Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-08-05
VESUViuS.
Truthful William ON Renowned Mountain
i'm TtaIv

in Italy.
The study of the habits and tempera-
ment of the volcano at distance of
about ten thousand miles is one that
has always afforded me much pleasure.
In watching and noting the peculiar
phenomena of the eruptons / have
almost lost sight of it's attendant dam
gers.
A volcano is always feverish and
restless till after the eruption. then it
feels better. The first symptoms OF an
eruption are cold feet, bad dreams, bad
breath, and dark circles around the
crater. This will be followed by an
uncomfortable feeling in the bowels of
the earth and fluttering pulse. The
volcano is then about to erupt, and
those who live near had better sell out
at a sacrifice.
One thousand eight hundred and
eighty-four years ago the Roman
goographer and weather crank, Strabo,
spoke of Vesuvius as burnt mountain;
but it had not at that time turned itself
wrong side out Quite a forest grew
where its crater now stands. For fifty
years Vesuvius had bilious spells, but
kept on drawing its salary without loss
Ct time, but in 70 A. d. it turned itself
loose and tore up the ground good
deal. Real estate was to an astonishing
height, but became depressed at once.
The south half of the mountain was
ierked loose, as Pliny has it, and
knocked galley-west. This was fol-
lowed by shower of hot, wet ashes,
which obliterated Pompeii and Hercu-
laneum. Those towns have been ex-
humed lately; but, owing to criminal
delay of the authorities in doing so, no
lives were saved.
These cities are not covered with
lava. Scientists say that the ruins
were found under deep layer of vol
canic tufa. do not know what tufa
is. but presume the term is perfectly
proper and safe to use in good society.
l have heard of the tufa cigar, which is
sold at the rate of tufa five cents, but l
am comparatively ignorant of the gen.
eral appearance of volcanic tufa. This
joke that [ thought of myself. Times
are SO close this winter that l am
obliged to originate good many of my
own jokes and to write my own auto
graphs. My amanuensis, who has
stood by me SO long and aided me so
well, has been discharged. Autograph
hunters will notice that my autographs
are not so good as when / had my
amanuenss.
For nearly one thousand years We
suvius then remained in a comatose
state, with only an occasional eruption.
Then for five hundred years it did not
erupt. In 1888, on the shores of the
Gulf of Baie, IN the Bay of Naples, a
new and attractive crater was opened.
1t was good, easy-running crater,
and the lava was hot when it came
out. Hot lava is not good for food.
1t hardens in the stomach and
taints the breath With the odor of SUI
phur.
In 1851 Vesuvius itself again became
intensely irritable and showed signs of
morbid desire to erupt. During the
fifteen hundred years of quie the crater
had been covered over with forests in
tested by the wild boar of Italy and the
tame bore of England. The slopes of
the mountain were cultivated up to the
foot of the cone, and Sunday school
picnics swarmed over the green swards
at it's base
Suddenly, in the latter part of De-
cember, Vesuvius rose on it's hind feet
and painted Rome red. All Southern
Europe and part of York State was
covered with ashes and debris from the
internal economy of the Volcano
Many people were killed who had never
previously lost their lives. The way
Vesuvius slung hot mud at the Neapoli-
tan hordes that fall was solemn warn
ing to the puny pushers of putrid poll
tics in the land of the free and the home
of the brave. The beautiful cities of
Resini and Postici were entirely de-
stroyed, and those of Tore del Greco
and Tore DELI Annunziata would have
persisted if they had not spread the
names of the towns over themselves
and escaped. A good long name in
Italy is rather to be chosen than great
riches.
About every ten years since the
above date, Vesuvius has been liable to
jar the country and shake down few
towns, covering the people with stuff
that is entirely useless. The eruption
of Vesuvius is a fine sight at night.
No doubt that there will always be
more or less apprehension on the part
of spectators until some American
'*rustler'' puts damper in the crater
OF Vesuvius, SO he can regulate the
eruption. At present those spasms are
too irregular and too vehement. Bib
Nye, IN Iaagleside.