Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-08-02
MOUNT ETNA.
More About the Great European :
Wholesale Destruction of
HOuses, vineyards
and Cattle.

] weight OF udru RThy lhNd' 4no pOsses-
sion of the Sicilians living on the sides
or at the foet of the mountains are des>
troyed, and many a proprietor who in
May was rich, in June is as poor as the
humblest of his servants. The story,
only one of many, is told of proprietor,
the father ofnine children, who yesterday
saw everything he possessed, houses,
barns, cabins, olive trees, corn and
wheatfelds and vineyards, all destroyed.
The inhabitants of the towns and country
/ houses near the course of the lava are dis
couraged at the extent of their misfort-
unes. They remove all the household
goods that can be transported, the cattle,
on the roofs of the houses. The roads
near the advancing lava are like bat
tlefeld. Wagons laden with goods,
herds of cattle, crowds OF weeping wom-
en- and children fleeing from their homes.
Innumerable strangers from every nation
on the contrary, go forward on the road
and advance so near the lava that the
guards are obliged to send them back -
Although they can advance so near as to
light cigar at the stream of lava, it is
dangerous, as the lava, which a. any mo-
ment looks dark and dull. is liable at the
next to burst open by its own weight and
make new path for itself where it is not
expected. Regiments Of soldiers are
stationed all along The road to keep order;
and lines of them guard the edges of the
stream. A correspondent from Randaz-
10 describes how the Inhabitants Of that
town and of LiDguagrossa stood on the
national road watching the lava slowly
advance, and as IL began to cover the
road they sadly shook hands and said
! farewell when the fiery stream separated
! them. There was cry of despair from
the people at this point when the bridge
of Picaro was burned, and the lava fell
from n little height into lovely vineyards
and filed them.
The mountain has been disturbed for
five months. On the 22d Of May the
crater threw out with great noise a vast
quantity Of dense. soft and smoking mud
This made an intermitting fountain, his
sing sometimes twenty-fonr feet above
the level of the sell. Occasionally great
balls of mud filed with gas grew larger
until they burst. The river of mud con-
stantly fed from tho crater descended the
sides of the mountain, and for distance
of four miles filed up the canals used for
irrigation. The frightened country peo-
pie, unconscious of the worst ills that
were coming upon them, sought to de-
fend their fields from the entrance Of the
enemy by building walls of stones. On
tho afternoon of the 29th of May the erup-
ti0n began which is said TO be the most
violent of this century. The people were
startled by violent and repeated shocks of
earthquake. loud thunder, high wind and
n heavy rain. Two new craters were
then seen on the northwest part of the
mountain, which vomited lava, smoke
and fine ashes. The next day three col,
umns of smoke were seen on the back of
the mountain, and the lava began to de-
scend. The movement ofthe incandes
cent stream was at first rapid, and as it
increased in size and spread out over the
lower parts of the mountain and plains it
became glover. Its advance is now es>
timated at 40 feet an hour, and the widths
Of the three streams into which it is di-
vided are variously estimated. That
which threatens the town of Molo, with
200 inhabitants, and the river Alcantara
is said TO be 1900 feet wide, and this
width continually increases on account of
the height of the stream. If the river
Alcantara, which is one of the principal
streams of Sicily and supplies several
large towns, gardens and mills with wa
ter, is flied up, the calamity will be in
calcuble. The lava is already within a
few hundred feet of the shore and slowly
advancing but it is hoped it may turn
and run alorg the bank or not have
strength to reach the water, the violence
of the eruption having diminished. One
of the streams of lava has travelled IA
distance of / .l3 miles from the crater ; it
| is estimated that in less than four days
mere than 230, 100000 cubic yards Of lava
have been thrown out.
The spectacle of this tremendous con.
vusion of nature is wonderfully and fear
fully beautiful. 1t is especially impress
sive at night. when the fiery current often
throws up in its progress great masses OF
molten stone. The column OF smoke and
fine black sand which follows the lava
reflects the red tint of the fire and looks
like an aurora bereais. From .he cra~
tiers on the top of the mountain rise dense
columns Of smoke, now very white and
again densely black, and often pierced
| by sharp streaks of electricity. The
travellers who have ilocked thither view
these wonders with ecstacy, but the poor
contddini or the rich man reduced to beg
gary weep over the ruin of their homes
In the daytime the cloud of smoke and
sand is so dense that the sun is invisible
and the day seems to be almost like the
night. Spectacles and umbrellas are ne
cessary projections for whoever walks ou;
in the neighborhood of the fountain, for
the fine sand covers everything with a
thick, heavy coating and blows into the
eyes. The eruption is accompanied by
constant rumbling noises like the boom,
ing of artillery, the earth trembles, the
sky is leaden. The mass of lava is from
fifteen 10 thirty feet high, and according
to its height or the time of day varies in
color from bright, fiery red to a dull