The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-11-15
he time Of the great catastrophe.

The eruption which was destined to
be so memorable began early in the
morning Of February a. 70 A. d. Spec
tators looking from a great distance
saw a mighty cloud spread and over
hang the city like vast and ominous
umbrella. There was still plenty of
time to get away in safety, and doubt
less a majority Of the people did escape
before the impending volcanic storm
began juggling from the number of
skeletons thus far discovered it seems
probable than not more than about two
thousand persons actually persisted
However, a great many who attempted
to leave in boats may have lost their
lives
Admiral Pliny, with a fleet was not
far away and letters brought by
mounted couriers reached him as early
as l p. m. that day begging him to
come as quickly as possible with his
ships and help to rescue the people.
He set sail Immediately, and, arriving
within sight of vesuvius at nightfall.
ran into the rain of pumice that was
then falling. 1t was impossible to
make landing at Pompeii, and so he
disembarked at Stabiae, where 1t was
mailing cinders at such a rate that dur
ing the night he was obliged to leave
the room in which he slept for fear lest
the door might be blocked up. On the
following morning he died, being suffo-
Gated by volcanic fumes.
Early in the afternoon Of February
"a the hail of pumice began to fall upon
doomed Pompeii, the pieces averaging
about the size Of walnut, together
with torrents of rain. 1t must then
have been almost too late for anybody
who remained in the city to get away.
Repeated shocks of earthquake con-
tributed to the horror of the scene, Incl
dentally demolshing the bridge over
the Sarno and so shutting off escape in
that direction. Meanwhile, rivers of
pumice mixed with water flowed down
the slope of Vesuvius on the other side
and overwhelmed the neighboring Her
culaneum.
The pumice fell in Pompeii until the
streets of the city were covered eight
to ten feet deep with it, Its weight
broke in the roofs of many of the
houses, and the destruction of lives
must have already been frightful
Nevertheless, many of the people still
survived, seeking refuge in cellars and
other such places of retreat They
must have imagined that there was
still hope when early in the morning of
the next day February 25) there came
a great shock and ashes began falling
in continuous shower with the RAIN
Though day had arrived it grew dark |
er than ever, If possible, a cloud of
frightful backness settling own over
the land, while the lightning and thun-
der were appalling. Shock followed |
shock, and the survivors must at last |
have concluded that their last hour |
was at hand. Such was in truth the |
case. The storm of ashes lasted nearly |
all day long; they drifted in through
the windows of the houses and suffoca-
ted all who remained alive. They COW
cred the city with a sheet of death six
to seven feet thick.
Thus was completed the destruction
Of Pompeii. If the estimate of fatali-
ties above quoted be fairly correct the
loss of life was not more than one
third as great as during the recent hur-
ricane at Galveston, whose terrors may
be said to have fairly equalled those of
this ancient catastrophe, though so diff
ferent in kind. When it was all over
the roofs of many of the houses still
emerged above the volcanic debris
which had overwhelmed the city. Her
culaneum, however, had wholly dihap-
peared under the streams of mud, sixty
five feet deep in spots, which had
flowed over it. This mud, being a sort
Of natural concrete, soon hardened into
stone, which Is to-day of such solidity
as to make excavation work extremely
difficult. Washington Post.