The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-15
ExCAyATlNG IN POuPEII.
A Feature of the Recent Centennial
Celebration.
Naples Correspondence.1

Naples Correspondence.l
The opening ceremonial ended, a bell
rang to summon people to the excava-
tions. In different parts of the ninth
region, ten chambers were to be opened
and their contents revealed, and there
was an eager rush from all points. 1t is
impossible to describe the intense expec-
tation ON every face as the first picks
struck the ground, or the scene around
each place to be excavated. Crowds
were pressing round every opening;
people were perched all along the tops of
the broken walls, to the imminent peril
of their limbs, and groups were thickly
gathered along the higher unexcavated
level, and on every other point of van
tage. Each room to be excayated had
been cleared of the upper falling-in,
leaving about four feet to be removed.
The indications given by the prepara-
tory work in one Of the larger rooms
having been p 'rticularly favorable, l
took my station there, and witnessed, in
the course of three hours, as the various
objects peeped forth from the scori@ one
by one nnd were taken up, such revela-
ton as | shall never forget. For the
first five minutes there was breathless
silence as the men worked, then, as the
scoria fell away, part of green object
became visible. In d moment the work
mems hands had cleared the space around
it, and amid deafening cheers small
bronze horse, niue inches in length was
held aloft. Then large amphora ap-
peared; then two bronze vases, one with
handles; then large iron key, and as
each in turn was lifted high enough for
all to see, "Bene, bene" burst in cho-
rus of hearty satisfaction from the peo-
pie. A Ii t, with the briefest description
of the things which then followed in
rapid succession, would fill column.
There weHp& at least a dozen bronze
vases of different shapes, sizes, and uses,
with and without handles and in one Il
number of bronze coins oxidized together,
and many otner coins were found at in
tervals during the excavation. There
were many handsome bronze fibul@, sew,
eral bronze bracelets, a number of rings,
many terra-cotta vases, tazze, and am
phora, and a remarkable number of little
terra-cotta water-cups for bird cages, vari-
Gus kitchen utensils, a spit, forks and
knives of iron, Il bronze bottle, number
of little bronze bells dagger with ivory
handle, a knife with ivory handle, a
bronze casserole, and terra-cotta money
box. Afterthese and many more objects,
of which trayful after trayful was carried
away, had been taken out, mass of
black material appeared, which, falling
to pieces, proved, on examination, to
be beans; then quantity of millet
and hemp seeds, with consider
able remains of the sacks which had con-
tanned them, the carbonized wood of
grain-bins and of barrel with iron
hoops, and great masses of the beams of
the upper floor, sufficiently solid, but en-
tirely carbonized like charcoal. Among
these remains a splendid bronze candela-
brum was come upon, but its tall, slender,
futed stem was broken. In short, from
noon till o'clock continued succession
of objects were revealed, almost more
rapid than | coulG note them down.
The mere names and briefest memoranda
filled sixteen pages in LARGE notebook.
Some of the rooms revealed nothing,
others few bronze and terra-cotta YES
sells, but in one room a skeleton was
found and in the smallest chamber
opened four Were discovered huddled TO-
ether