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

The History and the Drama Of .
Great Volcano-An ArCh0ologt.
cal and Scientific Discussion
How the Ancient Cities were
Designed.
From a Recent Lecture by Rev. Henry q
6pauIdIng Of Boston.
Mr.. Spaulding opened his lecture
BY throwing upon the screen IN out.
line map OF the Bay of Naples and
the surrounding country. showing the
location of the volcano and the dif-
ferent towns in the vicinity. He
pointed out the different localities,
and the slide was followed by one
which gave a view of q point on the
Bay Of Naples where the Roman
feet was anchored under the command
of Pliny the elder on the 24th of
August, A. d. -, when the eruption
of Vesuvius occurred which buried
tho cites of Pompeii and Herculaneum
out of sight for nearly eighteen CEN
turtles. Mr.. Spaulding then para
phrased Tacitus, giving an account
that has come down to US. Pliny
writes that on the day named, little
after one o'clock in the afternoon,
their attention was called to the ap'
pearance of the volcano which they
could see distinctly across the bay
from the point where they were. The
sister Of Pliny the elder called their
attention to the phenomena, and in
the generosity of his heart the admiral
started to cross the bay in one of his
vessels to render what assistance he
could to the distressed inhabitants.
The third slide showed the bay Of
Naples, and gave the direction in
which Pliny sailed across the arc OF
the half circle, formed BY the shore,
to reach the side of the mountain.
The violence of the phenomena di.
verted them from Pompeii. and it
was in the attempt to land in the
midst of the horrors of the eruption
that Pliny gave utterance to that
sentence that has become q proverb
and so often quoted: Fortune favors
the brave" The night was passed at
villa ola friend, until toward morn.
ing, when they we're aroused to flee
from the shower of ashes. They fled,
protecting themselves with pillows
from the ashes, until they reached the
shore, when. from some unexplained
reason, Pliny commanded his servant
to throw his mantle upon the ground.
Lying himself down upon it he was
almost instantly asphyxiated by the
mephietic gases. the carbouic gas, etc.
generated by the volcano, as is always
the case with volcanic eruptions, and
died. In his second letter Pliny, the
younger, tells of the fight Of his
mothers household from the villa on
the point and their subsequent return
after the eruption had passed. The
shower CLASHES stopped on the third
day. These letters are the only &C.
count of the catastrophe that have
come down to US. Mr.. Spaulding
then showed q slide which gave q
picture of the mountains from the
bay. 1t is in two crests of peaks, one
called Monte Somma and the other is
Vesuvius proper. He called attention
to the sweep of the mountain sides
and to the smoothness and grandeur
and beauty of the outline. 1t illus
trated the sculpture of nature when
the agencies Of. frost and snow were
absent, and to illustrate he threw upon
the screen q picture of the mountains
over Lake Lucerne, in Switzerland,
where the outline against the sky is
ragged and broken. Coming back to
the volcano, the lecturer referred to
the structure of the two peaks which
form the mountain. Monte Somma
is the old and extinct crater, and
Vesuvius is built partly in and partly
upon the old crater. Although
Vesuvius looks calm and beautiful
in the distance, it is as restless and
active as youth and as tickle as love.
We can trace its history, to a certain
degree, back of the historic time, from
the indications that are still apparent.
Monte Somma is $3.50 feet high, but
the height of the cone Of Vesuvius
varies. At present it is from 400 to
500 feet higher than the cone Of
Monte Somma, but within the present
century it has been several hundred
feet lower. The indications are that
at one time, perhaps three or four
thousand years ago, there was but one
peak, but that it was blown of by
some great CONFUSION, and formed
with other lava deposits, the promon.
tory upon which Pompeii was built.
In the process of time the disintegra-
ton of the lava formed . very rich
and fertile soil. in which the vine and
the olive Aourished and made the
surroundings Of the place like . gar
den for fertility and beauty. 1t was,
said the lecturer, a fine example of
THE IRONY OF NATURE
That after the volcano had formed the
site upon which the town was erected,
and after 1t had stood for centuries,
it should be the agent which should de-
story it. A number ofexcellent views of
the volcano and its surroundings were
shown, one giving q view Of the
crater. It was in this reign that the
gladiator Spartacus and his band
we're besieged by the Romans, in the
reign of the Emperor Claudius. They
escaped BY making rope ladders Of
the vines that grew profusely about
the crater, and lowered themselves
down the outside.
The next slide gave . picture of
Vesuvius restored. or as it appeared
ago. before the present forma-