The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-13
LOOKING 1t VESUV|US
Continued from Second Page.

/
OF smoke. stiff with its surcharge of sui
phur. and almost opaque. Ever and anon
! glaring sheets of fame flash upward. cut
ting sharp and shining wedges in the SOM
bre mass and looking ike red-hot blades
| of steel. As you gaze you picture the
whole underlying stratum Of the planet as
/ a sea Of fire. You fancy that, as here and
there on the mountaIn-side fresh outlets
/ attest the resistless force of the flaming
gases. al any moment just such chimney
may force itself though the earth beneath
! your feet.
! BLANCHED FACES BETRAY GENER-
AL FEAR
! However dev;-may-care the NepoIitans
seem, it needs only look around TO assure
ones self that general spirit of apprehen-
sion prevails in this community. Though
every thought of the natives appears bent
on diverting tourists pennies into the local
round sleeps lightly these nights, and
wakes at the first sound that may foretel
disaster. The spirit Of danger stalks like
a spectre over all the scene I was chat
ting last night in a little trattoria in Por-
tici. About the table were gathered half
a dozen deniZens OF the village. Sudden
" mighty roar shook the earth Ii was
one of the intermittent signs of the burning
mountain. Every man in the place rose
hastily 10 his feet. and with blanched face
dashed toward the door Almost at the
same instant the innkeeper's wife rushed
from her sleeping room into the tavern,
carrying in her arms an infant. and drag
ging two older children by the hand
The thunderclap proved a false alarm.
but II Shove dine how every native Is ever
on the alert. mistrustful OF the relentless
fury of Old Vesuvius.
Wandering around among the Vesuv'an
towns | find that none OF them feels safe
from a molten ,uundauon Some local
wiseacros pretend the~ sar ',----'' f-~ a
Who'll day in advance what changed d.ree
ton the lava river may take. s4; ~ man.
woman or child puts reliance on such
claims. With the memory of her three
previous deaths in volcanic avaisnchos.
tn resurrected village OF Tore del Greco
shows the most s,arm OF all today. A.
tAe urgent invitation OF her slndaco. or
mayor. the cardinal archbishop Of Nan,es
visited the place yesterday. and in the
Church OF Sta Maria della Tore. cele-
bra,ed with solemn ritual a service Of
invocatio impIorins the Almighty TO spare
the town IN the impending hurricane OF
desolation.
\ SOLEMN VILLAGE SCENE.
L was an impressive sight The e-7--
nous congregation. hushed by the sa5.in,-
Ivy Of The occasion. remained on Blended
knees. with faces turned ni5usly upward
utter.ug cheir responses - the prayers of
the cardinal in voices that seemed filed
Win the so,e,nnity - dread Outside me
mighty, flaming torrent came writing
closer. with an ne hsdeous aspect Of a
ores ture Of Dante's dreams. But The
lookout men posted on the mountain SIDE
made no Interruption OF The service. for
;hers was nc added warning 20 give. And
the p oDie nled slowly cut into the street
hoping for the mercy they nad jus; Il
voked.
WHAT AN EXPERT SAYS OF IT
The eruption thar : now in fu'I fury may
yet eclipse the destructive ness o. fbs ono
above described. StrolHas around the
mountain Yesterday afternoon. / counted
wi,h ,ne I'D OF s.rong glasses r.ne SEN
aTate crateTs. each reeklng VITA is hem
Crrhage ~ flames. These mean no...--
more nor Jess than nine ssaarata s,,,~ess
OF danger. And each 81 >>esstye lav uzv
ada more to the 6irefuI number. ! have
talked wi;A many seismic experts. but a.