The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-12-04

FIRsr IMPRESSIONS OF EUROPE.
/ PoapeIi and Its Remains-Hercuianenm
aud Its Surroundings - Railways, Tun-
| ueln NJ auntains and the Island of Elba-
Pisa aud Its Leaning Tower-Genoa'
| BIrthplace OF Columbus-Turin and the
Arcade-Mt. Gents .and Its Tunnel-rhe
| Geneyan Musical ConventIOn-Mt Blanc
from the Lake, Etc.
Especial Correspondence Of the Bdnner.l
NUMBER X.
! PompeiI is carefully fenced i'll and
guarded by soldiers, one of whom was
| detailed to conduct us over the place.
One of my preconceived notions about
the place was abruptly dispelled when
we had to 90 up quite hill to reach it,
for had always supposed it lay in a hol-
low. We stopped first at the museum,
a long narrow one-stpry building, con-
tanning many things found as the city
was uncovered, among them the bodies
of several people and that of dog, the
dog bent almost into a circle. showing
the agony in which he died. The city
looks exactly as any place built OF brick
or stone would after fire, the first story
of almost every building is intact, but
only one or two roofs are lett, notably
that of the oven where eighty loaves of
bread were found, and placed in the mu-
seums.
We had re-read Bulwer's Last Days
of Pompeii'' and very interesting it was
to trace all the places he mentions; evil
IDENTIFY the rich were very rich and the
rest frightfully poor The great amphi-
theatre where Bulwer locates the inhab-
itants at the time of the overthrow, is
quite large, and is out in field some dis
tance from the city. Inside the walls are
two small theatres close together, one
for tragedy the other for comedy; these
with the great one are of the usual an
cient pattern, oval shaped, the seats be-
| ing in rows like steps, and the upper
ones level with the surface of the ground.
The many temples are all on the same
pattern, each one was approached by
| long flight of steps, the altar being on
platform some distance from the ground.
The houses were all of the same style,
nearly all had originally two stories, the
first one with three, ever discovered, was
excavated the day of our visit; we
watched the process, but of course dld
not then know what they had found.
The walls of some of the best residences
were decorated with fine frescoes, and
the floors were of beautiful mosaics,
wooden roofs have been built over sew
eral such houses, to preserve the trescoeS
| from the weather. j was amazed 10 ma
large and small lead pipes lald III the
walls, through which the houses received
the water supply. The streets are very
narrow, and are paved with great square
blocks of black lava; in many places are
deep tracks worn by the wagon wheels
Every street has sidewalk on each side,
raised nearly two feet above the roadway,
which in numerous places was just wide
enough for one vehicle to pass between
the curbs, and great blocks of stone, the
same height as the sidewalks, set i'll the
roadway at the corners OF streets, served
as crossings. The city covered originally
nearly as much territory as Bennington,
hut only about two-fifths of it has yet
been uncovered; large model i'll the
the Naples museum shows with great
minuteness each building excavated, and
that part yet buried, the whole surround
ed by the old city wall. From some
things saw there, 1 concluded that the
city was wicked enough to suffer the fate
of SodOm.
The cone of Vesuvius is some distance
from the city, but it is justat the base OF
the mountain which extends long dis
tance out in all directions, on long easy
grade. No lava touched Pompeii, it wa'
simply buried under the terrific shower
of ashes and pumice stone; plenty o
these are yet to be seen wherever the eX
cavators have not been.
A very interesting place is the sentry
box at the gate toward Vcsuvius, wher'
the seminal was found, faithful TO HI
trust. although he could so easily hay'
escaped. The situation and surround
ings of Pompeii before its destructlol
must have been beautiful beyond descrip
tion. the blue waters of the bay washing
the base of the walls on one side, the tol
! of which afforded delightful promen
. ade. while on the other side were til
rich plantations, and vineyards on tn
slopes of Vesuvius, and beyond the Da
the mountain peaks toward Sorrento.
1t is impossible TO describe the feeling
= that came over me as we walked thos
silent streets. past houses and temple
4 where so many hundred years ago, tn
Il husy inhabitants had sudden
/ left all and fled for their lives
4 what they left after the lapse OF so man
4 centuries now opened to the view OF pee
a ple they never even dreamed about, wh
i looked at what had been the city {
y thousands who had long since crirmble
A to dust; vet here were their homes Jus
Il as they had left them. The plan OF til
\ houses was always the same. the hous
of Pansa at Saratoga gives one 200
4 idea of how they all looked. The arch
lecture of many towns about Naples
rb exactly like that of Pompeii, if the built
$; inps were treated as those of the burie
L city, they would look precisely as Pom
peii does, Just such queer little houses
regular holes i'll the wall, tiny lit
shops, bakeries, etc.
4 The railway took us to Naples III ie'
, than an hour the route skirting the Da
the whole distance, and curious IL was
4 see the great masses of lava at man
, places ON the shore, the remains
% eruptions of years gone by. Inere III
=, many shades of the lava, varying irol
X iet black to pure white, the latter wi
the variety thrown out by NesuVlus
the time Pompeii was destroyed.
We did not visit Hercuaneum,as VI
lape has been built over that city, and
\. uncover it as Pompeii has been cleart
te would destroy the village, so it has bee
&. worked like mine, and nothing can
seen there. We took the train out
Puzeoli, the ancient Puteoli, the railwi
tunneling under the hill back of Napl
- and emerging into the valley beyond,
follows the bay long distance, ana
short intervals were great bathing esta
llishments, where the city people go
New Workers visit COney Island. Ju
back of Puzcoli is an immense amplI
theatre which has only been uncovered
few years; begun by the Greeks, 1t w
completed by the Romans, so 1t shoN
the work of both nations. 1t is IN sple
did condition and gave MS a good idea
what they were like: we wander'
through the galleries and undergrou
in the great passages, finding the Gag
for the wild beasts almost as they we
left centuries before, it fact 1T would
quire very little expense to put 1t III go'
condition for use.
Just across a small bay are the ancle
cities of Cumae and Baiae, the only
mains of the ancient Greek colonies
Italy: here are some fine ruins, notal
. Greek temple, much Of which
stands. Between Puzeoh and the
cities is hill about 800 hundred fe
high which rose up in a night sever
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