Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-18
THE WATERBURY EVENING DEMOCRAT WEDNESDAY,,
THE CRATER OF vEsUVIUs.
4 Good Look Into tho Depths of tn
 Great Abyss of Fire and Birthstone.

A Good Look Into tho Depths of the
 Great Abyss of Fire and Birthstone.
 We stood at the great gulf in the mountain top-at the crater of the most active volcano in the world. From the great abyss before us came clouds of thick, sulphurous vapor, with sound sometimes as if thunder storms were being manufactured within, and again as if the hosts of hades were down there. bat tling furiously with each other. We could readily believe-what we are told by scien- tists-that volcano is constant war be- tween the ocean of water that is always not far away and the ocean of fire that rages in- side the earth. Now and then great focks of stones went flying hundreds of feet into the afr, and at the end of their return jour- ney alighted as near us as we cared to have them.
 Wishing to get another view of the crater, l engaged two extra guides, who, for the modest sum of $1 extra, contracted to show me everything additional that one could witness, and yet hope to descend the mount ain on the outside, and take dinner in the evening with his friends. After exhibiting several points upon their anatomy where bones had been broken by falling rocks (all of which seemed to have healed remarkably they led me straight into the thick sulphury steam, which was about as stifling as any thing l ever undertook to breathe. and made the physical interior feel as if it were being treated to a sudden attack of sponta- neous combustion. We descended into a crater valley, which was full of vapor breath ing crevices, and weird enough to form one of the most interesting districts of Dante's "Inferno." Suddenly my guides made a break for fresh air and the outer edge of the crater, and l, supposing that some tremen- l~.~ 1A at hand, used about second and = half in following them-so as to get good look at it from safe point.
 "Great dangerol" shouted the swarthy vil- lain who had my five francs. "It blows, this the wind! wrong wayl Half the hour ago, all it was differenti If you then had only been herel But we must now go it backn
 The average Yankee, however cowarGlly, had rather lose his life fairly than be swim dled out of a dollar; and, besides, had been told of this trick by friend who had ascended the volcano the day before. So, hiding all my trembling fears, insisted on the whole trip to the edge of s'the new era ter"
 ''It is death with only two guides," said the swarthy villain. ''Two more guides you must haf, that they shall warn and keep the failing SCOueS ITOm klluug you.
 At this point new guides began to spring up around me, as if they had been ejected from among the contents of the volcano. Not wishing to take too many of them into certain destruction, I ignored all except the smallest one, and, shaking my cane at him with an assumed courage which did mol exactly feel, threatened him with instant de struction entirely disconnected with volca noes if he did not follow out the terms o1 the contract.
 We were soon at the best point from whicf to view the great drama of fire that was go ing on beneath Flames sent their ruddy glow upon the swelling clouds of vapor tha, constantly pushed their way into the air Now and then came sob from the breast o the cruel mountain, as if it were mourning for the thousands it had murdered. The sul phur fumes made me feel as if the volcan,
 were reaching out its long white fingers ane clutching me by the throat. A half gratin, and half hissing sound was followed by al explosion like the voice of cannon, and , long stone wall went stretching up into tn
 air in fragmental sections, between me an,
 that invisible locality where the sky was sup
 posed to be. soon began to persuade mysel
 that it was unjust to expose the guide to peri
 any longer, and, to set good example, scam
 pered out of the way ahead of him with a much agility as 1855 pounds avoirdupois woul, l allow-Wiu Carlton in New York Star