Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-01-17

| The VICTIMS OF PoMpEu.-A writer in
the TaU NaU Gayette demonstrates that the
work of exploration which has been
steadily going on in Pompeii since l748,
when the excavations were first begun, is
calculated to dispel tho popular illusions
respecting the nature and extent of the
catastrophe as CLEANED from traditional
fiction. For instance, it is conclusively
shown that the lava stream did not reach
the city, and it was nOt destroyed by fire;
the eruption buried the city under II
shower of pumice stone and ashes, and an
accompanying earthquake threw down
houses and buried many human beings
as well as other living creatures, beneath
the ruins, but the effects Of the ashcn
shower were not instantaneous, and all
who could get away from the city at the
| first alarm probably saved their lives. The
bulk of the people were in. the amphithe
atre, which was situated near one of the
city gates on the side remote from Vcsu.
viuS, and there was nothing To hinder
every one in the great audience from
getting away in time. From the fact that
skeletons have been found at the entrance
of the public bath, which was quilted
hastily by the few grand ladies who were
not present at the gladitorial performance
in the amphiLheatre, the time of the catas
trophe can be fixed with Approximate
accuracy, at or about noon, and the discov-
cry of the skeletons every one of which
has been carefully recorded for at least u
century, enables some conclusions to be
drawn as to the total number of victims CT
the catastrophe. From the year when the
excavations began, in i74S, to the year
1926, the total number OF human remains
discovered was 100; from 1927 to 1915 it
was 63 from 1916 to 1860 it was 60;
from 1861 to 1872 it was 81. and from 1873
to 1881 about 100, total of AGO victims.
AS two fifths of the buried surface has
been brought to light, there appears good
reason for believing that the total number
of human beings who persisted in he
eruption was not more than 1900. The
remains of few dogs, horses, oxen, pigs,
fowls and other animals have also been
found, some of them tethered so that they
could not escape. The perfect form Of
these bodies is left in the soft ash, W lch
shows that they were not burned but
smothered, and the few remains found
would indicate that the greater portion of
the domestic animals escaped. Until
recently the only method OF forming nm
impression of the form and likeness of the
victims of Pompeii as they were in life
has been by the descriptions of the eXp.or-
ers. Thus it is only from the JoUrnaI Of
EIcapations for the year 1881 thai we
know of the touching and famous sight
which greeted the eyes of the first discov-
erers of the House of the Fawn; "On the
floor of the banqueting hall lay the body
of a woman. probably the mistress of the
house, with her jewels scattered where she
had thrown them in despair Of rescue or
escape. The roof had been crushed
in by the weight of falling ash and
pumice stone and the hands Of the
dying women were upstretched in Il vain
effort to keep off the impending weight.
Parts of the body and clothing could still
be made out, sand drawing could be
made of one charming little foot" But
such;portralts are lifeess and tame, indeed,
beside the extraordinary portrait statues
which are now to be seen in the museum
at Pompeii. These have been obtained by
Il very simple process, by Signor Florellil,
which produces the very form and likeness
of the creature in life and in death. Flor
cliffs method is to pour plaster of Paris in
liquid state into the molds left by the
bodies in the soft ash. A small opening
is made, the plaster is delicately poured
in, and when it has had time to harden the
surface crust of ash is peeled off The
details of clothing and feature have all
left their mark on the soft ash, and are all
faithfully preserved in the plaster cast.
The results achieved are striking and
complete.