The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-25
MENACED BY vESUvIUS
OF NAPLES AND OTHER
CITIES THREATENED.
Streams of Lava Running Down the
Ashes Constantly Falling.

NEW YORK, Sept A.-The Worlds cor
respondent at Naples says: Where the pres
ent series of eruption of vesuvirs will end
none can tell, but many residents here pro-
fess to fear the destruction of Naples,
though for the most part they are cheer
full and laughing just as did their ancestors
of Pompeii and Herculaneum just before
they were eternally buried panic pre-
walls at Tore del Greco, which is on the
coast, three miles south of Resina. This
place has a population of $4,000 happy-go-
| lucky Italians, whose greatest industry is
| selling relics, guiding travellers, telling lies
to Americans, and selling nauseous wines.
So great was the terror at Tore del Greco
| that Cardinal Frisco, the Archbishop of
Naples with a large body of clergy, ceIe-
brated a special open air service and offered
| up prayers in which he implored the AL
mighty to cause a cessation of the eruption
| of Vesuvus. Thirty thousands persons at
| tended the service, coming from the entire
vesuvian territory. The oldest inhabitants
of Tore del Greco claim to be able to tell
| by examining the quality Of the ashes that
| Vesuvius emits the length and extent of an
eruption. These old folks have alarmed the
people by announcing that the town is in
great danger Of destruction. And, indeed,
| one Oh the lava ID CeILdlitIy COulliiS
in that direction. Nor would it be new
thing for lava to flow in the streets of Tore
del Greco. The town was almost wiped out
| in 1881, and twice in the eighteenth century
the lava crossed the town limits In 1857
| it suffered from one of the earthquakes that
| are part of the volcanoes diabolical per-
| formances.
The eruptions of 1861 deluged the town
with burning ashes and caused thousands
of dollars in damage. But the people smiled
and said it was part of their fate as Vesu-
VANS and then they rebuilt and bothered
little thereafter about the pail of black
smoke hanging over the mouth OF the crater.
| But they are terrified now and are prepar-
| ing to flee. Watchmen are posted on the
| hills by which the lava must flow, ready to
| give the alarm. Science has added to the
security of the vesuvians by giving them
the telegraph and telephone. If this town
is to be destroyed there need be no loss of
| life if the people will only leave in time.
But the familiarity with danger has made
| the Vesuvians incredulous, and often 1T is
too late before they start That was the
case at Herculaneum and Pompeii. where
no lives need have been sacrificed.
PEASANTS ALARMED.
The Vesuvian peasants on the hillsides are
| the most apathetic people in the world, but
now at last they are Thoroughly alarmed
They are not waiting for the front Of the
lava stream to push them out of their home.
They are moving out with whatever they
can save, leaving the lava to devour their
cottages and outbuildings and vines. Hun
dreds of cottages, the sole possessions of
the peasants. have beeen destroyed.
In strange and awful contrast with the
spectacle of the wretched, ragged Vesuvians
| flying before the destruction are the crowds
| Of sightseers, who laugh and revel amid the
magnificent spectacles of fire and flame.
| Hundreds of guitar and mandolin players
wander on the hillside IN holiday garb and
| in holiday spirit. Their songs and strum-
ming mingle grewsomely with the hysterical
! and despairing cries of fugitives. But Ital-
| ian generosity has already spoken, and
plenty will be done for the Vesuvian suffer-
| ers Subscriptions have been opened in the
cities. The government has sent $4,000 lire
| ($9,650) and the King has contributed 10000
| lire ($1, 800 to the relief funds. The dam
age to the orchards and vineyards is enor-
nous. The crop was not gathered, and
thousands of acres are wholly wiped out.
| Last night the outline of Mount Vesuvius
| was lost in the darkness except when a
dazzling electric discharge lighted up the
| pd0OIdLld. over INC CSillLdl OOhO nuns SAAS
vast characteristic pinshaped mass of
smoke and ashes, motionless, like a great
evil bird lowering over the peninsula. Oc-
casionally came flashes of bright red and
then flashes of purple and gray from the
gigantic furnace in the bowels of the noun
tain And every now and them the crater
vomited volumes of ashes and huge stones.
BY these bombardments fifty-six persons
have been wounded. The advanced shelter
and restaurant Of Cooks Tourists Agency,
which is near Vesuvius, and which many
| Americans who read this will remember
we'll. was completely destroyed by shower
| of rocks and cinders. The employees were
obliged to seek shelter at PomDeii.
During the present eruption ashes have
| been carried as far as Ceprano, which is in
the Roman province, about seventy miles in
an air line from Vesuyius. Symptoms of
| subterranean disturbances. which, it is be-
lieved are connected with the eruptions,
have occurred at several places. There has
been an earthquake at Macerata, near the
| Adriatic, in Marche province, directly on
| the other side of the peninsula.
LAVA, SMOKE, STEAM, STONES.
| At the last writing there are eight craters
! in active operation on Mount Vesuvius.
Three emit lava, two sulphurous smoke and
| steam, and three ashes and lapilh, or small
| stones. The authorities believe that Vetrana
| and Crocelle are in more danger than ever.
| The observatory is menaced and all the
valuable instruments have been removed.
1t is feared that the fuicular or cable rail-
road up the side of the mountain may be
J partly destroyed. It is owned by Thomas
| Cook & Son. the tourist agents.
| Professor Tacchini, director of the Roman
| Observatory says that he believes thu erup-
| ton will be extremely serious, and probably
| will continue with increasing violence. An
enormous quantity of molten matter must
| find an exit through the craters and ifs
sures He declares that it is impossible at
this stage to foresee the results.
The largest of the lava streams is 750 feet
wide or about the width of three city
! blocks in New York, and about fifty feet
high. 1t advances like a huge serpent at
the rate of eleven feet an hour. The bulk
| of this lava is enormous. Its frontage is
as much, both in height and width as three
| blocks in small American city. 1t is head
ed in the direction of the sea. 1t moves
steadily onward with a mechanical regu-
| larty that is appalling. The extent of its
| journey must depend on the mass of lava
that Vesuvius vomits. If the output stops.
then must the fiery river cease. but as long
as thousands of tons of molten rock pour
from the crater must the stream push its
way onward, leaving no one can say how
much. havoc in its path.
The red-hot river proceeds with an awful