Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-04-08
MT. VESUViUS.
Its Appearance Immediately After a Slight
Eruption.


It's Appearance Immediately After Slight
Eruption.
A bold traveller who had the temerity
to ascend Vesuvius just after slight
eruptions, and while it was still in a
state of ferment, thus describes it's ap-
pearance:
mot a speck of green, not bird,
not an insect; no life-only fields on
fields of lava and scoria and ashes. The
silence from time to time was broken,
but it was only by the low mutterings
and growlings of the mountain that
always heralded an upheaval of lava
and debris. Again we bent our steps
upward, going zigzag among scorie and
lava, passing various little extinct
craters, until we came to where the
mountain was hot and where white sui
phurous smoke was rising all about.
Here another halt was called, and the
guide went off to explore. He soon re-
turned and babe us follow. We could
not 90 higher at this point for smoke
and falling stones, and so he struck
across the mountain in the Naples
direction. We soon saw where we
were-at the fountain-head of two
streams of burning lava. These we
must cross before we could make a fur
Their ascent. The guide stepped very
cautiously on the black, cooling crusts
of lava, and we followed. We were
surrounded at times by sulphurous
smoke. Our feet felt blistered in our
boots. The lava creaked and cracked,
but we passed lightly on. A little dog
had followed us from the hotel; its pite-
Gus cries attracted us. The poor crea-
ture was having its feet sorely burned,
so we took it up and carried it. But
now we were safely over, and could ex-
anime more closely the phenomena.
We approached as near the stream of
burning lava as its scorching heat per-
mitted. We saw it issuing from what
looked like huge, black, cast-iron cylin-
ders. These were formed of the outer
rim of lava that had gradually cooled
somewhat and hardened. The burning
mass moved constantly. 1t seemed to
pulsate and throb in its t1owing-to be
jerked out of the cylinders. AS it adj
vanced down the mountain it grew in
width and height, because always cool
ing, and became less liquid, until it end
ed in the great piles that we first saw.
l think the worst and most dangerous
part of the whole ascent had now to be
made. This was an almost perpendicu-
lar conc of loose ashes. At every step
we sank to the knees, so our progress
was exceedingly slow. Right below us
were the burning streams of lava, into
which it seemed we were bound to slide.
Above us was the crater, whose thunder
ings we could hear, and whose trem-
blings at times we thought we felt.
Breathless and exhausted, we frequently
lay down among the ashes. But at last
we gained the summit, and all our exer-
tons were rewarded. Such sight! The
crater of Vesuvius! A perfect hell of sui
phur, fire and smoke, cinders and ashes,
and red-hot stones; its flooring of hard
ened lava was rent by seams and cracks
and yawning chasms emitting sitting
vapors, while in the midst of it all rose
the last-formed central cone of smoking
debris, belchlng forth clouds of sulphur
Gus vapor, and at intervals, with loud
thunderings, and with an effort that
shook the mountain, throwing like a
mighty fire fountain showers of rock
and scor9 high into the air. Amid the
terror of the scene there was an element
of great beauty. The rich and varied
coloring that everywhere prevailed was
wonderful, from the purest white up
through all the shades of yellow and rich
orange to deepest reds. the deposits of
salts and sulphur, and iron and chemical
matters. Chicago Interior.