The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-04

A Hell of Sulphur, Fire, Cindlers and Red
Hot Stones,

AulnbuTg scotsman.
One of party of hardy Scots, who, hearing
that Mount Vesuvius was in a state of ferment
determined to, and did, ascend the laboring pile,
wrote from San Reno on May -, an account OF
the adventure, in part as follows Horses and
guide were awaiting us at ! A. NJ. 1t
beautiful, clear cold, starry morning. and we all
felt in the best of spirits. We trotted about IN
any order We saluted few belated market
men returning from Naples but they were all
evidently asleep in their wagons, and
gave us no response AT last we
through narrow lanes for the burning
mountain. 1t seemed to be in good working
order-the fire fountain playing on the summit.
The streams OF lava pouring down Its sides and
collecting into five red glowing caldrons. We
were here going Indian file-frst our guide,
mounted on light chestnut horse that we
elriStened Vesuvius; then my friend. on rest
less white animal whose name was "iaribaldi;
myself on 'Macaroni,T and last OF all the lady
o! the company on Mary Stuart" to the tail of
which boy, who to take back the horses.
armly held on, and. half asleep, was being
dragged along. at A. NJ the tramp OF our
martial steeds woke the echoes os .:-c
sleeping hamlets-"Bosco tire Case and 'Bosco
Reale," Tine Wood of Three Houses and
'"rhe Royal Wood" Beyond this our path lay
between fields or vines, and then, the mountain
proper being reached by zigzag paths, among
cinders and score, gradually approaching the
streams of burning lava. BY o'clock we reached
q little plateau called the Atrio del Cavalo.
where we all dismounted to make the further
ascent Of the mountain foot, it being too steep
and rugged to take the horses This plateau
nearly level with the terminl of the
streams of burning lava. Skirtinc the mountain
toward the sea, we went to examine these. We
were struck with the manner in which the lava
advances. This Is not in n thin stream, but in a
huge pile thirty forty feet deep. of wedge like
form The surface Of this had, to a certain extent,
cooled and dulled; inside it glowing red The
onward movement of these streams was caused
by the enormous weight of lava pushing from
behind Its movement was thus by throbs and
pulsations. They also extended and wild
ened by the lava constantly falling over It's sides
and face, exactly as an embankment is enlarged
by material being conveyed along its top and
tilted over the edge. We now returned to the
AtrO del Cavallo and continued our ascent.
After half hours struggle among loose ashes
we came to slopes of lava, the appearance of
which was most striking 1t exactly resembled
the entrails of great monster, literally 1.-The
bowels of the earth" Again we passed through
ashes and in some places, where the former
were very steep and deep sort Of scori;e
causeway was laid TO assist the toilsome ascent.
We were now thankful to reach halfway
house, or rather sort OF rest and DC thank
fur sheltered seat formed of blocks of
lava Day was now beginning to dawn, and
what marvellous panorama we looked down
upon! Away to the southeast were the Abruzzi
mountains. whose snowy peaks were just catch
ing and giltterlng In the rays OF the rising sun;
to the southwest were the islands of Capri and
lschia, throwing off a thin mantle of mist, in
which they had passed the night; near at hand
the lovely contour of the bay of Naples, with its
smiling villages: a little way inland the red ruins
OF PompeH, in the midst of green fields and
pleasant woods while in contrast to all that
fertility and life and beauty we had around us a
scene of utter silence and desolation. Not a
speck of green, not bird, not an insect; no life
only fields on fields of lava, and scOriH, and
ashes The silence from time to time was
broken but it was Only by the low mutterings
and grOwngs OF the mountain that always her
aided an upheaval of lava and debris.
Again We bent our steps upward going ZlgZag
among scorSe and lava, passing various little ex-
tinct craters, until we came to where the mount
ain was hot and where white sui phurous smoke
was rising all about Hero another halt was
called and the guide went off to explore. He
soon returned and babe us follow. We could
not 90 higher at this point for smoke and falling
stones, and so we struck across the mountain in
the Naples direction. We soon saw where we
were-at the fountain head of the two streams
of burning lava. These we must cross before we
could make a further ascent The guide stepped
very cautiously the black, cooling crusts of
lava and we followed. We were surrounded at
times with sulphurous smoke. Our feet felt
blistering in our boots. The lava creaked
and cracked but we passed lightly
on. little dog had followed us from
the hotel; its piteous cries attracted US. The
poor creature was having its feet Sorely burned;
so we took it up and carried it. But now we
were safely over and could examine closely
the phenomena. We approached near the
streams of burning lava as its seorching heat
permitted. We saw it issuing from what looked
like huge. black. cast-lrOn cylinders. These
were formed of the outer rim of lava that had
gradually cooled somewhat and hardened. The
burning mass moved constantly. butnot equally.
1t seemed to pusate and throb in its tiowing-to
be ierked out Of the cylinders. AS it advanced
down the mountain 1t grew IN width and height,
because always cooling, and became less LIQUID
until it ende1 in the great piles that we first
think the worst and most dangerous part of the
whole ascent had now to be made This was an
almost perpendicular cone of loose ashes. At
every step we sank to the knees. our progress
was exceedingly slow. Right below US were the
burning streams of lava. into which 1t seemed
we were bound to slide. Above was the era
ter. whose thunderings we could hear and whose
tremblings at times we thought we felt Breath
less and exhausted, we frequently lay down
among the ashes But at last we gained the
summit and our eXertions were rewarded. Such
a sight! The crater of Vesuviusl A perfect hell
of sulpher fire and smoke, cinders and ashes,
and red hot stones: its flooring of hardened lava
everywhere rent by seams and cracks and yawn
ing chasms emitting sitting vapors, while in the
midst of it all rose the last formed central cone
of smoking debris, belching forth clouds of sui
phurous vapor and at intervals with loud thun-
derlngs ana with an effort that shook the noun
tain, throwing like mighty fire fountain show
ers of rock and scora high into the air. Amid
the terror of the scene there an element of great
beauty. The rich and varied coloriug that every
where prevailed was wonderful, from the purest
white up through all shades of yellow and rich
orange to deepest reds the deposits of salts and
sulpher and iron and chemical matters.
Near the cone there were two tremendous
chasms. To the edge of this we could approach.
The guide explained that they opened q week
ago when the present eruption took place.
They were the reservoirs from which flowed the
two rivers of lava that We're now coming down
the mountains sides The guide did not wish us
to linger, so we undd our baskets and set about
having breakfast. 1t was now o'clock, and we
thought we had earned this meal after FIVE
hours climb. But our appetites were not worthy
of the occasion; little seemed to satisfy
There was some excuse for this, for the thin
crust of lava on which we sat WAS hot and trem-
bling, and the crater" so far from being APP
peased by presence, seemed to be extra
irritable; for we had scarcely started breakfast