The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-07-09


IN itj path any of the villas had seen
below. From this point on to the
station OF the k'unicuar Railway the
road for the most time passes between
gray-back walls of lava, the tops of
which are curled like waves or twisted
into capricous spiral forms, and there
forever stilled. Not a flower or blade
OF grass grows there, except in crevices
where dust may have fallen and the
wind has scattered seeds.
The desolation mile after mile is op.
pressive to behold. One seeks relief
by looking back over the blue Mediter.
ranean and the reddish white cities of
the plain. Or else he looks ahead and
up to Nesuvius, whose terrible males
| ty now begins to appear. Inow Sc
that where the sea OF lava ends tn,
ashes begin. The vapor, which seemed
to curl up peacefully and thinly-from
the standpoint ofNapes-is mounting
to the sky in great volume. and
whlrlng rs if in a cyclone. One mag
mes roar as that hot steam PUSHES
from the crater. He sees specks tossed
INTO the air. These are stones flung
alott two or three hundred feet and
dropping back into the yawning pit
to be presently elected again. He has
been told that Nesuvius is a little
more active than usual. He can now
readily understand OF what frightful
deeds the volcano is capable when in
the maddest humor. Not only all the
little cities near his base which have
been rebuilt in their childlil5e faith
that they will never again be destroy
ed, but proud Naples, which ha so
far been spared, are at his mercy
After had ascended by railway to
q nearer view ofrhe monster, and com
pleted my acquaintance with him as
far as it was safe, familiarity did not
lessen my respect for his power. 1t
seemed impudently inquisitive for q
party OF tiny mortals to be throwing
stones into his enormous mouth, pok-
ing canes into his ribs and stirring up
the red fire there, and laughing as the
dense sulphurous fumes rose in our
faces. The guides roasted eggs for us,
and we ate them with pinch OF salt
chucking the shells into the crater,
which answered back with shower
of red hot stones. These luckily miss
ed their mark. | incline to think
that some of the fun made by our
company OF visitors was like whistlna
to keep up courage. For | noticed
that the noisest OF them hung hard to
| the guides and gave q wide berth to
/ the crater's edge, and looked much
| pleased when the signal was given to
return. Just as we started on the
downward path Nesuvius made a
| noise between a sob and a shrek. and
! hal.hn1 fnrtI, g.,
| stones, which might have spoiled some
hats and even heads ii they had been
shot accurately.
For the information of those who
| hayenever ascended Nesuvius but hope
! to do so some day. | add that the trip
/ by carriage from Naples is three and
| one-half hours long to the foot OF the
! Funicular Railway. Thence to the
upper station twelve minutes by
line much resembling that OF Mount
| Washington or the Switzerland Rig in
ease and safety. From there to the
| top OF the crater is a steep climb OF
/ fifteen or twenty-five minutes, accord
| ing to the age and wind OF the eclmber
| Persons with weak lungs or shakv legs
| or IN any respect lntirm should not at
| tempt the latter feat. For them is
! provided the chalse-a porteur. Two
strong young fellows carry this like a
| bler-their customer sitting composed
| ly (unless he or she is badly scareGl in
i the chair which is swung in the middle
| OF two long poles. The bearers are
/ like goats IN sure-iootedness. strength
and agility. 1t Is wonderful to see
! them pick their way among the huge,
/ Jagged pieces OF smoking lava. and up
| the steep slope OF hot ashes-ankle
| one may do reasonable jus tice to the
| cone and crater, and in two hours and
a half more be back in Naples.
| Onmy way down the mountain Ipofit-
! ed bya little spare timero do what most
/ tourists omit. visited thu observa-
tory This building is securely pac-
ed on & spur OF Nesuvius where the
/ lava waves parts in its destructive
course. Here dwell day and night. all
the year around, an accomplished
scientist and an able staff, whose
duty it is to note all the phenomena
OF eruptions and earthquakes. In
reality most OF the work is done for
them by Instruments OF almost incon-
ceivable dellcacy and precision, and
they have only to keep these in per
feet order. This exquisite automatic
| apparatus reports everything that
the world wants oknow about earth
| quakes except their-cause. They
| give the direction OF the movement,
it's speed and intensity and duration.
| Though the man who climbs to the
crater does not observe the faintest
throb beneath his feet when the vol
| t,G&o is most active, there is a little
tei-tale machine down in the observa-
tory which vlbrates passionately at
that precise moment.
1t is not at rest five minutes togeth-
er during the whole day. If the mo-
ton OF the trembling is horizontal,
then hollow brass ball swings
towards the north south, east and
west, as the case may be. This indi.
Gates unerringly the direction OF the
earthquake wave. If the motion is
vertical, then spiral coil of fine wire
visibly shortens and springs back
again. Every discharge OF stones from
the crater above causes an extraor-
dnary agitation OF the wire. You see
the shower and the sympathetic ac-
ton of this sensitive coil at the same
instant. The director invites you to
dance a Jig on the floor within a foot
OF the wire, to show that it's move
ments correspond only to actual
tremblnss OF old mother earth. You
do so, jumping as high as you can.
But the apparatus makes no sign.
The heavy rumbling OF a wagon in the
road outside does not disturb it. The
"sesmograph," as it is called, does
only the work for which it was de-
: signed. The director, however, was
good enough to switch Off its connec-
ton from the bowels OF the earth to
my pulse.
No doctor with hand on wrist could