The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1899-06-07
MOUNT VESUvIUS.
A Leaf from Diary-The Climb ito the
Summit-Incidents of the Trip.
BY Rev. Henry M Gooden.

BY Rev. Henry M. Goodell.
The burning mountain seems such "a lit
tile way from Naples one would think a
few hours would he sufficient Ito make the
STARTED before eight in the morning and
did mot get back till after dark, and, oh,
how tired We were. Took "a bus ITO Por;1-t,
about four miles distant. Even the con-
ductor tried ito make a bargain with us
ON the way-said he would get us a good
guide and good donkey for 10 frames
three dollars. But immediately ON leaV
ing THE bus we were beset by a crowd
of iQl-Ibred impOrtunate persons offering
to guide us or furnish carriages. horses,
donkeys walking XIII Sticks etc; we ANS MS
No-o-o-o-o, No! lit made no difference,
they crowded along at our side. Then we
persevered in the most stolid indifference,
utter unconsciousness and perfect con-
tempt of all THAT was going ON around
U.S.. but all this failed. Runners and
guides Still kept proposing and entrealt-
good; he Inglese donk. You MO take
donk? You very fatigue" Them we tried
ridicule, laughing at and making fun of
all they said. Evidently THAT had been
tried by Others before us. lit WAS taken
good humoredly, but our Prosecutors had
no idea of being bluffed off. AT last we
concluded the only thing, we could do was
ito keep our temper and grim and bear
it, BY sheer holding out we got rid of
them ONE sb by t@ until c Gn ge one 5oy RE
won the day, for The took us UP the
mountain.
After a great deal of banItering and
bargaining (for these fellows always ask
three times what they expect to take) /
engaged a donkey and boy for four
francs $50 cents), no extras, 'ftout COM
pris,' THE owner of THE donkey ITO pay the
After such a siege-an experience that
puts one in "a splendid frame of mind to
enjoy THE beauties of mature, we were
fairly started. 1T was my Wife'S first
donkey ride, and she did look SO queer
ON that wee beast, with John, the guide,
shouting ah! with an indescrIbaIble inflec-
tion; but She managed first rate. After
awhile we came to "a nice carriage road,
which led by the Observatory, two hours
on our way. ON either side We're DESC
late lava fields, where the rock, piled i'm
huge and shapeless masses, seemed heat
ed even then, lit was in such "a Qiquid
pasty mold. ,,
At last, lat ONE O. o'clock, we reached THE
foot of the cone,'' having been almost
three hours toiling patiently up. There
we were met by another band of Good
Samaritans, ready with ropes, sticks
chains and other contrivances to help us
up the steep mountain peak ITO the crater.
There is a railroad constructed to the
summit of Vesuvius similar ITO the ONE ON
Mt. Washington An easy and COSTLY
way Of getting up, but rather risky
property, / should think
A sou Gone cent? for a drink of water
and OUR coffee bottle filled-boy tediouSly
Juggling UP two pails We shall always
remember the crowd going up along With
us-so MANY Italians with ropes hover
ing AIT our sides and anXiously hopping
we would give out SoOn the Frenchman
whose breath was short and who rested
SO often; the large fat man wheeling and
putting; the ScOtchman, who Thought the
mountain would look better if There were
a bunch of heather occasionally Ito re
fresh one. Four men below us were with
great toll and difficulty bearing "a large
German lady in a chair elevated on two
poles ACROSS their shoulders. -
Oh! What climbing and how fatiguing!
How often we salt down ON "a rock or IL
the ashes anywhere, lit matltered mo-, 10
rest and how our feet sank into the SOf+,
yielding sand and asheS But when we
Warded for our told with glorious views.
There at our feet hay the pretty quiet
villages of POrtici TOrre AnnuncIa]ta and
further to the left CaIstellamare and Sor-
rento and ITO the right THE beautiful city
of Naples.
Ait last after toiling up this steep cone
almost two hours we reached the top.
Here we beheld the moist peculiar and
The crater lis only slightly depressed, but
covers several acres. We walked over its
hillockS and depreSsions of rough lava,
stepping across great cracks often emit
ting sulphurous fumes and i'm some places
great heat The rocks had a flowing
metallic appearance, AIS if just cast from
"a furnace and still cooling off. Over ITO
the farther side was a small cone of sui
pthllr rock boiling and seething, "a most
interesting sight. The sulphur Us found
in all colors, often very beautiful and i'm
exquisite incruSltatlOnS. One OF THE guides
sold us a pretty specimen came down
from twenty-five to five centessirni. On
a Juttlng point we could gaze down into
rock and relieved by MO spot of green.
There was "a stream of hot molten lava
flowing like IA glacier SLOWLY past us and
down