The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-10-12

ward a mighty roar shakes the night,
and the earth on which one rests
quivers like sail in the wind.
About fifteen feet below the edge is
ledge of sand, narrowing the upper
diameter of the colossal basin about
eightfeeta all around the circumference.
This inner border of the crater shuts
off ones vision at right angle; but
looking further out one sees below
such spectacle as men imagine OF
hell. Flames, flames, flames every
where-nothing but flames. "Of all
sights on earth," wrote famous Ger
man traveller, ''the crater Of vesuvius
is the grandest and mosr terrifying
This is a skeleton description OF
what the volcano looks like when it is
placid, or in its normal state. No man
knows what it must be like if seen
nearby in one of its periodical erup-
tions, for the bravest guide in all the
country round shuns the mountain
above the grass line at such times as
he would the worst of pestilences.
And naturally no other man would be
so foolhardy as to risk an ascent when
the great giant is in anger.
One night in 1878 an eruption sud-
denly occurred, and without the usual
warning, when band of guides were
up the mountain with party. Every
man in the lot turned and dashed
madly down to safety. 1t was a full
hour later when they ceased running.
By the side of an old hut called the
halfway house, remote from ordinary
risk, they counted noses, and found
that every one was safe. Then they
resumed their way down to the village
at the foot. When near the bottom
they encountered four Swiss, who
were starting out to climb to the sum-
nit. The guides notified the strang-
ers that an eruption had suddenly oc-
Cured. and told them to turn back.
This the men from the land Of the
Alps refused to do. Despite the
warning Of the guides they continued
on their way to the top. That was
the last ever seen alive Of the head
strong Swiss.
The only other incident Of the kind
on record refers to young officer OF
the United States army, named Bay
ard, who, accompanied by several
brother officers, from a man-of-war
anchored at Naples, went up the
mountain one afternoon in the early
part Of the century. Bayard, the
story runs, was overpowered by the
sulphurous fumes while gazing into the
crater, and, losing his balance, fell
headlong into the gaping mouth of the
monster.
There are other traditions of TRACE
dies occurring on the mountain, and
blood-curdling tale used to be cur
rent in the village Of Tore Annun-
ciata about man from Servia who,
suddenly stricken insane, hurled his
bride Of month into the flaming
abyss, and then, laughing wildly
jumped in after her. Few Of these
stories, however, are we'll authenti'
Gated, and employees about the hotels
in Naples warn strangers to run nc
risks with the Vesuvius guides, who
are known. they say, to have com
mitted robberies and murder Of de-
fenseless foreigners employing them
and then give out that the poor vic
tins had been lost through fssures il
the volcano. There is no danger
however, to any climber up there now
for many days to come, for even the
most determined suicide would turr
away affrighted rather than face the
volcano in its present fury.