The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-20

down to our own Longfellow and Whittier
But when we come to fact we find that lust
where poor Casamcciola was (fOr she is no
more) the internal fires broke out more than
1our centuries b. c., and so great was the
damage to life and property that the whole
Nreek population abandoned the place and
went to live on the mainland Now they
were the relics or effects or remnants of this
eruption that made the very hot springs
under Casamicciola and Lacco, which have
been the great curative attrar ion of Ischia
FROM all parts OF Italy and from all parts of
Europe, in the summer time, thousands of
people came, afflicted with paral ysis, rheuma-
usm, gout scrofula and kindred diseases,
ana were greatly benefited thereby. 1t is
the theory OF some that the chemical action
OF the hot volcanic waters has undermined
the soil beneath Casamicciola, Lacco, and
elsewhere, and hence the whole earth gave
way and plunged thousands of people and
houses into death and ruin. However
that may be for Casamicciola it
does not account for the great
destruction OF life and property which has
come upon the neighboring towns (some of
them five miles away, such as Forio, Fon-
tana and Barrano. Some rulers, in the by
gone centuries, have forbidden the people to
build there, where so often have the convul-
SONS OF nature murderously manifested
themselves. But the fertility of the soil
volcanic soil is always fertile) the ameni-
tive qualities of the waters. and hence, the
money to be made, have tempted people to
build over the very mouth of destruction.
An American will work for money in q
powder-mll and a dynamite factory. So
will Italians. During this century there
have been two distinct warnings to leave the
place previous to this last terrible blow of
Saturday, July 2S. The first was in the year
1928 and the second was on the 4th of
March. 1881 the very day when Garfield was
lnaugurated President of the United States.
Then 188l) not quite two hundred persons
were the victims Great sympathy was
called forth. Money to the extent of 800, GOO
francs was given to the poor who needed
aid, and Casamicciola was repaired. That
summer hundreds from all parts still flocked
to the curative springs, although some old
trequenters would not risk returning The
year 1882 saw Il larger influx of patients and
only the cool summer of this year prevented
the largest number from visiting the springs
since 1880. On Tuesday, the oath of July
1889 there was a slight rumbing heard and
some wells became dry; but few people knew
this. and no danger was apprehended.
BEFORE THE CALAMITY.
Last Saturday night the last steamers had
got in from Naples, with many who intended
to spend the Sunday in Ischia, the boat
men, whose craft are so constantly
used in fishing, had hauled up their boats on
the shore for the night, and had gone to
their stone houses near by; and the
peasant laborers-early-to- bed people
had left their vineyards and orchards
and, in their homes higher up were wrapped
in slumber. 1t was only in the boarding.
houses, cafes, and places of amusement of
the towns that people were in great num-
bers listening to concerts, gathered around
the table in social commune, or witnessing
the play in temporary wooden theat1r on
the little square, not far from the margin of
the sea. Casamicciola is on a hillside-in-
deed, on the lower slopes of old Epomeo;
and in the hotels, many boarding-houses and
large bathing establishments could be seen
thousands of petroleum lights. A wooden
building is rare thing in Italy, and that
little wooden theater that night proved the
safety OF more than Il hundred people The
best description that | have yet seen of the
disaster is from an Italian gentlemen who,
to while the time away, went into that thea
ter to see q comic performance on the coun-
try dialect, which here corresponds TO our
negro minstrel performance. Singularly
enough in one part of the play there is rep
resented by the actors the fear caused ay an
earthquake. At 9:45 P. NJ. Naples time i3 p.
M, Indianapolis time) this gentleman no.
tiCed the hour by his watch, and Just at that
moment there was a terrific noise-not like
the explosion of a cannon. but lust like that
magniied hundred fold, OF an express
train laundering along al the highest rate OF
speed over a lofty iron railway bridge Then
shock, not an ordinary shock, but awlul,
sickening, undulatory-or, to use his ex-
preston, ''vortical' motion-in short.
vortex, or Whirlpool OF the ground The
lamps in the theater were thrown down
and the gentleman says that, by an ire
sistibe power. he was hurled into the or
chestra against the great double bass yiol.
II a a SrunntipI aud
quickly AS possible, he picked himself up
and rushed into the open air Every light
OF CasamIcciola had disappeared and in
stead there was obscurity combined
with the atmosphere filled with dust,
that made it n darkness which could
"literally be felt" Then from thousands OF
the wounded and dying ones came screams
of agony and groans, mingled with implor-
ing cries for help, "Aintame! aintameil' (oh,
help me, help me) from far up the slopes of
the mountain to the very edge of the sea.
swelled in one vast, painful inharmomious
chorus from thousands, who but a few
moments before had been in the fullness of
life. Alas how vain is the help of man at
such tlme The streets and highways were
encumbered with ruin. and those who es-
capped (many wounded and bleeding) and
ordinarily would be only five minutes from
the beach, were, the quickest of them, more
than half an hour in getting to the latter
place Even the few who were unframed
could make but slow way through ruin and
thick darkness Before daylight returned
some two thousand stupifed and half dead
with fear people had found their way to the
landing-many Of them clad only in their
night garments, and amongst them several
hundred who were severely wounded
During the whole night the cries and groans
OF those beneath the ruins were most heart
rendng, What made the circumstances most
terribly trying was the fact that the tele-
graphic office was destroyed, and all COM
munication with Naples shut off and aid
thus cut of. The confusion, fright and
srupor were immense. One man, at IL P. NJ,
took one of the boats on the beach (alas, tie
most OF their owners had been killed. and
got over to the main land, and thence most
painfully worked his way afoot around tho
inlets Of the sea until reaching Baeoli, where