The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-03-06
CLIMBING UP vESUVIUS.
Tho Nxperlence of IL Cincinnatian Climbing
tho Cone of tho Volcano.

tho Cone OF tho Volcano.
a private letter of II Cincinnatian now
in Italy to Il friend in this city gives the
following account Of the ascent of Vessu-
| wins:
Thus fer have entered into the bow
els of the land without impediment.
sit writing in my bedroom in Hotel
Mobile, overlooking the Bay of Naples
and have but to look up and gaze out
of the window TO see Nessuvius with it.
cloud of smoke, and light shining a.
every few minucts-a vcritablc burning
mountain about seven miles distant.
Yesterday morning made one of Il
party of fifteen Americans for the ascent
/ We took carriage ut the hotel, aud drove
! TO Rccina, at the base of the mountain
where the guides were hired. Then We
had additional horses, and SO drove ia
the observatory, which is, | suppose
about 800 feet above the sea-
AT this point, five Of the ladies Of the
party chartered chairs borne by poles on
the shoulders OF four men To each chair
Sumo hired donkeys or ponies to 20 hall
an hours march To the base Of the cone,
which is 81 pile of cindcrs and lava 400
feet high. AS we came up it seemed
impossible to ascend, having mn inclina-
tion of 80 degrees. 1t seemed really
absurd to expect the chair bearers to get
up but they went az it with shout,
and only rested about four times before
reaching iilc summit in an hour and Il
quarters climb. went afoot, and YOU
never saw me in such state Oh, dear
4 htif ~ E,r ri
with the steps chopped away and cover
ed out of sight with few feet depth OF
cinders.
How many times | tried to fancy | was
half way up? When | thought / WAS
nearing the top arrived at little shell
ter made ofb.ocks lava where wine WAS
sold; this was said TO be half way. |
did not believe it then, but thought it
merely disgusting joke and al cncour-
agemcnt to drink "winc, which makelh
glad the heart Of man." and ''lacryma
christi Mt That, but was not in cond-
ton to be made glad, and my heart
seemed to be i'll my throat.
So | went on pausing at every forty
feet of ascent and oftcncr, until WAS
Disguised by seeing a stalwart Irshmnn
pass me with three men pulling in front
and two pushing behind. An oilicious
Italian, who had long before prollcrcl
assistance. at last held toward ne h;s
strap again, and clutchcd ut it, and he
pulled away like Il donkey One behind
thought his chance had come to make n
franc and commenced pushing at the
small of my back. | found the ascent
much easier after that
When We arrived at the summit, We
passed part of the way around toward
the north, and then the head of the col
umn, chair bearers and all, plunged over
into a narrow defilc between rocks the
path, if it could be called one, being
nearer seventy degrees than fifty degrees
and into sickening atmosphere of sui
rher fumes which was not only very an
comfortable, but quite alarming.
Small eruptions were taking place at
the minor crater, which seems to satisfy
the vomiting tendency of the mountain
IN its passive condition, and presently
we were on q sea of broken blocks OF
black lava-the cracks between which
showed the red, molten mass foot be-
low. We marched, against the protest
and cries of the ladies, to the middle of this
black pond, the heavens shut out by the
pail Of smoke, our throats husky with
sulphur.
Then the guides commenced with
sticks burrowing between the blocks, and
bringing out masses Of the molten stuff.
which they used to take impressions of
pennies. | have some OF them, but do
not intend to go there to get any more.
Glad enough we were to leave the field
of Lawn, reposing on what appeared to be
SO trcachcrous foundation, and salutcd
by the explosions az masses of the lava
tumbicd into the gull, and kept up IN
lntcrmitten roar, we scrambled with
great difficulty and without Inusiny up
the $50 feet of tubulation which led out
of the yawning crater TO the marrow rim
at the top. Then the scramble down
the mountain side commenced, and this
was rather amusing. Some went at n
run holding themselves well bacl, and
digging their heels into the cinders n
loot deed ut each step, eight feet Mt n stride
in quick time. The smoke is away up
there, and we are coming down ut fifteen
miles an hour, more or less. The usual
pace Is, however, rapid walk, but oh
such strides The chair bearers keep
| step, and go rs fast as any. The base of
the cone reached, we fall into an ordina-
ry pace, and then reach the hermitage
drink some wine, mount our carriages,
return to Naples to dinner.
OF the view find nc encouragement
to speak. Situated in the middle of the
lunar shaped bay Of Naples, whose capcs
are terminated by high, rocky islands
Pompeii, lIerculaneum Rcsina, etc, al
the foot, we have in view Naples, with
its church and castle crowned hills
Castellaman aud Sorrento on the left
the plains reaching to the snow crowned
Apennines landward, with scores of vii
| iages and towns to distance of forty
miles. and so forth and so on. My pa.
per fortunately gives out and gives
me n chance to go to bed and get up to
start for Pompeii tomorrow morning.
l. IJ Il