River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-03-27

food of lava towards Naples covered tw
square miles and was 90 feet deep. Ye
this was "quiet eruption in the main
and was net to be compared with tn
one which overwhelmed Pompeil
The ashes of this eruption il
1879 were borne a long distance
and fell in the streets OF Naples and up
on the window stills. The eruption wal
followed on the Gosh with terrible tenn
pest and with torrents of rain. Several
views of the eruption were shown, one, &
copy of painting made by an artist in
Naples just after the eruption. The 9th
ers were views of the volcano by day and
4 by night during the period of its activity
The night scene was inconceivably grand
The dense masses of clouds threw back
the lurid glare of the lava beds, while
here and there flames shot into the ali
and black columns of smoke made deep
shadows upon the heavy masses of va
por.
PoMPEu.
The next slide was was view of q
portion of Pompeii restored, giving the
forum as il must have appeared at the
time of the destruction of the city. 1t
showed with what elegant and graceful
magnificence the city was built. OF the
history of Pompeii before the Christian
era we do not know much. 1t was
founded about the sixth century, B. O.,
but we know but little of it only In the
Romanized period of its history, when it
had become the Newport of Rome. There
are inscriptions and indications found
which help the arch@ologist to read
somewhat of IFS olden history.
THAT ROMAN SOLDIER.
The next slide gave a view of one of
the portals OF the city-the gate of the
Herculaneum. Outside the walls the
way was lined with tombs. 1t 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 was, said the
! lecturer, a very pretty tale, but the
| trouble was that it was not trae. In the
| first place, there was no garrison at Pom
pei at the time of its destruction. In the
next place, the SO. called sentry box was
tomb put outside the gate, and thirdly,
no remains were found.
The next slides gave several interiors
of Pompeii dwellings. 1t was in 1748
that the spade of Spanish civil engi.
neer first struck upon the buried ruins
Of the city. 1t lay covered with from
seven to eight metres of debris--say from
| % to 26 feet of ashes and volcanic mud.
| The lower half of the deposit consists of
| dry ashes and small stones or scori9.
| Then comes about ten feet of volcanic
mud caused by the heavy vapors of
steam in the atmosphere CONVEX ting the
showers of ashes as they fell into mud
then the scorie and ashes of later erup-
lions, and the soil that had accumulated
on the top and which was very fertile.
Another slide showed the process of the
excavations which have extended over
half the city. Another showed the
| court of the house of Diomed, the wine
merchant, Just outside the walls. His
family were found, or rather their skele-
tons, were found in the vaults of the
wine-celars, to which they had fed for
safety. There was nothing burned in
Pom ooli. The heat was not sufficient to
change the color of the frescoes on the
walls, but the woodwork, &c, was car
bombed by its long entombment in such
a soil.
Then Mr.. Spaulding in Imagination
led his audience within the gates of the
city and showed the interior OF one of
the therm9 or public baths of the city.
1t was a very great mistake to suppose
| that Pompeli in those days was the I'M
moral and vicious city which it has been
represented to be. 1t was a city of art
and cultivation. 1t was inhabited by
men of wealth and rare taste and culture.
1t was an eplcurean city, where the doc
trines of that philosopher had been
| brought to their highest state. 1t was
immoral rather than immoral. Indeed,
if New York and Brooklyn were blottea
out of existence to-day, as ancient Pom
peii was blotted out, the future discover
er would find beneath their ruins the evil
dences of vice and RIGHTEOUSNESS to
which Pompeii can give but little COM
parisoD. We do not need to whitewasb
pagan Pompeii, but we do need to blush
| for Christian Brooklyn and New York.
THE SKELETONS
One side showed the interior of van
and the skeleton of man just as it was
found. He had fled there for safety
and by his side was the empty amphora
or wine Jar, and the overturned dish that
held his food. Either he had persisted by
starvation or had been suffocated by the
mephitic vapors that exbaled from the
volcano.
The larger portion of the population
escaped, and the number of the inhabit-
ants is variously estimated at from 10000
to 10000; but from 1900 TO 1000 are
supposed to have lost their lives. Many
were killed by falling walls, thrown BY
the shock Of the earthquake, and from
500 TO 600 skeletons have been found II
that portion of the city that has been ex.
cavated, and by curious devise the
! form and fipare of the dead has be 81
preserved When they were overwhelmed
by the food of Volcanic mud it formed
around them plastic mould and hard
ened. Gradually the body crumbled II
dust, leaving the shape OF the person il
the hardened mud. Into these openings
when found. plaster Of Paris is poured
and an exact cast of the person is obtsined
|, Mr.. Spaulding next threw upon th,
screen pictures of 8 nun Der of those casts
The first was that of dog who had dice
. at his masters threshold. 1t was perfect
{ showing the contortions and agony il
which the poor animal died Then cam
, casts or men and women. Some ha'
t evidently died peacefully, while in othe
J instances the bent form and contorte'
: limbs bespoke death Of fearful agony
Then an ideal sketch of the scene i
Pompeii, with the people fleeing throug
|. the streets, was given, and in another slid
4 was shoan some OF the genuine volcani
{ dust, swept up from a window sill i
/ Naples after the eruption of 1872. B
! an ingenious device the lecturer Shove
: mud shower on the screen.
d The last slide wss a picture of the
1 NAPLES VASE
? Found in Pompeii in one of the tomb
! tits a beautiful thing sculptured in II
lief with the vines of the Lachrym
d Christi which grew in profussion over a
E the plains of Pompeli. Let US. said til
' lecturer, fill the glass with its wine, an
/ across the abyss of ages, salute the nae
) of that old Roman world-men who's
. deeds are imagined on Pompeii's rise
J. walls and whose voices seem TO be sti
4 speaking in her silent courts and empt
streets. saving as the burden Of the
speech, seven thus all worldly glor
D passes away"