The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-07-06
SCENES AT MOUNT INA.
Graphic Account Of the Great ,,suption De-
strtction of Houses and Invests.

Graphic Account Of the Great suption
struetion Of Houses and Invests,
4 oorreannndent III the New ork Eue1ai,ag
past writes from Rome: Entgh snpersti-
ton fingers to induce the peasi Us OF Cata q,
III the foot OF Etna to hang OF tne
saints and apostles on the trB aug vines 70
Tie track oil the lava. Theyloped ~ this
way to save their fields and ns as i TON ",
iI,a iestic course for THESE Idol e advanced
slowly. and touched the treessna Inc vines,
fiia houses and cabins and bars with its merry
finger, and they blazed up WI 9 white neat
and were destroyed. -. -.
threatened by the lava, II iselated that 20.
ward evening priest drpssndn the Rarb OF
nanitence led d procession of fler priests and
men women and children, Rh lighted can
dies III their hands, towarfane advancing
image 81 tie Madonna, takefrom the village
church, and held itup beforeAe burning HOOD,
while fhe kneeling people slled out In an.
Ruish, Have pity have 1ney upon usv
The lava, however, did not stp. puI coveleu
che national road, which conecgs Inat . ko W.
ether towns near. It's trade ruined py t nv
cutting off of It's communications, and the
people are awestruck and defesseu.
sTrTE WHOLESALE DEsTRUGfON OF HORSES,
VINEYARDS AND ATTLE.
Tha f,ll accounts Of the obstruction caused
nv this terrible eruption oMount Btna are
l,eartrending. Catania wa one Oh Inc pro.
ynees qf Iay Me neu neT green Es eas and
VINEYARDS are buried under heayy Welghg Is, o.
hard uray lava The possessions OF the
Sieilians living on the side5r at the foot Of
fhe mountains are destroyd. and many pro-
prietor who in May was,rlch - lyme y r g
story, only one Of many, told of proprie-
tor, the father Of nine chiiren, who yester-
day saw everything he possessed, houses,
barns, cabins, olive tres corn and wheat
fields and vineyards, oil estroyed.
The Inhabitants of the WINS and country
ho,ises near tie coursef the lava are dis.
outraged at the extent their misfortunee.
They remove all the hnsehold goods that
can Be transported, the cttle, the wine 10 the
cellars, and even the tile on the roofs OF the
are like battlefield. Wagons laden with
goods herds Of CATTLE crowds OF weeping
women and children fiee1g from their homes.
Innumerable strangers rom every nation, on
the contrary, go forwar ON the road, ana ad-
vance so near the layaGhat the guards are
obliged to send them hck. Although they
can advance so near to light cigar ~
the stream OF lava, it's dangerous, ~ Inc
lava, which at one mtnent looks dark and
dull, Is liable at the next 70 burst. open
by ite own weight and make new path for
itself where Il Is not expected. Regiments Ut
soldiers are stationedall along the roads to
keep order, and line Of them guard. the
edges Of the stream. AZ correspondent from
Randazzo describes bw the inhabitants Ut
that town andOf LingugrOssa stood on the
national road watchtg the lava slowly ad-
vance, and as II begaIpo cover the road they
sadly shock hands md said farewell when
the fiery stream sepaated them. There was,
cry OF despair front the people at this point
when the bridge Of Ppiaro was burned, and
the lava fell from a lttle height Into lovely
vineyards and filled hem up.
IRREGULARITIES or rHE LAvA-ITs SPEED,
COLOR, VOLUME, HEAT, ETC.
The mountain haabeen disturbed for five
months. On the tHnty. second Of May the
crater threw out with q great noise vast
quantity OF Dense salt and smoking mud
This made an intgmitting fountain rising
sometimes twenty-bur feet above the level 81
the soil. Occasionally great balls OF mud
filled with gas, grew larger and larger unit!
they burst. The RIVER OF mud constantly fed
from the crater descended the sides OF the
mountain, and fora distance OF four miles
filled up the canal used for irrigation. Ihf
frightened country people. unconscious q the
to defend their fields from the entrance 81 the
enemy by building wallis Of stones. On The
afternoon OF May rs the eruption began
which Is said tobe the most Violent OF this
century, The. people were startled Dy VIC,
thunder, high wild and q heavy rain. Two
new craters were then seen on the northwee
part OF the mountain, which vOmlted lava
smoke and fine ashes. The next day three
columns OF smop were seen on the DaGK o.
the mountain, and the lava began 10 descend
The movement VI this ineandescent. stream
was at first RAPID, but as it increased In size
and spread out over the lower parts Of the
mountain and the plain 1t became slower. Its
advance is nowestimated at fOrty-five feet az
hour, and the widths Of the streams into
timated. That which threatens the
town of Moio, with 200 inhabitants
and the river Alcantara iB said To be fifteer
hundred feet wide, and this width continually
increases on account Of the height Of the
stream. II the river Alcantara, which is one
plies several towns, gardens and mills with
water, ID filled up the calamity will be meal
culable. The lava Is already within q few
hundred feet Of the shore and slowly advanc
Ing; but 1t Is hoped that 1t may turn and rur
along the bank or not have strength to reacf
the water, the violence Of the eruption having
diminished. One of the streams of lava hal
Travelled d distance OF thirteen miles from thu
crater; 1t Is estimated that In less than fou
days more than two hundred and thirty mil
lion cubic yards of lava have been thrown
out.
The spectacleof this tremendous convulsio1
of nature is wonderfully and fearfully beauti
ful. 1t Is especially impressive at night, whel
the fiery current often throws up In It's pro
gress great masses Of molten stone. The col
umn Of smoke and fine black sand which fol
lows the lava reflects the red tint Of the fir
aud looks like an aurora borealts. From thu
craters On the top Of the mountain rise dense
columns OF smoke, now very white and agar
densely black, and often pierced by sharp
streaks. Of electricity. The travellers who
have flowed thither view these wonders
with ecstasy, but the poor contadme or the
rich man reduced to beggary weeI
over the ruin Of their homes. In the day
time 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 necessary projections for
whoever walks out in the neighborhood Of the
mountain. for the fine sand covers everything
with a thick, heavy coating, and blows int
the eyes. The eruption i accompanied BY
constant rumbling noises like the booming
Of artillery, the earth trembles, the sky Is
leaden. The mass q lava is from fifteen TO
thirty feet high, and according u, Its height
bright, fiery red 70 9 dull leaden shade. # ii