The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-12-06
Prom our Regular Correspondent.
OUR EUROPEAN LETTER
NAPLES. Nov. u.

NAPLES, Nov. IL.
The intelligence of the death of
Professor Pnlnieri. who has lived
for years in an observatory on the
brink of the crater of Vesuvius, re-
calls an OCCASION III which he distin-
guished himself pre- eminently. IL
was i'll April, 1872, that one Of the
very worst and most devastating
eruptions took place. Usually there
is considerable warning given of an
approaching disturbance by slight
earthquake shocks AID other sign>:
but II Is IA curious isrt tii,l -,Ine of
The mo; destructive N,suylah earth
quakes have occurred euunienly,
without nuIice of amy kind. In
1o12 there was very little To show
tlaL Vesuvius was plotting mischief.
down deep III lis liery heart. But
suddenly the sides OF the mouutain
began 10 treInble, reverberatIons like
guupowder explosions made the
Windows Iii Naples. ten nllles oil,
rattle and the buildings quake, aud
IL deuse cloud settled Oh the summit.
Then the biackness Was III up with
the fiery Hood OF lava pouring out
OF the seettillig cauldruu col the era
These lava streams are about the
most formidable features Ii. an erup
ton of Il volcano. Seen by night
or under the canopy OF cloud, they
resembled great fiery serpehts creep
Ing down the side OF the hill, aid,
together with the flames which ever
and aIUu were voinIted from the
crater, seTved 10 light up the GENE
Win Il tcrnhiy Iurld glare. IL Nae
liiIs overflow OF lava from the crater
that threatened PdlmleTIs ob.erva-
tory with Instant rum. The lnhab-
ILI.tS OF the towns were seized With
panIc, and fled in terror 10 Naples;
Il couple of villages higher up tie
hillside OF the mountain were actu-
ally devoured by the burning tor
rent. and upwards Of fifty persons
perlshed In the catastrophe. Some
were caught in their house. Oh the
hillside by the streams Of lava, aiid
cut off from all help; Others We're III
The vineyards or fields, aud thought
the danger less than 1t proved 10 De.
10 make matters Worst, clouds vi
ashes were emitted from the crater,
and the streets OF Naples were an ion
deep II Volcanic dust. la some
places immense blocks of scorlae
were hurled To enormous distances;
In others sn overs ui sand lelI. Ine
earthquakes were IncessI!t. and tiic
mountain now and then went oil
with All explosion like thunder.
Flashes of ilsiItuing aud other elec-
trlc phenomena wereaisu frequently
observed. No wonder that the IN
habitints of the Ve>uvlan towns
fled affrighted, and that ali WI, ter
Tor and excitement III tue VAST city
OF Naples. But, while Others were
hy ing In panic, Palmlerl renialned
calm and uudlsturbed III his threat
ened observatory, watching tie elec
tric discharges, nollng the number
aud intensity of the earthquake
saocks,and estimating the Velocity oi
the lava, which. lit any time, might
have turned upon his watcn-to"er
aud destroyed 1t. When Tie worst
OF it WAS over. and the mounlallr
was gradually quieting down, Pal
mlerls astonishing pluck On thls
terrible occasion was universally
admired aud praised. He certainly
shaved the Neapolitans an example
of calm courage, sor Tie display vi a
voicanus latent powers Is one vi Tie
most terrifying natural p~henoniena
that eau be Witnessed.
Nut the least astonishing fact is
that persons who daelilu The neigh
borhupd of active volcanoes seem 10
become iainilIarlzed with their peiil.
and live on from one eruption to ain
other in perfect disregard OF Iiieir
dangerous neishbor. Torredel Gre
ca, for example, has been twice de
stroved by lava. 1t is built OH that
substance, and is directly under the
cone; yet here Is Il town of twenty
Thousand inhabitants in about the
most perilous situation in Europe,
quite earrless uf the Sinister antece-
tiri,iz at Tue mountain benealli
whose shade IL exists.