St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-04-24

BY c. l.. GoODELL, DID.


A glorious morning in Naples, all
aboard for Herculaneum, Pompeii and
Mt. Vesuvius 1t is perfect day for
the excursion round the Bay of Naples.
Almond and peach blooms whiten the
landscape. The fields are living
green; the sea and sky are Il rejoicing
blue. Everything brightens with the
spring. Only the tig-tree sleeps. When
it putteth forth its leaves we know
summer is nigh that is, spring is al
most gone. The Campagna is alive
with husbandmen. Here are the fields
and manners which Virgil sings, and
here the tomb containing the urn where
his ashes lie. 1t stirs the most tender
memories, although it is a simple
memorial
In Mantua born, but in Caabria bred
Fair Naples owns me now.
CicerO's villa is also in sight, and
the home of TassO, and the baths of
Nero, and the remains of luxurious
Roman generals and emperOrs who
came to the warm springs of Baia,
eighteen hundred years ago.
The train takes you along the base
of Mt. Yesuvius, white village among
the green trees and vines appearing
every half mile, to Resina which is
built over the ancient buried city of
Herculaneum, to Pompeii, fourteen
miles away. You spend three hours
among the homes of the silent city of
the dead, and after dinner, which is
provided near the gate of entrance, re-
turn by rail to Tore del Greco where
yOu find carriage and two horses sent
out from Naples to take you up the
slope of Mount NesuviuS. You pass
the Government Observatory, on to
the foot of the mountain railway. 1t
is IL grand ride of three hours, rising
by slow degrees up that magnificent
cone, the city and Bay of Naples and
islands and ocean coming out more
and more clearly as you ascend, till
You find yourself at the center of Il
wonderful amphitheater of Southern
Italy, with all its charm of mountain,
plain and ocean, cottage, palace and
cathedral city. You feel that the
world has but one view of such gran
deur and symmetry and fneness of
finish, and that is the one before you,
and no other.
Leaving your carriage at the noun
tain railway, you enter the car. The
ascent is very steep, and at one place
almost perpendicular. The road makes
no curve. The car moves rapidly, and
in ten minutes you are within less
than half-hOur's walk of the crater.
You mount a chair and four stalwart
mOuntaiDeers bear you through smoke
and steam, midst the rumbling of the
volcano and the melted lava. to the
very edge of the bowl, in which, as in
II mighty cauldrOn, the fiery mass
foams. 1t is terrifically grand. The
mountain seems filed with surging fire
that rises up every half minute in aw-
ful explosion, throwing up columns OF
smoke dark as midnight, and streaked
with lurid fire. This melted matter
falls back with crashing, fearful sound
lodging in part on the edge of the
crater. Before you are recovered from
one stunning sensation, another sXplO
sion breaks on you, more overpower
ing than before, the steam coming III
through every crevice at your feet
and the whole summit envelOped il
cloud. The red lava, as it is throw
high iii air in massive form, seem
heated in the furnace of Vulcan, an,
5 as it falls back down into the boilinj
sea of fire, the sight is no more terri
BILE than the noise is astounding. Th
crater seems like mighty pit of liqui
d fire thrown up in burning waves froI
side to side, scorching, blistering an
: tearing all before it. How can til
u mountain endure such strain HO,
II can the eye bear such binding bril-
l. lance of vast masses of fire ? Th
d crater is two miles in circumference
;; and you must make the circuit. TIL
terror of the upheaving fire and shove
Is of ashes and smoke and stones do,
ST not abate. The trembling of the mOur
y tain strikes terror into strong nerve
4 YOu remember the tragical death
y the elder Pliny nearly 1000 years ag
c and the thousands that have been d.
u stroyed since. The explosions continI
le to deafen you. You remember Il
ne lone city of Pompeii where you ha'
ne spent the morning, and you decide n
Is to spend the summer there.
'Is 1t is the most sublime scene ev
witnessed. Nothing before ever MAJ
ng SO deep and tremendous an impressiO
be 1t is the most active volcano in d
IT. world. Smoke never ceases to fo
e- off from it as a long pennant from t
ng head, and the crater never fails