Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-09-01
MOUNT ETNA.
Its First Eruption mentioned in Histor
Occurred in 425 B. G.

Its First Eruption MENTIONED in History
Occurred In 425 B. G.
Mount Etna, the eruption of which
threatens to assume for1nida BILE pro-
portions, is located in the northeast
portion of the island of Sicily. adjacent
to the sea and near the City of Catania-
1t is an isolated mountain of conical
form, and is separated from the other
mountains OF Sicily by the valley of the
river Alcantara. 1t is 10.935 feet in
height and has a circumference, at it's
base, of ninety miles Its volcanic phe-
noInena are presented on greater scale
than those of any other European vol
cano, and attracted greater attention
from the ancients. Thucydides mem
toned an eruption which occurred in
425 B. C. Four violent eruptions are
recorded as having occurred in twenty
years, viz: 40, 1S5, 126 and 121 B. c.
In ancient as in modern times the vol
canic action of Mount -Etna was irreg-
ular and intermittent On various oc-
easions the city of Catania has been
nearly ruined by the eruptions of the
volcano and the accompanying earth
quakes. Several of the ancient writers
describe the upper part of the mountain
as covered with perpetual snow, but at
present snow lies there only during
eight or nine months of the year.
Eighty-one eruptions are recorded
since 4Etna has had a history, the ear
lest in the the time of Pythagoras, the
most recent in 1874; OF these not more
than nineteen have been of extreme
violence, while a ma jority have been of
a slight and a comparatively harmless
character. The recent eruptions were
in the years 1868, 1874. 1879, 1888 and
1856, that of 1868 being the last to be
classed among the exceptional disturb
ances. The eruption Of 1886 commenced
on May Is, and continued until the first
week in June. There were Fremont
tory symptoms in the form of earth
quakes and fall OF hot cinders, which
were thrown as far as Messina, some
eighty miles distant A lava stream
was seen TO be issuing from crater in
the side of Monte Peniteilo. about a
mile south of the English house where
the government observatory is situated
'sTwenty-four hours afterwards. wrote
| an eyewitness to the London News,
| streams of lava were seen coming out
at seven other points, and day later
| these seven new volcanoes all joined
| the principal crater, SO that red-hot
lava was poured OoWH siIuuit6neouS4y
! in volume nearly two miles in
breadth The rate of descent was reck-
| oned at an average of twenty yards an
hour. From time to time great massive
stones were cast down, together with a
| delupe of hot water" As this stream
continued to advance for days, and
| rolled nearer and nearer to Nico-
losi-the town situated at the foot Cd
! the mountain-the greatest alarm
| was excited amongst the inha bitants,
who implored Heaven to avert the i'm
| pending disaster Thus the veil of St
| Agatha, the patron saint of the district,
| who is said to have miraculously inter
] vened in the eruption which threatened
| Catania in 1869, was borne through the
streets of Nicolosi with great ecclesias
teal pomp. while the people brought
out the images of the saints from the