St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-06
A BOYS TRAVELS.
An Active Volcano---His Trip UI
VeSuviuS.

following interesting description of his
ascent of that celebrated volcano. The
letter was not intended for publication,
but written to his father. and gives
quite clear conception OF the eruption
as seen by visitors during the present
summer:
WY Trip Up Vesuvius.
While at Naples my sister thought |
had better make the ascent of VeSu-
vIus, and as it was too long journey by
way of Pompeii, we went to Cooks
office and bought my ticket for the next
morning.
The ticket cost 25f Cor So. and we
were informed that | must be at the
office at Z o'clock the next morning.
| arrived on time on the morrow, and
had to wait aboutan hour. A man came
to ME and, by signs, informed me that
the conveyance was ready. l went out
side and found two that racks" Of very
poor make, hitched by clothesline
tugs to a very antique American
hack" A fat Frenchman and his
wife already occupied the back
seat, and l was ushered into seat be-
side the driver. After being besieged
by cane sellers and men with WOODEN
blankets on, the ark started for Ararat t.
We passed through the narrow, dirty
streets, and finally came to a settlement
of tan yards, which l enjoyed very
understanding novel, and they at
tracted my attention. For two bours
we drove at dog trot over the cobbIe-
stone pavement of Naples, and then got
into the country; here we were be-
sleged by beggars, who followed us for
blocks, yelling and beSeeching us to no
purpose,
The driver tried to strike up an ac-
Quaiutance with me, but it was mo CO."
L was decidedly American, without
even the Italian accent" In another
hour we began to ascend cat very slow
mountain side, the loose stones,
deep sand and broken fragments
OF lava making it tedious
and slow climb for the poor beasts, who
appeared more nearly fitted for the rem
dering establishment than to haul tour
lists to the top of mountain. As [
could not speak Italian or French l had
no one to talk with or to. and became
very tired. | was not much interested
in the brown lava formations over
which we were passing. The fat French
man and lis wife had the back seat.and
as had nothing to lean against except
the fat driver l could not even go to
sleep. l had as soon go to sleep with
goat as to lean against sleek, fat. dirty
Italian hack driver. After two hours in
the hot sun, with beautiful views OF
space and the valleys far below, we
came in sight of Cooks railway, which
was to carry us from that point up the
mountain to near the crater. 1t looked
a long way off, and it really was, for it
took us another hour to reach the lower
station. After we reached this station
L had to wait for the lat Frenchman
and his wife to eat lunch. | had some
bread and butter, both of which were of
a very strong sort, the bread resisting
my teeth, and my nose resisting the
butter.
In twenty minutes my fellow travel
lerS were ready,and we went to the sta
ton and boarded the train. 1t is called
THE American railway" and works.
like our cable lines, but there were only
two cars, one grip" and Que '.trail'
car, and they were pulled by cables
running above ground. There was,
properly speaking, no track but large
wooden beam along which the cars ran
on rollers. 1t took fifteen minutes to
reach the upper station, which is said
to be only 100 yards from the crater. 1t
is 100 yards. but the path winds about
Ziz-Zag, so that we did not reach the
summit for twenty minutes of hard
climbing. On the top of the mountain
is small plateau broken in places by
assures, through the lava crust, from
which issue steam and sulphurous
smoke, the sides OF these assures being
covered with yellow sulphur, the
Odor from which had decidedly brim-
stone smell.
From the center of the plateau rose
black cone, the shape of a thimble, from
the top of which, at intervals, issued
great red cinders.
guides and helpers, and the French
lady had man and a rope to pull her
up. We started up the cone. and a
guide took me by the arm. l did not
want him, but he stuck worse than a
horsefiy. turned to anothergu and
asked if mine worked for COok?" and
received an affirmative answer. After
hard climb through cinders that let
you sink up to your knees, we reached
the summit of the crater. Just then the
earth trembled beneath us, great masses
of burning mud arose, as from fount-
ain, and fell around us. This
was accompanied bv noise
which was so tremendous that it
seemed as if the earth were
about to be rent beneath US. | was
really frightened; in fact. the great
noise and the showers of ashes and liq-
uid stones, red-hot. and some of them in
a smolten condition, had simply terri
fed me. turned and started to run,
not caring to be charred into the form
of reSurrected Pompeiian, but the guide
who had bothered and annoyed me so
much grabbed me by the arm and said,
in broken English: "Roldl hold! me
take care! no hurtv' The guide was
evidently frightened, too, for his hand
upon my arm trembled. | felt as a
horse looks which is trembling with
fear. The noises and the eruptioDs
were repeated. but after my first
"break" [ stood and watched old We
suvius ''cut up her capers," and great
red-hot pieces of lava fell around me,
comrades. An old man asked for a
''solda'' "a silver coin) and L gave him
one. He went very near the edge of
the crater, continually lodging and
skillfully avoiding the falling fire. and
put the silver coin into piece ofred-hot
lava which, as it cooled, hardened
around the coin.
When we went down to the plateau
again, guide told US that sometimes it
was possible to look into the crater, but
thatit was impossible now, as the vol
cano was too active. The old man who
had imbedded my coin in lava DOW
came forward and wanted a franc for
the coin so Embedded [ did not want
it and told him so. He became very
angry and demanded something, as he
had ''risked his life" | was firm, and
he tried to brighten ME, but he was not
a volcano and | was not afraid. Next
my guide demanded his pay, and | said:
Are you not Cooks guide?2 ''No; L
am not Cooks guide, him Cooks guide,
me not get paid by Cook" l said: 81
asked if you were, and you said yes"
You must give me something, ] risk
my life! help You up! wear out my
shoes! you no give nothing" Ibid l
ask you to-" was my answer.
You give me something to drink
onr'
gave him three cents. He now de-
manded franc or two" if bad it. /
replied, Il gave you something, now
gitn' and he got.
had to wait again on the plateau for
those fat French people; then at the
station waited again for them to have