Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-04-28
THE CITY OF PoMPEII,
AS seen by Custer Lass who is now So
journing In Sunny Italy.

Pompeii. We went nearly q week ago
and you cannot realize how interesting
it really is. 1t seems like an old city
with the inhabitants just disappeared.
All the old pavements are as yet like
new. Several old fountains made Of
Mosaic have not decayed or faded at all.
All the old water pipes are still just as
they were. The old walls of the city
are still left standing. The houses then
were nearly all built as they are now
in these countries, around an open court.
They were not very high, sometimes
three stories but not often, and when
they were that high the family inhaoit-
ed the upper stories. The sleeping
rooms were usually small and generally
had no windows, all the light came in
through the door. One house has been
left just as it was found. The kitchen
has the utensils all around the walls.
and the old stove has things on it-a
grit.iron ard pals and kettles. The
Accommodations about the houses were
about the same as nowadays. They
were usually heated with furnace with
pipes carrying heat all through the walls.
They had bath rooms with hot and cold
water, and as far as can see they had
as many comforts as the most civilized
nations of the times. The houses were
decorated inside with very fine delicate
work. The colors are still as fresh aS if
they were painted but yesterday. The
hall of fjustice was long building, at the
upper end Of which was an altar and
places for the jury and judges to sit.
On each side Of this altar were statues
of Venus and Apollo, the god and god.
dess, but they have been taken away
and put in the little museum. About
the middle of the room was an altar
for the sacrifice of small animals. Un-
derneath was the prison, but the prison
ers were only put here while the trial
was going on and if they were found
guilty they were led off to execution
without having a word Of defense for
themselves. There is an old ruin of a
money changers shop IN which found q
great deal of money of different kinds.
One really would not think as they ira.
verse the narrow streets Of Pompeii that
it was over two thousand years old.
When we first entered the museum the
thugs that met our eyes we're old wine
and water jugs, old chariots, old glass
and prison bars, old cooking utensils
and furniture, and all sorts of things.
Bread that had been left in the oven
was of course burned black, but it was
bread Just the same. Old coins and
jewelry which had been forgotten and
left in the flight of the people. In the
next room there were persons who had
suffocated and perished in the smoke
some with their face downwards, and
all in terrible position of suffering and
with expression of horror on their faces.
In the next room there were skeletons
Of children, cows, horses, dogs, cats,
pigs and all other domestic animals.
Well, / really must not write any more
of Pompeii, but there is lots more to be
told. We started last Tuesday from
Naples on the train to Caste!loimare
The driye was most charming. Some
times we were in deep gorges with
mountains on each side, sometimes on
the top of hills and mountains, other
times driving along the beautiful, calm
sea, with the mountains on one side dot
ted with all kinds Of beautiful flowers
and the orange and lemon trees loaded
with fruit, and the olive and mulberry
trees added to the beauty of the scene
On the other hand the beautiful blue
sea with the island of Capri in the dis.
tance, and still further on Bella Napoli
with smoking Vesuvius ever looking
down on her. We last reached Sor.
rento, and were left in little fairy spot
of garden. The next morning we
started in carriage for Amalfi. sup
pose you have heard Longfellow's poem,
on Amalf.
Sweet the memory is to me
OF land beyond the sea,
Where the waves and mountains meet,
Where amid her mulberry trees,
Sits Amalh I'm the heat,
Bathing ever her white feet,
In the tideleSS summer sea.
And then again where it says this; !
am sure it will interest you, for this
same convent that it speaks Of has been
turned into hotel, and there is where
we stopped. suppose you read in the
papers Of the rock that fell with part OF
hotel on it. This is the hotel, Hotel
des Caspacines. This is the verse about
the convent:
Lord OF vineyards and of lands
Far above the convent stands,
On its terraces walk aloof
Leans monk with folded hands,
Placid, satisfied, serene,
Looking down upon the scene,
Over wall and red tiled roof.
The drive from Sorrento to Cava is
very wonderful and also beautiful, but
not so beautiful as the drive from Cas-
telloimare to Sorrento. The rocks are
all of such peculiar formation. They
are all full of grottos and nearly all hol
low. This is the reason: About thirty
years ago 30 many brigands, or "high
way robbers" were here as the noun
tains afforded shelter and place fol
them to live. Down on the rocks by thu
sea were old signal towers and light
houses that were built by the Pisans il
the 18th century, who then inhabited
this part of the country. We stayed il
Amalf two days, one day we took
little excursion up place called Ravsll,