The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-11-27
FIRST 1MPREss1oNs OF EUROPE.

FIRST ImPhESSIONS Or EOhONG'
Mt. VesuvIus and It's Observatory
The Crater Remlniscences of the
Trip TO VesuYIus and Return 10 Ma
ples-T he City aud Its Site-WageS In
Italy and Germany The Country
About POmpeII aud soil of Europe
Etc, Etc.
Especial Correspondence Of the Banner.l
NUMBER TX.
The famous observatory is not far from
the foot of the cone, and is a fine large
brick building located on an elevated
site: during the last eruption the lava
ran on both sides of the little hill, and
not more than 800 feet away; it must
have been tolerably warm at the obser-
vatory about that time. Another great
mass overfowed the rear of the little
plateau, which looks now as If the next
overflow of lava on that side, would
destroy the observatory. Arrived at the
railway station, which looks like small
white spot viewed from Naples, we
found it at the foot of the cone, which
rises very steeply 1900 feet above it, a
mass of ashes into which ones feet sink
deeply at every step. The stationary
engine which runs the wire cables, is
housed in good brick building, while a
large and comfortable hotel also of brick
affords good accommodations. The rail
way is double tracked, one car ascends
and meets the other descending, mid
way of the cone: only 10 minutes is re-
quired to reach the top, where regular
guides are met, who conduct you short
distance up a winding path, ankle deep
in loose ashes, to the summit, the imme-
diate vicinity of the crater. The top is
level and the crater was formerly a large
opening in this plateau but within year
smaller cone has appeared; at the
time of our visit it was about 70 feet
high, built up by the continual dropping
of lava and scoria thrown out by
the explosions in the crater, and a
remarkably active and promising child
it is for its age. This small cone changes
the appearance of the mountain as seen
from distance.
Several years ago an Englishman was
overcome by the fumes and fell into the
crater. His body was not recovered.
We walked toward the small cone over
ground yellow with sulphnr and which
almost burned our feet, choked mean
while by tine sulphurous fumes which
came out of the ground on all sides. At
the request of the guide put my hand
to crevice in the rock, but held IL
there no longer than the time required
to jerk it away, for the heat could not
be borne for an instant | wished to
climb to the top of the baby cone to
look down the crater, but the guide
objected as stones were dropping
thickly about it, although the wind
blew them and the clouds of sulphurOus
smoke rising constantly from the crater,
away from us.
After much persuasion he finally
agreed to go, but it was the hardest
climb | ever undertook, for the cone was
very steep, and the material of which it
was composed was so lightly piled, we
sunk into it foot, and every step would
dislodge about square feet of the
shifty stuff, besides dodgiug occasional
stones or chunks of lava, so that | was
about winded when | reached the top.
Just as looked over the edge the smoke
blew away long enough to give me
a chance to see nearly down to the lava
flood below, and found myself hanging
over the awful chasm, as the sides of the
crater had an outward slant toward the
bottom. just then bang, came tre-
mendous explosion, filling the air with
missiles, and we hastily retreated, dOdg-
ing them as best we could; fortunately
none hit us, it would have been unpleas-
ant as many of them were thrown to a
height of at least 200 feet. and were red
hot besides. After each vicious explosion
the liquid lava would slop back like
water, the sound made me shudder,
realizing the nearness of that mass of
molten fire. The lava had broken out
on the other side of the cone the night
before, making the volcano more active
than usual.
The view from tho summit is superb,
| if one can take their eyes off the crater,
taking in the whole bay, all the cities
and towns about it, including Pompeii,
and at least 100 miles of the plain
toward Rome. All along the path as we
descended, steam out of the g ound.
The regular guides are paid by and
under the control of the railway com
pany, but guerillas stay near the top to
trap unwary travellers into accepting
their help on the upward climb. They
dangle rope with moose in the end
lust before your face. so tantalizingly
as YOU toll laboriously upward, telling
YOU lust to slip your arm through the rope
and they will have you up in no time
You do not need them but they are SC
persistent. and not to be shaken of
that people sometimes take the rop'
iust to stop their noise, whereupon they
Immediately demand 10 francs, ten timei
the usual fee. Very few Italians trave
outside their own country, and the!
have an idea that those who do trave
; like the Americans and English mus
lbe immensely wealthy, millionaires a
= least, so they use all manner OF device
TO wbeedle money ont of the pockets o
II the supposedly rich travellers. Thi
explains the plague of beggars, ant
the extortions to which all travellers ar
treated
THE heaviest grade on the railway
60 feet in 100 the cone is so steep tina
the lower station cannot be seen froI
the upper one: the sensation OF comm
, down was as if we sat in a box and wer
being lowered down the side OF moi
ument 1900 feet high. This rallwa
, property is very precarious, liable as
is to be destroyed at any time. In
guides prefer running down the con'
each step about 20 feet long, TO goln
down in the cars; was told III was
: wonderfully enjoyable experience. u
J. feet springing out OF the ashes as II Oh
jumped on India rubber, but boo
DlacK s So1NlCeS dIG liiiipNt"VSiJ NSS
: sary. | did not see any of the employees
who preferred climbing the cone ON 100
to going up on the railway.
The return to Naples was accomplish'
lin much shorter time than the journ'
out: passing through town we sa
any amount of children who in atti
approached very nearly to the Sanndwi'
Islanders who went to church, Of
dressed in a plug hat, the other in
smile, one youngster about years Q
was parading the streets in the sml
costume.
Just outside Naples, the street is I'm
on both sides with handsome buildin
arranged in flats, the glimpses OF 7
rear courts, caught as we drove past I
doors, were often very pi city, especiia
ON the side toward the water, VIII.
nearly every house had a large gard
sloping to the bay shore, distance
several hundred feet. 1t was genera
reported that the trip up Vesuvius by
a railway was extremely expensive,
: when compared notes with those "
assembled from the Pompeii side