Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-13

n. crater q steep climb Of fifteen TO
tvsnfv ffye minutes, according TO the
go md wind Of the climber. Per-
sons with weak lungs or shaky legs
~ In any respect infrm should not
e,,cnnt the latter feat. For them Is
nrovided the cAdise.a- porfeur. Two strong
vouur fellows carry this like bier. their
customer sitting composedly tuDiess he or
he Il badly searedl IN the chair, which IS
sw,,ug In the middle OF two long poles.
The bearers ere like goats in sure-footed-
ness. strength. and agility. IL u wonder
ful 10 see them pick their way among the
hute, Jagged pieces OF smoking lava ana
mn the steep slope Of hot ashes, ankle deep,
without slipping. In an hour one may do
reasonable Justice to the cone and crater.
and 10 two hours and ahilt more be back IN
Naples.
On my way down the mountain prohted
by little spsre time to do wnat most tour-
ists omit. VISITED the observatory. rms
building Is securely placed on spur OF
Vssuyius where the lava wave parts in us
destructive course. Here dwell day ana
NIGHT. al the year round, an accomplished
scjentist ard an able staff, whose duty II Is
10 rote all the phenomena OF ernptions and
EARTHQUAKES. In reality most OF the work
Is done for them by instruments OF almost
Inronceiyable delicacy and precision, ana
they have only to keep these In perfect or
der. This exquisite automatic apparatus
reports everything that the world wants TO
know about earthquakes-except their
cause. They give the direction OF the
movement, its speed and intensity and du.
ration. Though tie man who climbs TO
the crater does not observe the hlntest
throb beneath his feet when the volcano IS
most active, there Is little tell-tale mt
chine down in the observatory which vi
brates passionately at that precise moment.
II is not at rest five minutes together
during the whole day. IL the motion OF
the trembling Is horizontal, then hollow
brass ball swings toward the north, south,
cast. and west, as the case may be. This
indicates unerringly the direction OF the
earthquake wave. II the motion Is vertical,
then spiral coil Of tine wire vlsibly short
ems and springs back again. Every discharge
Of stones from the crater above causes
an extraordinary agitation OF the wire.
You see the shower and the sympathetic
action of this sensitive cell at the same in
slant. The director invites you TO dance q
liz on the floor within foot OF the wire to
show that its movements correspond only
10 actual tremblings Of old mother earth.
on uO SO, luHplus aS uiSu az yOu Nali
but the apparatus makes no sign. The
heavy rumbliug OF wagon in the road
outside does not disturb it. The seismo-
graph" as it i called, does only
the work for which it was designed.
The director. however, was good enough
to switch of It's connection from the
bowels Of the earth to nv pulse. No doctor
with band on wrist could have counted the
beats more accurately. They were more
regular than those OF Vesuyius, If not quite
as herce. out Of the millions OF observa-
lions taken here In the course OF wears II Is
hoped that at some time an exact science OF
earthquakes may be cOnstructed-wlth pos
sibIe usefulness to mankind. For three or
four days before the appalling calamity in
Ischia dust or tins COAST in 1888 all the
apparatus Of the observatory was greatly
excited. Something frightiul was brewing.
That was evident to the watchers up there.
The world knows the result. II II could
have been forctold in time TO save Hundreds
c! lives on that unhappy island that would
indeed have been a triumph OF scieace.