared, which falling to pieces, proved
on examination to be beans, then guam
tity of millit and hemp seeds, with COLI
siderable remains Of the sacks which had
contained them, the carbonized wood of
grain-bins and of barrel with iron hoops,
and great masses of the beans of the up
per floor, sufficiently solid, hut entirely
carbonized like charcoal. Among these
remains splendid bronze candelabrum
was come upon, but its tall, slender,
t1uted stem was broken. In short, from
noon till o'clock continued succession
Of objects were revealed, almost more
rapidly than I could note them down.
The mere names and briefest memoranda
filled sixteen pagea in large notebook.
some Of the rooms revealed nothing,
others few bronze and terra-cotta ves-
sells; but in one room a skeleton was
found. and in the smallest chamber
0nened f,t1r vrena 6iacnvere1 huddlad m