Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-16
dence of The EVENING srAr.

I
| Correspondence of THE EVENING sr.r
| NICE FRANCE, September IA.
Our tour In Italy degenerated into a grand
skedaddle out of the country by RAIL We came
| away to save ourselves from homicide aud per-
dition. Almost from the beginning annoy
ances and perplexites heaped upon us. until
| we all became so demonstrative ahd-must we
own it!-proficieutly and artistically profane
that one could scarcely realize we were the
same peaceful. lamb-lke youths that set sail
| from New York three months previously.
Everything considered. the only really pleas
ant riding we had in Italy was between Naples
and the ruins of Pompeii. 1t was hot work,
| but most OF the way the road was paved. pass
| ing through a succession of towns joining one
| on the other and all alike i'll their swarms OF
children, some without clothing AID none with
more than they really needed. Macaroli hung
from strings stretched near the surface OF ths
ground was drying III the sun and absorbing
me dust from passing carts. Up IN northern
Italy the mules or hOrs2s-gencrdlly mules
are harnessod tandem. large mule between
the shafts, then smaller one and finally taper
ing of with q very small donkey. Now we
found the large mule or horse still IN the
shafts, but the Others hitched alongside.
1he runs OF Pompen are Uuder control OF
| the government and admission charge OF
two Ira (40 cents) Is made. guide Is III
/ cluded and no fees are allowed" bul he w.!l
throw ont some pretty broad hints at about the
time his work Is concluded. Leaving our
bicycles outside the entrance gate, We passed
up into the city which in the year 30 A. D., was
buried out OF slght-ilteraily disappeared from
| the face OF the earth. 1t was truly thrIlin; to
walk through the deserted streets, none over
| 80 feet wide from house to house, with their
rade sidewalks and curbng and pavement of
| rough, irregular-shaped blocks. all of lava
rock. On what were evidently the principal
streets ruts are to be seen. worn into the hard
stone by generations of OK carts and chariots.
AT the corner are stepping stones winch served
| as cross-walks. followed by the multitudes OF
sandals that had picked their way across to
AVOID the mud and water Of the street. AT
frequent intervals also at the street corners.
| are the Old public fountains which supplied the
| popuaca with water. Then there are the
heathen temples-for we must remember that
| tins was a heather people--tne th2aters. the
aniphltheater, the forum. the baths. the bake
! shops, the wine shops and the houses OF the
wealthy, all preserved in as nearly is possible
| the same condition i'll which they were found.
| We spent several hours rambling about in and
out among these curious Old rOOtless ruins. try
ing to picture TO ourselves what must have been
the scene 1870 years ago.
YOUNG ITALIAN AND RAG.
| On our way back Naplesward we met with
| our first accident in Italy and a most serious
his career on the gallows-slyly threw a rag
INTO the drlvC-chain on the writer's machine and
| before 1t was discovered all damage possible
! had been done, the forks ben; so that the
| drlve-wheel could not turn. and the vehicle out
OF gear generally. Borrowing few necessary
tools from nelghboring smithy managed
| to render the machine ridaDie for the short
distance back to Naples. beng assisted and en-
| couragcd by a crowd of ''sympathizing mLu.
| women and children. who osnciously helped
! around, neediessly held onto our machines and
! got III the way, and who, when We were ready to
move on, held out their hands for contributions
| and laughed our italian thank you to soon.
| That night as We sat on the balcony of n pen
| sion III Tore del Greco. enjoying the dciici-
ously cool air of the evening. the mountain
skirt bay oil Naples lay before us. seemingly al
| most at our feet, its smooth, nlirror-like sur
| lace rejecting the moonlight, ana, az seen
over intervening tree tops, presenting a most
pleasing picture. At one side, crowned with a
| veritab!e pillar of fire, was Vesuvius. The col
| uinn OF dense smoke as 1t poured up out OF the
| mouth OF the crater was illuminated from the
| fires beneath, while at short intervals chunks
| OF blazing tire-red hot lava-could be seen
forced high into the air, then falling back into
| the crater. The next morning. after firing
out the COOK and other menials who with mer-
| cenary intent hung around to bid US good-by
| We were on our way to nearer view of the
| 1ery furnace which we had thus far seen only
| at distance.
We spent some time in finding the road lead
| ing up to the top of the m ountain. When we
| did mud 1t and had trudged along in the blazing
sun for mile or two of the steady up grade we
had foresight enough to change our minds and
mounting our machines, cut loose from the bat
| taions OF guides and other trash that tagged
along In our wake and either side, like
small BOYS following a brass band. So trouble
some and persistent and me ddlesome were these
pests that we now and then turned about and
charged to keep them from walking over us or
carrying us Off bodily. Arriving in Naples
proper we spent several hours looking for a
certain hotel and then gave 1t up. Whenever
we stopped to consult or to endeayor to derive
| some hight from our alleged map of the CITY we
found ourselves Immediately surrounded by
crowd, who curiously peered at US over each
others shoulders or leaned forward to examine
the map or listen intently to our conversation.
THE ASCENT OF vEsUvIus.
The following morning we hastily swallowed
an early breakfast and reported at the Office of
Thomas Cook Il Sons tourists agency for the
ascent of Mt. Vesuvius. The carriages were to
start at 7, but it was 8 before we got
Off The party consisted Of seven persuasive
carriage loads-an English clergyman, an Aus
trallan, an American from Texas a German
and our bohemian party of three, also Amer
leans. As bicyclists we had usually escaped the
attention of the beggars who make tourists
their special prey; but we were now constantly
petitioned by blind and lame, telling pitiful
tales we could not understand For the first
stages of the ascent the road was paved, but
this soon terminated in a heavy, cindery dust.
growing worse as We advanced and making
progress slow and difficult work, notwithstand-
ing the three horses, harnessed abreast and
that the carriage and load were comparatively
light. At first We passed between dusy dismal
walls OF various heights, composed of lava rock
shutting in vineyards and orchards. Then all
vegetation, everything that could by any posi-
bllIty OF imagination be regarded as having once
been green, disappeared aud we saw great
dried-up rivers of lava, hardened into rock the
surface presenting the appearance of dark
rich. city mud. One of these streams had
found Il lodging place in the midst OF an or
chard, where 1t lay In strange contrast with the
grass and fruit trees on either side Two
guides, who had attached themselves to the
party endeavoring to sell Us lava and other
knick-knacks and, failing in this, inviting us to
give them some money anyway with which to
buy bottle OF wine to drink to our health.
followed US to the lower station Of the railway
to the summit now leaving us, as we thought
for good but only to take short cut by some
to US indistinguishable foot path and rejoining
US farther up.
Nearly i've hours were occupied in reaching
the lower station, where after a short wait. we
took the railway. q cable affair-one car de-
scending while the other ascends-and in few
minutes were at the upper station, from which
We had climb OF some ten minutes up a Steep
cindery path to what until the great eruption
|