Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-08-07
81. .GSr TRAGEDY.
AWFuLEsT SCENE IN HUMAN HIS
TORY REPRODUCED.

Z
Years.
Pompeii was destroyed by an eruption
Of the volcano Vesuyius, In the year -
sftsf Christ The city was very old and
very rich Il was situated at the base Of
Vesuvius, within less than Q mile Of the
present crater, upon the beautiful bay Of
Naples and the river Sarno. Hereulaneum,
asnallsr place, was the seaport. Pompeii
was surrounded BY wall with many
towers, except toward the sea, where the
wall was femoved to allow the city to
grow. At the time of its destruction
Nesuyius for many centuries had been
quiet. II was covered with vineyards,
and its slopes were dotted with villas and
cottages. The mountain bloomed with
flowers In the year 6s there was an earth
quake that broke the pillars of the temples
and 50 injured the public buildings that
many were rebuilt, and some wes still
being repaired when the doom fall But
the earthquake was general al along the
mountainous coast, and
vKsUyiUs, SMILING WITH FLOWERS,
gave no sign. Nevertheless there were
omens. For several months before the
eruption now and then the river mysteri-
the rocks Of the mountains; some springs
disappeared; some gave sulphurous smells;
In the depths OF cave were heard mutter-
ings In the earth; and crevice showed
fire and smoke. But all nature seemed so
serene that none took alarm. In the
amphitheater Christians were given to
the wild beasts, and there were gladiato-
rial combats.
The city was small, hut rich with public
buildings. On the forum were the temple
OF Jupiter, partly ruined by the earth
quake of 63; the Pantheon, or temple Of
the twelve gods; the Curia, or city senate
hall; the Basilica, the largest building in
the city. Four other temples were inside
the walls. There were two theaters near
together, and an amphitheater. 43Ox3sS
feet. with quarters for gladiators, etc.
Cassius writes that masses of people
were in the theaters attending the plays
and games. 1t was lovely afternoon or
early evening. Suddenly there was hor-
ribls conyulsion, attended by an awful
roar. The whole top Of Mt Vesuvius
heared upward and broke off. The atmos-
phere seemed filed with fire. Buildings
shook, and some crumbled. Everybody
started to fly. The people ran out Of the
theaters, because no bones are found in
them. There poured up from vesuyius
| VAST VOLUME OF STONES, ASHES. LAVA
AND BLACK SMOKE,
mile high, that spread out at the ton
like palm tree. In moment the most
impenetrabls darkness fell, broken only
by fearful flashes of lightning with in
cessant thunders The river boiled, the
sea heaved, the earth rocked, the heavens
were blotted out, violent gusts and eddies
OF wind rushed fearfully about The ter
rified multitudes rushed for the sea, hop
ing to escape in the shipping, or poured
out Of the gateways to fly, they knew not
where. But now, all in another moment,
stones and ashes fell out of the sky, and
the city was buried IS to 20 feet deep by
small, hot stones, dust and ashes. Her
culaneum was buried still deeper under
tuf 0ava cooled into light pumice in the
air) and ashes. This was so sudden that
the process Of uncovering the ruins has
found the skeletons Of victims in all
shapes-the miser, buried just as he was
flying out of his door with bag of gold:
the servant maid who fingered moment
| to rob her mistress room of a Jewel that
she died clutching. The destruction on
the mountain slopes was still swifter. In
one villa were found II skeletons still in
side the building But most Of
THE MULTITUDEs PERIsHED IN THE OPEN
FIELDS
outside of the city walls. After the fall
| OF ashes came the flow of lava. So vast
was the mass that the sea was filed, and
the shore il now mile distant from the
ancient wharves, and the bed Of the river
Is two miles from where it then flowed.
Ships fifty miles away, writes Pliny, had
their decks covered with three inches of
sand and ashes. Sixty miles away. the
sun the next morning was totally hidden
by dust. Vesuvius changed its shape.
For several days the mountain and
! vicinity We're unapproachable. When, at
last, the dense and terrible clouds blew
away, and the earth ceased shaking, and
the surface cooled, and the mountain fires
cease to spout high in the air, and men
could approach, the cities of Pompeii and
Herculaneum, the flower and vine-bloom-
ing mountain, the rich villas, the temples
and palaces were all buried, and the scene
SO changed that none could tell where
their graves were.
So for over sixteen centuries the lost
cities lay forgotten and unknown. Then,
In 174S, in digging a well, some peasants
broke through the chamber of a palace.
Their find excited much attention; and It
was at once suspected that they had dis
covered the site Of the buried cities that
the learned Cluverius had vainly searched
for the previous century. In 1855 system
attic operations were begun to dig out the
buried cities. This has continued ever
since -
In 1851 the Italian government took up
the work; and, under Signor Florelli, it
has been reduced to system. The ashes
Of Pompeii packed close about their vic
Tins and preserved everything, even the
most fragile articles. The picks of the
excavators often broke into the moulds of
men and animals. Plaster of paris was
poured in and thus casts were taken Of
men, women and children, cats, dogs.
rats, etc, just as they died. But the grand
est figure Of all is that of
A ROMAN SOLDIER, FULLY ARMED,
still standing erect at his post, with
grimly resolute features. II this devotion
was merely discipline, it would not be SO
admirable. Strong and armed, he might
have escaped, and could do no good guard
| ing prison, temple, or q post But,
probably, the brave fellow was heroically
trying to save the people by keeping order
and crying out at the gate, so as to give
the women and children and all an equal
chance to find and get through the narrow
space when great mountain Of ashes
/ fell upon him. M
At the Detroit International Fair and
m ~ -