Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-16
The Eraptsen OF Esus.

AN EYE WITNESS TWO MILES DISTANT, ID
scRInfs THE scKSE
Lord Bury sends 10 the London 7Sm>s an
extract from . private letter descri ing the
eruption OF Eina The writer 10 en-, ineer I'm
charge of the fsermo-Corieone railwty. His
letter Is dated Catania, May %:
safer about three hours climbing wa rot IN
within q couple of miles OF the crater It's H. lt
is at the side OF Etna, you know, not ns ar the
got on TO q bit OF high ground overlookirg the
whole scene. IL was still daylight when we got
up there. so that we saw the whole thing by
daylight IL was the most glorious aud indie
scribsble sight ever saw In my lie. xL IA per.
iectly impossible 10 describe ii, no one can
they see f. and also until they see it rom
where we did, which was on high ground over
tsis nnar, nearly me MOI. ot u. AZ toe top is
throwing up stones some hundreds CT yards,
with continual roar, like any number OF
mouth from which the lava comes, travelling "a
a tremendous pace. 10 divides into several
streams and follows the valleys Now. imagine
from where We were that night, with our backs
10 Catania, what we saw. On our rixhl this
enormous flame going hundreds OF Ieet Into the
air. making the whole sky bright red, and all
down past us from our right, aud extending
down miles 10 the loft streams OF red-hot lava
moving downward In q mass Tor mics, aud
looking Ike an enormous Sea OF red-hoi coke.
The width acruss the lava where we were WAS.
perhaps, three or lour miles, and IL started
about two miles above us, aud flowed some iour
sea OF angry. red-hot lava. five or six miles long
aud three or Iour wide, and about 80 or 40 ieet
deep, but all OF IL bright red. You can Judge
whether IL WAS sight worth seeing. would
not have missed IL for worlds. The lava is NOT
LIQUID, as most people suppose, but consists OF
many millions OF large and small blocks Of
rocky looking stun rolling onward. We saw
one huge ROCK OF old lava standing in the middle
OF the stream OF lava, which was divided
oy ana ran around IT. tho rock
was about the size OF (sayl Qui.
denham church, and this rock suddenly
split into two parts, the smaller half crum bled
NJ and the other half was carried bodily down
with the stream slowly aud steadily We
watched ft until We lett, and IL moved about
three-q aarters OF mile In about three-qu arters
OF an hour. We waited there until nearly mid.
night, as we could not venture down until :ha
moon got up, and then We reluctantly lett this
magnincent sight, which, A. 1 tell you, no de.
scription can give you any idea Of As we went
up We mad Mi gone Into a little house to see IL
and walked round IL, and thought IL was On.
pleasantly close To the lava. Well, as We came
down this house was In flames and ca az ht by
the strean- In many places We had 10 take
Inherent paths, SO quick ~ had the lava spread
as III Came down, aDd from below a. IN awful
quite close 10 49, 10 this mass 80 or 40 feet
high coming slowly toward you. We we're up
near the crater nearly Iour hours. We saw
other people 40 up 20 zee the COVER end OF the
lava, stay there n lew minutes, and go down
again; but the way Ia do IL is, 10 20 rig ht high
up, arriving 10y daylight and then stay there 10
see IL oy night aud watch the changes going ON.
lt WA Glorious"