Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-09-19
A TRIP TO EUROPE.
Exploration of the Buried City
of Pompeii.
History of the ity--Description of the
Terrible Catastrophe which Resulted
in its Destruction Trip up Mount
yesuyius -Incideuts Of the Trip.
BY S. Y. LEIGH, ID. d.

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BY S. Y. LEIGH, ID. ID.
Early on a brilliant day we went
from Naples to Pompeii IA miles. Two
undesirable hotels are outside Of The
gates of the eycavated city. We
Elnnched at the Hotel Diomede and
wished we had gone To the Hotel
Suisse. The'people there wished they
had gone to the Diomede. At A. NJ.
the government officials opened to us
one of the gates Of Pompeii. We paid
the usual fee and entered. The gov
eminent pays the white clad guides
small salaries. Our attendant walked
with us for three hours; and we were
glad to slip into his hands a few extra
silver coins for his excellent service.
In the first century of the Christian
era Pompeii was celebrated for its
splendid baths, its great gladiatorial
combats, and its beautiful situation.
1t was visited frequently by the en-
perors and nobility Of Rome. 1t had
its own independent senate and mag
istrates. Its population was about
forty thousond. On the slope of La
Somna, (VeSuvius) Cicero and many
other wealthy men had magnificent
residences. In the year 63 it had its
first recorded earthquake, overthrow.
ing many edifices in Pompeii The
emperor Nero was at Naples rendering
his famous Cantata, assisted by a
choir numbering 500 musicians. The
building was overthrown and many
persons persisted. But the Senate had
the editces replaced with structures
of greater elegance. Nearly all of the
residences OF the nobility and the
wealthy manifested luxurious living
by their size, statues, gardens, paint.
ings, vases and marbles.
Sixteen years afterwards, in 10, the
terrible eruption occurred that de-
stroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum, Re-
sina, Aplonte, Tagianum, Taarania,
and Stables.
At two o'clock on the afternoon of
August the 23rd the great volcano
began to thunder and the soil TO rock.
A mighty column OF vapor
hung over the crater. Thousands of
people fled to Naples and to vessels
on the bay. Boiling rain fell in show
ers for miles. Then came torrents Of
hot mud and red hot stones. Dark
ness closed about Pompeii. Ped hot
pummice stones fell for hours on the
seven doomed towns and lava ran in
torrents down the slopes of the noun
tain. Pompeii was covered with a
hot crust from ten to twenty feet
thick. Seventeen hundred years later
the italian authorities began the ex-
cavations that have been in progress
for more than century. Six long
streets, many temples and public
buildings, hundreds Of residences
magnificent and many of an ordinary
character, great theatres, baths and a
multitude of shops now lie bare under
the blue sky that bends above them
There are four books concerning Pom
peii that are full Of interest They
are sBulwer's Last Days of Pompeii, !"
Sir William Cells "Pompeiana, Dy-
er's "Ruins of Pompeii" and Ober-
beck's ''Pompeji." Many OF the exca-
waited residences were found rich in
money, statuary, vases, paintings,
gems, porcelain, tapestries, etc. A
few of these curiosities are in the mu
scum at Pompeii; but 38, 900 of them
are in the National Museum at Ma
pies. We explored the Temple of
Venus with its columned arcades and
fine paintings-she great Forum with
liz columns-the fine old Temple of
Jupiter, the city Prison in which two
chained skeletons were found, the
Temple of Augustus with its paint
ings, pedestals, and portico, the Tenn
pie of Mercury where its vases, fet-
tiers, wheels and earthenware still re-
main.
Many residences must have had
great splendor before the eruption.
Among these are the famous excava-
ted home Of Holconius, in which the
skeleton Of a woman was found hold
ing a casket OF jewelry, the house of
Cornelius Rufus, the house with a
hanging balcony. the house OF Siricus,
the house of Marcus Lucretia, the
house OF the Grand Duke Of Tuscany,
and those of the wealthy Pansa,
Glancus, (theltragic poet Of whom
Bulwer speaks, )Adonis, Sallust, Apol-
10, Julius POlybius, Albino and Do
medes. In many of these fine foun-
tains, handsome frescoes, beautiful
atriums, peristyles and pretty gardens
may yet be seen.
The Temple OF Fortune, the house
or the Anchor, the house OF the Faun.
the great public bath heuse, the mag
niflcent marble bathing pools and 9TH
er baths for ladies only, the Tragic
Theatre seating 5000, the vast Am
phtheatre, seating 10000, the Tenn
pie Of Isis with its affairs for sacriti-
ccs, and the inscriptions on some OF
the editices are full OF interest. In
the Soldiers Barracks SO skeletons
were found, and in the guard room
four with their feet in the stocks.
The chief city brothel known as 1.-The
4 LuDanares Is the most peculiarly con-