The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-03-13
. MouNr vesuvIus. CRATER
OaN - the 0reae Freaks - Nat04o.-s
Cll0Asoe Up - The Neaataln Tep


CslaSlss Up - che Mssstssn TsR
laNasby's" European Lettsr.l
Il 10 not tho greatest wonder in
Europe. looked at simply as one Of Hhe
great fre9ks Of nature, for everything
great 10 freak, whether il Is . noun
tain or man. The regular thing il .
dead level. and anything which chal-
lenges attention and holds IL. is .
freak. Tho average il the natural, any
thing beyond is abnormal.
vcsuvius Is by no means . iinpos.
ing, considered merely rs mountain,
a. scores Of others. nor does It impress
the observer. Mount Blanc. lifting it,
snow crowned summit into the skies. 10
: greater and grander object, and 80
10 the Jungfrau. AMI 80 likewise are
scores Of mountain peaks in tho Sisrras.
vesuvius II . mountain Of no extra
ordinary height, clad with vines at tho
base and above to it, very crown, -
ugly Is sin when yOu are near enough
TO il. Thore IL always . column Of
smoke rising from its summit, which IL
beautiful 81 . distance, but in and Of IL
self does not either awe or inspire. AZ
part y. PiC0uI0 WAC HsO0ssssA1 -
wonderfully beautiful. It i proper
finish 10 the magnificent bay et It's base,
and tho islands that dot The bay would
lose half thor beauty but Tor this giant
among them that makes always great
back ground. BY itself il i only 50 % !;
. part Of magnificent whole il is
wonderful, because il ID exactly what 10
necessary 70 the rest. Nature always
Anishes up everything.
70 gst mp 70 the crater there aro two
ways. English copitalists. who are
argus-syed, saw that the whole world
hHd - 20 up vssuvius. and they iinme-
liAtsly ~ about making profit ont Of
u. A Company built > railroad from
he foot Of che mountain almost 10 H.
summit, straight mp Tho side, the same
. Ne one 70 Ne top q Mount Wash.
iAgtoA This rcd i eEtenAsd in 81.
most 70 The sdGs q The crater And Soa
g that Wy II you choose.
Up the mountain you climb. For .
lev miles you ride through vineyards,
olive and mulberry orchards. through
little lanes and By villages oil crowded
with bsggArs. Then You come into
vast fields OF c;aders. through which
you toll painfully, until finally worn
out and with . secret abjurgation at
tho necessity that compelled You 10 tho
toll, ron reach the lower edge Of the
lava fields.
Tho crater il simply vast bottom
less gulf, but with the breath Of the
fires In tho earth's center, which cannot
be described. Prom the gulf ascends
forever the smoke Of natures torment.
II 10 - near IN approsch 10 the old
orthodox idea Of . hell - can be we'll
imagined. lis : gulf with hro in it,
interior. : Gre that i never quenched.
bat burns on forever and forever.
What feeds il? Who knows? Science
stops short at this point, y il does at
ma = others Conjecturcs are % plenty
- blackbe1ries, Int . 70 certainties, Il
il, and thst 10 oil that il known Of il or
ever viii b. No one can ever 20 dowa
iuto the devils kitchen to find out, and
Il doesn't make much difference whether
u q ever known.
Like . great many other things
Vesuv.us il q its best at . distance.
Distance softens the horrors Of the
cinder and lava fields. Across the bay
you cannot SEQ that horrid cavern. tho
crater, che smoke that ascends forever
= sois and feathsry. not angry and
fierce - when close 20 il, the horrible
prscipices aud ugly jagged rocks aro
softensd in their outlines. and the haze
Of the atmosphere softens and blends
what i really fearful, close at hand
into something beautiful.
vssuvius 10 beautiful from tho Naples
side-it Is terror when you are actually
upon u,