The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-28


ned the ancient cities of Pompeii ant
Herculeaneum has begun to exhibit the
same seismic phenomena which-the scien-
tis,s Of the Vesuvian Observatory of the
mountain side recognize as the overature
which marks the beginning of Nature :
subimest spectacle. Travellers from al
parts OF Europe are hurrying to the spot.
Vesuvius, the WORLDS greatest volcano,
the archstype of volcanoes, the mouth of
theburning under world, now presents the
grandest spectacle seen within the men,
DRY OF living man.
It is again in eruption. II is sending
forth stream Of lava such as destroyed
the great citits Of Pompeil and Herculane-
I'm nearly two thousand years ago. It will
destroy all the houses and villages about
IL base and possibly many people.
The instrument in the observatory en-
the mountain have given warning OF the
eruption. The peasants have had ample
time TO get away, but their living lies N
the VINEYARDS and farms on the mountain s
slopes and they Will be burned alive rather
than to desert them.
Nine new craters have formed within
the past week around the central cratec.
The smoke, in a brownish yellow cloud,
overhangs the mountain like great raI!.
The light Of the sun is hidden. Death turks
II the sulphur fumes.
The lava torrent is half a mile in width
and divides in three principal streams.
each seventy to eighty yards wide These.
as they pour down the mountain side, sub
divide into numerous smaller streams The
smallest stream carries death to everything
living. They advance at the ate of forty
yards an hour.
Lava in volume OF thousand tons a
gninute pours out of the volcano. 1t has
filed Veterana Valley. a deep ravine. The
ashes lie several inches deep for laong
distance down the sides Of the mountains
and in the adjacen tvillages.
Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried
by falling ashes, not by AVA Naples. a
city Of 100000 inhabitants, may now be de-
stroyed in the same way, although it is
three miles further away and partially pro-
tected by the sea. A strong wind blowing
toward it would carry destruction.
The slopes of Vesuvius are wonderfully
fertile. For that reason they are deGsely
populated. They yield four crops a year.
Grapes. oranges, lemons. and o.ivs grow
IN splndid abundance. A dozen varieties of
wine originate here. Among them is a
champagne hot as the Iava<of Vesuvius.
At night the volcano is splendidly awful.
The crater beaches forth a flame, which
rends thepall of smoke, reaches to the
heavens, and al times takes on thecolors
of the rainbow. The lights are reflected
In the broad waters OF the Bag of Naples.
the loveliest in the World.
Tremblings of the earth and subtel-
ranean explosions precede the outporiHgs
o. lava The wells o fthe mourta.n sides
are beginning to dry up.
A great storm Of lava threa-ens to over
Uhelm the observatory. butt on the rart
Of the volcano known as Monte Cantaronf.
This observatory is built on a nil OF 220l
feet above the sea level This nil divides
the lava stream descending from the crater
tinto two branches.
The observatory was established for tie
purpose Of giving warning Of all eruptions
- those living on the mountains. 20
fessor Luigi Palmieri. who died recently at
the age Of ninety-one, was in charce Of it
To- more than forty years. He perfected
instruments for the indication of eruptions.
During the great eruption OF 1872 he first
warned the people and then RENAMED at
his post, facing an imminent and iear5ni
death
NesuviIs is eight miles from Naples.
whose bay it overloolls. at the eastecn ex-
tremlty Of a chain extending Il ,he Island
OF Ischia- Il is believed that ;he Whole
Cuff of Naples was once in an immense
crater the northern end of a great rent
81 the e2rth's crust Aetna being the south
ern end ana Strombol about the middle.
Al its base Nesuvius is thirty miles IN
circumference. lis htighth Va .ics after
is erup;iRos but the ave~ass Is about
1000 feet. Its great crate. IS some c.p0t
feet in d.ame,e and about son feet deeD.
u consists of TWO distinct paris The
northern side is lofty. seml--civcular cliff
called Monte Somma. va.ch has a pre-
historic crater. It is separated from the
active volcano by a deep valley several
hundred feet wide.
The Nesuvius OF The ancie1,s was a
trancated cone with a base O: eight OF nine
miles and a height ~ ,.9O test. At lis
summit was depressed plain. three miles
IL aiamote~. On this plain SDs~-u.us, he
gladiator. f3u2h- Ciapl,s raj ,acr.
There is no record D. an eruption Of We
suvius prior TO a. D. p although me lat
Ter day scientists have proved that Il must
have been active oef)-e that time. AT
tie beginning oc the rnr.s.an "a -he
sides Of NesUvius Wee covered With hfe,ds
ana vines GC1 its crater was ove~srown
with Wild grapes.
It Is cer,a.Q that ne1a'e living near :. :.
that time had not the sliSlrc,t idea thar
y was an ac- ve vo,caro. out the writings
y PLny and ;he younger Taci:ls show tha,
II gave warning f.: thirteen years before
the great eruption. There were series cf
earthquakes and trsmsa a,oIs sc.snucs DIS.
tarbances.
ne greater hisrori2 eruption took pace
In August The steam vas c ,nIsnsni and
poured down in iorrot1s of ram. max a.. The
lava dust a pastry sINs.al,e thar paqied
down the mountain sides and buried Her
Cuieaneaum, the ives. bass. Ponpeii. on
me southeast side. and Castelimare.
which was beyond Stabiae. These cities
were inundated and forgotten. so that cen
turtles after, when the remains were dug
up. modern could gain a perfect insight
into the manners and customs q the time
OF the great eruption.
Not 5ven yet have We seen all that IS
preserved OF those wonderful cities. But
We know that they had d luxurious lie.
that they had great artists painters. sculp-
tors, actors. singers and poets.
We have seen ne images OF their bodies