The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-10-07
VESUNIUS II HOT.
Great Old Volcano Near Naples Is at
Her Fiercest.
valley Being Filled by the Molten Stream
Thousands of Tourists See the
Magnificent Sight.

angry outpOurings of Mount Vesu-
Vius are giving rise to fears that the
burial OF Pompeii and Herculean-
cum in winding sheet of lava, to
be dug out centuries later, may be
repeated. Flourishing cities seem
doomed to meet the fate of Pom
pOii unless the fiery crater subsidies.
1t is interesting to speculate Oh the
reception that will be given hun
dreds of years from now to the Gu
rios from these buried cities when
they are rescued from their lava
bod. With the stream of lava con-
stantly increasing from the mouth
of the newly-awakened monster,
there are threatening indications of
a catastrophe.
The Observatory, known as Mount
Contaroni, from whence warnings
are issued when Vesuvius is about
to break forth in flame, is in danger
of being overwhelmed by the fiery
rivers that flow from the belching
volcano. Three streams, in width
nearly eighty yards, are pouring out
of the crater, and as they find their
way down the side of Vesuvius, they
are split into innumerable smaller
streams which leave behind them a
blackened trail where once was
green vegetation.
The receptacle for this fiery tor
rent is the valley called Vetrans.
Already ashes lie thick all through
this valley, and the villagers are
prepared to flee the moment the red
and black bed rises too high for
their safety.
Tourists are here from all over
Europe. Vesuvius Is a show, and
the slghti is magnificent, especially
at night when the crater is q living
mass of fire that lights up the sky
for miles around and makes the Bay
a glistvning mass of reflected flame.
At night the Bay is alive with boats
containing gay crowds who are here
to see the spectacle. Only the poor
villagers who see nothing but ruin
before them unless the fiery ogre
of the Mount goes back to his den
again, are bewailing the outburst.
| The majority welcome it as fine
sight, possible to be seen only about
once in lifetime.
The last outbreak of Vesuvius OF
Importance before the present one
occurred in 1871, and lasted for sew
eral months. to the horror of the
molten lava being added great mass
es of burning rocks that were thrown
out of the mouth of the crater and
sent rushing down the sides of Vesu-
vius. The great river of molten rocks
and ashes was three quarters OF d
mile in width and the ashes cover.
ed the streets of Naples to the depth
: of several inches.
OF the ancient outbreaks at Vesu.
= vius, the one great historic erup
ton that buried Herculaneum, Pom
peii, Stabiae and Castellamare, SC
that these cities were lost to sigh
for ages, was that most damaging
After burying these ancient cities
l Vesuvius slept again and remained
quiet for SO long that people fOrgo
: its existence. Villages sprung uI
t where blackened ruins had been
: and the country was smiling land
| scape again, when the next out
. burst, on Dec. l6, 1851, startled tht
whole world. The great eruption
t continued until February, 1882
, TOrro Annuziata, Tore del Greco
3 Resina and POrtia were nearly bu
ried under the awful flow of lava
} and $1,000 lives were lost.
) Again the fiery fiend was quiet 70
i awhile, but in 1894 it burst fortl
= again. Tore del Greco was again de
stroyed by lava, which flowed dow
t in fiery stream nearly quarter o
. a mile wide at It's base and tifteeI
/ feet thick.
4 The outbreak which began in DC
+. tOber, 1882, lasted nearly month
4 rupturing the top of the cone an,
!, making a crater three miles in cir
. conference and LOCO feet deep
= wholly quiet.
e The unquiet mountain is eigh
miles from Naples, whose bay
overlooks, at the eastern eXtremit
of chain extending to the Islam
of Ischia. 1t iss believed that tn
whole Gulf of Naples was once a
- immense crater, the northern end c
a great rent in the earth's crus
s Aetna being the southern end an
= Stromboli about the middle. ~,
f. At its base Vesuvius is thirt
'. miles in circumference. Its heigh
e varies after its eruptions, but tn
d average is about 1000 feet. Its grea
d crater is some 1000 feet in diamete
y and about 500 feet deep,
u Itconsists of two distinct part:
= The north side is lofty semi-circT
= lar cliff, called Monte Somma, whic
has prehistoric crater. 1t is SEPT
N rated from the active volcano by
d, deep valley several hundred fe,
D. wide.
r GarWOOd's Sarsaparilla-for the bloc
y -yuaranteed tO cure. Ar. RAIN