Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-12-24

A STREET OF TONES AND THEIR INTERESTING Con

New Finds at POmpeii.
| STREET OF TONES AND THEIR INTERESTING con-
TENTS.
Naples Letter to the London Daily News
In the year 172O the digging OF a wen revealed
the existence of the ancient city of Herculaneuin
| beneath the modern towns Of Resina and Portici
The same operatian on the part OF the owner OF q
vineyard situated some distance to the east Of the
ampitheatre OF Pompeii led to the discovery, about
six week, ago, OF a street OF tonbS running in q
direct line from Pompeii to Nocera- Taking ad-
vantage OF the visit OF archaeological friend Oh
mine. who had Just returned from scientific tour
to Pergamon, yesterday accompanied him ana
Prof sagliano director OF the excavations to visit
| the newly discovered ruins.
The little space at present dug out has brought
to light, deep below the surface OF the ground,
tOlerably wide and well made ancient road, or q
kind OF macadam construction, slightly arched
In the center TO as to allow the rain water to run
on, and with low earthly bank on either side, on
the top OF which the seven tombs recently eX-
cavated, four on one side and three on the other
This road runs nearly due east in the direction
from Pompe1 10 NOcera, the portion now eNca-
| waited lying about 600 feet from the Pompciian
amph1theater, and 1t is supposed that when IL Is
found nI at its commencement. It is also not i'm
probable that near the city 1t will be found To De
paved with lava. like the the celebrated street OF
TOmbs on the western side. Should the whole be
found to be closely lined with tombs as Is the
portion laid bare, 1t will be one OF the most
important discoveries lately made In this part OF
the world. Unfortunately money is wanting,
and the excavation is going on but slowly. The
ancient level OF the street being here very low,
the road Is first covered to the depth OF ten or
| fifteen feet with pumice stones elected from
Vesuv1us during the great eruption Of 1872. Then
pumice about ten nj inches thick another thin one
| OF ashes and over all earth several feet deep.
Just below this upper earth were found seven
large statues, which had evidently surmonnted
the tombs beneath. On the road itself can be seen
the Slight depressions or ruts caused by the wneeis
| rather back 1t has low stone balustrade, which
keeps the line and extends beyond the tomb,
| probably inclOSing space purchased Tor Subs-
quent tombs, and then the next tomb is again
built forwardOn the original line Thus this little
portion OF excavated street has neat ana sym
tombs lie on the north side of the road, and are
pretty much OF the same general size though each
has different arrangement OF architecture. Illey
are separated from each other by about root and
half; they are all built OF alternate layers OF
Ses "a and ID nG WIN ~
with COrinthian or Ionic capitals. Some OF the
| tombs have vault beneath, and all are provided
They very much remind one of the little chapels
| in modern Catholic cemetery, such as the Naples
Campo SantO. The first tomb eXcavated being
the one nearest to Popeii on the north side OF the
road, is covered with rude inscriptions painted IN
red, one OF which is notable; it is an advertisement
| appraising the passers-by that a runaway horse
has been found OF such size and color, and that
from Nocera, at.the bridge over the sarno, toward
s aand on In an f sSe to%a Msc Sase
IDENTITY served as pueli,c newspapeG5 on n, tne
graphites. one person has scratched his name
With the word ''Relnember" beneath. In one
the letter is very interesting from the fact that
ii is marked with dot in the fork Of the v, which
| is a Renaissance OF the O5can character, causing
the to be pronounced more like O. Nearly all the
rudely traced Interruptions (Which, OF course nave
nothing to do with the true inscriptions on marble
slabs that denote the name and qualities or the
deceased relate to Nocera, showing the influence
OF that neighb0ring town on Pompei1. One OF the
marble Inscriptions gives to Nocera the surname
OF ConStantia, in relation to its faithfulneSs-a
surname believe, seen here In this connection 1or
| the first time. One OF the tombS had been sur
mounted on its four coners with stone pineapples,
interesting, suggestive OF this style OF deco;-
ton as noticed In the immense single pineapple
| said to have crowned Hadrians tomb In Rome. 1t
is curious that in the inches OF one OF the tombs
| stand two small headstones instead OF urns:
lets, skulls, and bones have been deposited In the
room Of a country cottage hard by, all except
one statue which lies prone on the gtoun1 ne
| round its neck, to hold fast the end OF ragged
| canvas stretched on a small tree as shelter
from the sun-a mental office to which, no doubt,
the man who was OF sufficient consideration 10
| have statue never dreamed that his e11gy
would be degraded. The 1ul length statues are all
portraits, and evidently very good ones for each
OF the faces is highly characteristic One elderly
| male figure has fine head and the mouth OF an
orator: another is handsome young man OF Gree
ian type; one is dignifled old woman, grave with
years and honOrs with deep lines at the corners OF
the very peculiar and firmly pressed lips, and a
| style OF dressing the hair which reminds one OF
the statues of Liv1a. Then there are, besides, a
middle-aged and young woman, OF smoother coun-
pinched features. On the hair OF one OF the male
statues there are traces Of color, and as the rg-
ures are Sculptured rather roughly in stone, the
| style, resembling that OF Capua, It Is possible
that the whole rigure was once covered with paint.
forgot to say ehat all the tom1s found are tnoss
Ranged in the recess OF wall OF the room or ly-
ing on the ground were several skulls, one OF mag
niticent size and breadth. One had still coin,
thick with verdigris, stuck between its broken
teeth, while In another from some cause or other
the whole jaw and lower part CT the skull were de-
stroyed and the cavity filled with hardened ashes,
in which, about where the throat would have been,
stuck coin. A few cinerary urns and amphoraB
| OF terra Gotta have been also found, one OF the
! former double with lid furnished with a pipe
through which to pour l1batiOnS. The exact period
of these tombs the details OF the inscriptions, &C,
have not yet been scientifically aScertained but
my friend told me that they are probably OF the
periods of julius Caesar and Tiberius. 1t Is very
likely that when this street OF tOmbS Is eXcayated
| back to Pompen, older and perhaps more suInptu-
tombs will be found, it being generally, though
not always, the case that the erecting OF tomDs Is
begun close TO the city and extended further into
the country as occasion requires.
|
RailrOading Under the Sea.
| THE FIRST TRAIN GOES THROUGH THE SEVERN TUNNEL,
"a MILES UNDER THE OCEAN.
| From the Cardiff Weekly Mail.
The first passenger trains passed through the
SlSdntc IuDc linking tue SnoreSo MOnInOutnSnlre
| and Worcestershire on Wednesday morning. Be-
| fore those on board quite knew where they were a
shril whistle, a sudden darkening-for it was now
| nearly broad daylight-and eve are in," told
| them they were 'rn' and rushing down a clearly
| perceptible decline toward point hundred feet
Lelow the bed OF the broad estuary In q trce
watches were out and windows down, the first to
keep time the other to test the ventilation. The
thrush OF the icycOid air. as clear and pure the
| trip across was being made in the Old way-over
| instead Of under the channel-showed the
| ney - If such it may be called = proved
| to be more like a run through pretty
deep cutting than through tunnel four and O
quarter miles long. For about three minutes and
| half after entering there was no mistaking the
| fact that sharp gradient was being descended.
| then mOmentary rumble as the train passed over
the curve OF the arc-for the tube dips in the cen
for ond than tho locomotive ot on avar do,roao