The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-29
The Famous Old Volcano Again
Becoming Violent and Pour
ing Forth Lava.
Eighty One Eruptions Recorded
Since the Mountain Has
Had q History.
Some Of Them Terribly Destructive Of
Life and Property-Accomp panied by
Earth hquakss-The Region.

Mount Htna il again very violent. I'm
menss masses OF rock are projected 10 a
great height. Dense clouds overhang tho
summit OF the mountain. Tho subterran.
can rumblnRs are severe enough to cause
the windows to rattle in the nsighborhood.
Lava stroams are again Advancing.
Mount Htna, the eruption of which
threatens to assume formidable proper
tions. is located in the northeast portion Of
the island Of Sicily, adjaosnt to the sea
and near the CITY OF Catania. It 10 an iso-
lated mountain Of conical form and il
separated from tho other mountains by the
valley of the river Alcantara. 1t is 10, 035
feet in height. and has = circumference at
itH base of ninety miles. Its volcanic phe-
nomena are presented on greater scale
than those of any other European volcano,
and attracted greater attention from the
ancients. Thuoydides mentioned an erup-
ton which occurred in 425 Il. G. -Four
violent eruptions are recorded as having
occurred in twenty years, viz: 140,
135, 126 and 121 B. G. In ancient as in mod
e,n times the volcanic action of Mount
Etna was irregular and intermittent. On
various occasions the city of Catsnia has
been nearly ruined by the action OF the
volcano and the accompanying earthquakes.
Several of the ancient writer's describe the
upper part of the mountain as covered with
perpetual snow, but at present snow lief
there only during eight or nine months oi
the year.
Eighty-one e,uptions are recorded since
E,na has had u history. the earliest in tho
time of Pytkagoras, the most recent in 1874
of these not more than nineteen have been
of extreme violence, while majority have
been of a slight and comparatively harm
leas cha acte-. The recent eruntions were in
the years 1868, 1874 1879, 1883 and 1886
that of 1868 being the last to be elassed an ono
the exceptional disturbances. The cru, t. on
of 1886 commenced on May 49, and continued
| until the first week in June. There were
premonitory sym ptoms in the form of earth
quakes and fall of hot cinders, which were
thrown az far as Messina. some eighty miles
| distant. lava-stream was seen to be is
| suing from crater in the side OF Monte
Penitello, about a mile south of the English
house where the government observatory
| is situated. Twenty-fonr hours afterwards
| streams OF lava were seen coming out al
seven other points, and day later these
seven now volcanoes all Joined the princi-
| pal crater, 80 that red-hot lava was poured
two miles in breadth. The rate Of desoent
was reckoned at an average of twenty yards
an hour. From time to time great massive
stones were cast down, together with de-
lupe of hot water. As this stream contin.
ued to advance for days, and rolled nearer
and nearer to Nicolosi-the town situated
| at the foot Of the mountain-the greateSt
| alarm WAS excited amongst the Inhabitants
who implored heaven to avert the impend
ing disaster. Thus the vail of St. Agatha
| the patron saint of the district, who IL sale
to have miracu.ously intervened in the
eruption which threatened Catania iE
1863, WAS borne through the streets OF
| Nicolosi with great ecclesiastical pomp
while the people brought out the i'm
ages of the saints from the churches to the
| piazza, and there prayed for the desolatinl
| flood to be arrested. The stream was de-
soribed as sea of bright red angry lava
| not liquid, as most people suppose, but con
| sistinQ of many millions of large and small
blocks of rocky-looking stuff rolling on
ward. The eruption, however. slaokenod
early in June, and finally ceased on the
9th, after enRulfing a convent and many
| woods and vineyards. at point only few
| hundre yards of the nearest house in Mic,
olosi. For some days after, however
| earthquakes of considerable violence con.
| region, causing much terror, and in one
place they destroyed several houses.
The volcanoes ma jestio height is less i'm.
posing TO the Imagination than its vast OK.
| tent for I'll Monte has an area of 46.
| square miles. Two cities, Catania and Ao
| Reale, and sixty-two small towns cluster
! upon the slopes of the awful mountain
whose entr ails are fire. and whose breath i.
fume and lightning. Catania has popu-
| lation of nearly 100000, and Aoi Reale o
about $4,000.
Nine mile beneath the crater. which il
| 1000 feet in depth, three miles in width Cit
was rent anew into great assures by tn.
menoes, and is tenRnted with 1000 souls
Only the Val del Bove, commencing two
miles from the summit, where thsre form
erly existed a center of permanent erup
tion, ia altogether sterile now; the othe1
| sides of the mountain are clothed will
trees at the same level. Fourteen separate
forests from the Regoine Selvosa. and they
abound with the oak, beech. pine and pop
lar, with tho chestnut. the lick and the corl
tree. Mariposa and Calaveras cannot bes
the "CastuRna di Cento Cavalli," in thu
forest of Carpinetto, on the east side of thu
| mountain, in whose trunk. through whicl
the public road now passes, queen o.
| AraRon once took shelter, with suite o.
100 horsemen. The Regoine Coltivata
whose soil consists of decomposed lava, ii
| lavishly + uitful.
| Besides tho corn, the wine, the oil, the silk
the spice, and delicious fruit of its love-
region; the beautiful forests, the tiecks. thu
the game, the tar, the cork. the honey Of it
second; the snow and ioe Of its third
affords from it's caverns variety of min
erals and other productions cinnaba
mercury, sulphur, alum, nitrs and VIII ol
SO that this wonderful mountain. at th
same time. produces every necessary ant
and every luxury Of life.
| Deadly, Whatever 1t Ia.
LONDON. July 2S.--rhe Paris correspond
ent of the Lancet tele9raphs that M. Net
ter. of the hygiene publique, reports that il
twenty nine out Of forty-nine cases of i'll
ness reported as cholera, which he investi
gated. he found true cholera bacillus. Net
ter says true cholera is limited to the su
burbs, but Prof. Deuhlnfoy states that h
found the bacillus in two cases in the city
| The Lancet. in an editorial, snys the chol
ern is making steady headwny in Kussi
and even the incomplete official return
admit $50 cases daily. Tho report that tn
disease has invaded Konmania, if true. i
OF serious import to Europe. Speaking O
| pnrio tha J,uncat aOyE. tWhpn half of tn