The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-02-11

expelled from TIE crater carried the
ashes long distances. and it - said
that some Of these were carried - far
% Rome.
Another slide showed q map or
diagram of successive lava overflow,
which were marked out in different
colors, They dated back 800 years.
and radiated out in al directions from
the conc for distances varying from
two or three to eight or ten miles- The
last eruption was in 1872. when the
stream Of lava flowed toward the city
Of Naples.
THE ERUPTION OF 1872.
This occurred in April Of that year.
In the month previous the lecturer
ascended the cone and found . small
crater on ono side from which tho
lava was flowing. but it died out in .
few days. On the 9th OF April il
began again, and tho Aood poured
from the northwestern side Of the
crater down into tho valley between il
and the adjoining peak. and thence
flowed out in . great broad stream
toward Naples. A terrible catastrophe
occurred at that time. On the morn.
ing Of the 26th, At about halfpest
three, q party Of twenty stuaente from
Naples weut down from the Vesuvian
observatory into the valley between
the two peaks, and were there when
the stream burst from the mountain
side aud poured down into the valley.
while the ashes and hot stones were
shot out into the air. Two craters
opened at the top, and not one Of that
band Of twenty students escaped.
Whether they were caught in the
lava stream or were killed BY the fall.
ing stones was never known. Not one
returned to tell the tale.
THE VOLCANO PHOTOGRAPHED.
1t Was during the height Of the
eruption that the photograph VA
taken. from the streets Of Naples. and
Of which q copy was next shown upon
the screen. II gave great vividness.
The top was shrowded in dense masses
of vapOr. and from the summit there
rolled away 10 the shape of huge
curved plume . vast cloud Of varor.
1t looked like Q vast arch thrown
athwart the heavens. The sides of
the mountain were flaming and smok'
ing with the lava overflow. and abreast
of the city could be seen the broad
front of the lava stream that flows 10
that direction. People who saw the
vast cloud from Sorrento said it looked
like dingy white marble. and that
there was q terrible look of solidity
about it as though it might break and
fall in q tremendous river, carrying
death and destruction to everything
beneath it. The food of lava toward
Naples covered two square miles and
was 20 feet deep. Yet this was /.
"quiet eruption" in the main, and
was not to be compared with tho one
which overwhelmed Pompeii. The
ashes of this eruption in 1872 were
borne long distance and fell in the
streets Of Naples and upon the window
stills. The eruption was followed on
the 29th with terrible tempest and
with torrents of rain. Several views
of the eruption were shown, one q
copy of q painting made BY an artist
in Naples just after the eruption. The
others were views of the volcano BY
day and BY night during the period
Of its activity. The night scene VA
inconceivably grand. The denss
masses of cloud threw back the lurid
glare of the lava beds. while here and
there flames shot INTO the air and
black columns of smoke made deep
shadows upon the heavy masses Of
vapor.
The next slide was Q view of .
portion Of Pompeii restored. giving
the forum as it must appeared at the
destruction of the city. 1t showed
with what elegant and graceful mag.
ni6cence the city was built. Of the
history Of Pompeii before the Chris
tian era We do not know much. II
was founded about the sixth century,
B. c., but We know but little of it
only in the Romanized period Of it,
history, when it had become the New.
port Of Rome. There are inscriptions
and indications found which help the
arch@ologist to read somewhat Of its
older history.
THAT ROMAN SOLDIER.
The next slide gave . view of one
Of the portals Of the city-ths gate
of Herculaneum. Outside the walls
the way was lined with tombs. II WAS
at this gate that it was said that the
skeleton Of the Roman soldier who
had died at his post. in the sentry.
box Just outside the walls, was found.
1t MSS, said the lecturer, q very
pretty tale. but the trouble Wa that
it was not true. In tho FIRST place.
there was no garrison at Pompeii at
the time of its destruction. In the
next place. the so-called ssntry-box
was a tomb put outside the gate, and
thirdly. no remains were found.
Then Mr.. Spaulding in imagina-
ton led his audience within the 9ate
of the city and showed the interior Of
one of the therma or public baths Of
the city. It Vas very great mistake
to suppose that Pompeii IL those DAYS
was the immoral and vicious city
which it has been represented to Be.
It was inhabited ny men Of wealth
and rare taste and culture. Il was
an epicurean city, where the doctrines
of that philosopher had been brought
70 their highest state. II was un.
moral rather than immoral. Isdeed,
If New York and Brooklyn were to|
be blotted out Of existeuce today, as|
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