The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-07-10
RIVERS OF DESTRUCTION!
Tho Lava from Active Etnn Flows Slowly
but Surely.

The Lava from Active Etna Flows Slowly
but Surely.
-, ROME, June z.
caused by the terrible eruption of MONT
Etna are heartrending. Catania was one
of the provinces of Italy where there was
promise of good harvest, but now the
green fields and vineyard. are buried
under heavy weight Of ha,2, gray lava.
| The possessions Of the Sicilians living on
| the sides or ut the foot of the mountains
are destroyed, and many proprietor who
in May was -ich, in June is as poor as
the humblest, of his servants The story.
only one of many, is told OF proprietor,
the father of nine children, who yester.
day saw everything he possessed houses.
barns, cl5ins, olive trees, corn and wheat
fields and vineyards, all destroyed. The
y nbitants of the towns and country
houses near the course of the lava are
discouraged ut the extent of their mis-
fortunes. They remove all the house
noiq goods that can be transported, tho
cattle, the wine in the cellars, and oven
the tiles on the roofs of the houses. The
roads near the advancing lava ere liac
battlefield. Wagons laden with goods,
herds of cattle, crowds OF weeping women
and children fleeing from their homes.
lnnumcrablc 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 ut one mo
ment looks dark and dull, is liable at the
next to burst open by it's own weight and
make new path for itself where it is
not expected. Regiments of soldiers are
stationed all along the roads to keep
order, and lines Of them guard the edges
OF the stream. a correspondent from
RandazEo describes how the inhabitants
of that town and of Linguagrossa stood
on the national road Watching the lava
slowly advance, and as it 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 tho bridge
of Piciara was burned, and the lava fell
from little height into lovely vineyards
and filed them up.
The mountain has been disturbed for
five months. On the 22d of May the
crater threw out with great noise vast
quantity of dense salt and smoking mud.
This made an intermitting fountain rising
sometimes twenty-four feet above the
level Ut the soil. Occasionally great
balls OF muc filled with gas grew larger
and larger until they burst. The river
OF mud constantly fed from the crate
| descended the sides of the mountain, and
for n distance Of four miles filed up shS
canals used for irrigation. The fright
ened country people, unconscioue OF the
worse Ills that were coming upon them;
sought to defend their fields from the
entrance of the enemy by building walls
OF stones. On the afternoon of the. 26th
OF May the eruption began, which is said
70 be the most violent Of this century.
The people were startled by repeated
shocks of earthquake, loud thunder, high
wind and O. heavy rain. Two new era
ters were then seen on the northwest
part of the mountain, which vomited
lava, smoke and fine ashes. The next
day three columns of smoke were seen
on the back of the n lntain, and the
lava began to descend. The movement
of this incandeScent stream was at first
rapid. but as iS increased in size and
spread out over the lower part of the
mountain and the plains it became
slower. It's advance now is estimated at
forty-five feet an hour, and the width of
the three streams into which it is divided
are variously estimated. That which
threatens the town of Moio, with two
hundred Inhabitants, and the river AL
cantara is said to be fifteen hundred feet
| wide, and this width continually increas-
es on account of the height of the stream.
If the river Alcantara, which is one of
the principal streams of Sicily, and sup
plies several large towns, gardens, and
mills with water, is filed up the calamity
will be incalculable. The lava is already
within few hundred feet of the shore.
and slowly advancing; Dui il is hoped
that 1t may turn and run along the bank,
or not have strength to reach the water.
the violence of the eruption having di-
minshed. One OF the streams of lava
has travelled g distance of thirteen miles
from the crater; il js estimated that in
less than four days moro than two hun
dred and thirty million cubic yards of
lava have been thrown out.
The spectacle of this tremendous con-
vulsion of nature is wonderfully and
fearfully beautiful. 1t is especially i'm
nressive 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,
anu looks IKE an aurora horealls. From
the craters 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 fiocked thither
view these wonders with ecstacy, but the
poor and the rich man reduced to begga-
ry 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 tho day seems to be almost like tho
night. Spectacles and umbrellas are ne
cessary projections for whoever walks
out in the neighborhood Of the noun
tain, for the fine sand covers everything
with heavy coating, and blows into the
eyes. The eruption Is accompanied by
constant rurnhlins noises like the boom
ing of artillery; tho earth hembles, the
sky is leaden. The mass of lave Is from
fifteen to thirty feet high, end, according
to its height or the tfm0 Of sy,varies
in color from bright, tlery rs3l 70 X dull
leaden shade. Ifit Was not FOR. tIi jets
of smoke which jssue now and then from,
this mass it might be thought dead lava
J of half @ century ago, but when IL
moves its waves Glide over each 3 aar
1 o,1l v,.tk - d.