Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-11-03
MOUNT VESUvIUS.
Up the World Famous Volcano in Car Watch
..i.- .4 ing Explosions.

NY -NP'oS'oHo'
TRome Correspondence New York Evening Post.l
The new road recently made by the
company now permits the carriage which
brought you from Naples to ascend two
miles further. This alone would great
ly diminish the fatigue of the ascent
The road is about two miles long and
winds like a knotted white riband over
the steep ascent. A iveried officer
touches his cup as he issues from lit
tie cabin built at the point where the
road begins, and asks for your ticket
Travellers who ascend the mountains in
their vehicles not belonging to the
society are charged $3 from this point
for the use of the road. The carriage at
last reaches the broad stone platform
and elegant building at the base of the
cone, used as station and restaurant
The atmosphere is an exquisite ming
ling of sea breeze and mountain air, and
the view below, when the day is clear, is
charming. Sorrento, Castelmare, Capri,
Naples-all cities whose very names re-
call enchanting natural scenery-le be-
low in vast and beautiful panorama.
The low, one-story house, built to resist
earthquakes, is decorated in the Pom
pC1du oU,NlS. Liz ulOSttlC JdNcu1eLl DIT
the door greets you with ''salve," and
| all around on the walls are photographs
| of Vesuvius. You eat breakfast here
roast beef, with glass of Vesuvian
wine-the price, of course, being as ele-
waited as the position of the restaurant on
the mountain. Water, they told us, was
all brought there in barrels on donkeys
backs, as none is ever found In the earth
! there. 1t is ground that has been IN
| heaved unnumbered times, and, even if
it were not near the top of the mountain,
water could not be expected there.
| The car is in two compartments at
different levels, and carries up eight per-
| sons at each voyage, which occupies nine
minutes. The heavy oak beams laid up
! the side of the cone, at an angle of fifty
| degrees, looks stout enough to hold the
cable-wire and the wheels on the lapillo
| of the cone, and giving to the winds all
| misgivings, you begin the ascent. This
rolling up the cone, with a conductor
mounted on an elevated seat In front of
| the car; this leaving the world which we
! have known hitherto SO far behind gives
q curious sensation OF mingled wonder
and fear. The movement is slow and
cautious, as If man feared to tempt the
! mighty power below, and all is silent ex-
cept the creak OF the wire over the iron
wheel. When at last you are landed at
the upper station the ascent SO far has
been made without fatigue and the
promises of the society are fulfilled. But
a part of the cone is still before you, if
you would arrive at the crater, and this
ascent is steep and fatig1ling. The
| C~1116ns hn1yoY, rr717,l ooah "a
ers here, hoping to find some who, as in
former times, will require their aid. Al
though the walk, which is about fifteen
minutes, is fatiguing, it gives only the
faintest idea of the difficulty of the for
mer mode OF ascension. The only ques-
ton, on looking back at the cone, is
elbow did SO many delicate women ever
| do it % 1t used to be considered a
matter OF course for any traveller who
visited Naples to ascend Vesuvi1s, but
even with the aid Of the guides it must
have been a serious effort. Even those
who permitted themselves to be carried
4 up IN a chair must have experienced a
nervous sensation on finding themselves
thus strangely suspended on the shout
ders OF struggling men between earth
and heaven. After this painting ascent
we found ourselves near the base of the
small cone which has been raised within
two years. There is field of yellow
lava here elected by Vesuvius in the
eruption of 1872. By leaping from one
rock to another it is possible to go even
nearer but it is not safe to go on the
cone on account of the burning stones
that are constantly falling over it. By
ascending hill to the right may be seen
the assure in thetop of the cone, through
which the lava runs in narrow stream
down the side toward Pompeii. But
confess that my courage failed here, and
[ contented myself with sitting down in
the ashes and watching the explosions
which frequently occurred. The fine
black ashes fell in showers, and the hot
sulphurous air burned my face and dis
colored the steel ornaments of my dress.
Clouds came every few moments to
wreath the cone in darkness, and the
frequent explosions shook the ground
under foot.