The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1901-09-11
Ponlpeii.

I htN. ME. MCAnlhCA closed the series OF
I iuteresling.articles on his travels in Pales-
tine, finishing with an account OF what
he saw in the wonderful city ot Rome.
These letters have been a source of great
pleasure aud edifcation to the readers of
this paper for the past five months, and
no doubt they will miss them greatly
and regret their absence in future issues.
We herewith reproduce, from the col
umns of the Vindicator, letter on Pom
/ peii, written while Mr.. McAninch was
on his eastern course, and which many of
our reader did not have an opportunity
1 10 see:
| While passing through the ruins of this
city, for centuries buried beneath the
ashes of Nesuvius, but now, in large part
uncovered, presenting such scene of
ancient life as can be seen no where else
in the world. l thought of how you
would revel in this place. l had no idea
that everything would he so perfect, gates,
house walls. streets, etc. But here they
are just as when in the year 20, A. D., the
sudden eruption of the Volcano covered
them up. There seems to have been
something in these ashes that preserved
what they buried as in a hermeticallv
sealed can. We entered the city by gate
arched over and built of stone al what is
called Sea Street, being the street that led
to the sea. This is covered over for quite
distance and paved with square stone
set in diagonally. In this arch door
was found leading into large room
which has been converted into a muse
um. We were taken into this aud
shown great number of relics found
while excavating. These are all original
finds, water and wine jars of all sizes,
lamps and coin and various kinds of
crockery. Perhaps the most interesting
sights we're the casts of ofseveral men and
women and one of dog. When the
ashes fell there were different qualities,
some hardened quickly and when the
body had decomposed or turned to asles
perfect mold was left of tho person.
This was soon discovered and when they
small opening and poured in plaster
which so completely filled the mold that
a perfect image of the person was the
result. Several of the men had money
belt about them that shows plainly in
the cast. They had evidently either at
tempted to escape by flight or this was
their method for carrying money. The
large lips and retreati G forehead of one
shows his color, while the massive limbs
of another has given him the name of
gladiator. The cast of the dog shows
him to have been chained and trying to
get away, The mark of the collar APP
pears in the cast.
Passing on up the street we come into
the city proper. Here the streets and
walls are all laid bare. The narrow side
walks seem to have been laid by the own
ers of adjoining property, as there is
some variety in it. All are of stone,
some are flat squares, others are of small
stones artlstically arranged, some places
| llttle diamond shaped bits of marble are
set in figures. The houses were all of
stone with thick walls from two to three
feet, there were 10 outside windows,
only door which opened into a hall
leading to square in the center around
which the house was built Here were
fountains and flower gardens such as I
| understand are common in tropical re-
glons today and are found in Naples.
FROM this square doors opened into va
! rlous rooms, or rather there were OPEN
| ngs over which curtains hung to screen
the rooms. These rooms were small and
| square usually, with no opening except
the entrance. On the walls of some of
these rooms paintings still appear of all
Kinds OF animals and persons. / did not
see any landscapes. The colors were
beautiful yet One lady remarked it was
the first time she had ever really seen
Pompeiian red. A great deal of statuary
was found, one piece was entirely per-
feet, of beautiful white marble and al |
most life size. One house was very large |
and had evidently been one of the best in !
the city, all its walls are painted in fig
ures OF great variety. The rooms are
well preserved, the court paved with
marble and around the large fountain
are statues of men and women facing
each other. The houses were plumbed
then just as they now are. Lead pipes
were used which we saw through an
opening, while the waste pipes were us |
ually tile or earthen pipes. The large |
public bath was place of wonderful in |
terest. There it stands all i'm stone and |
marble as when those people used them. |
Little alcoves around the wall of a circu- |
lar bath of about 10 feet in diameter and |
81 feet deep seemed to have been dress |
ing rooms, In another part were hot |
and cold bath tubs or fountains in the |
same room. The walls of the temple of
Venus still stand but the statue of the
goddess is in the British museum. There
| is the altar of stone upon which the sacri-
fices were slain and the stage where the
lnaidens, devoted to this goddess, danced.
The judgment seat with a male statue in
front is in good condition. In the hall
way of the house of Glaucus is the mo-
sale OF dog with this inscription "Cave
Canem," another floor in mosaic has the
picture of a bear. We were in the fish
market, this is known by the painting
and carvings on the wall of all sorts of
animals and fruits very distinct and clear.
| We saw the theater and triangular mar
ket. The streets are very narrow, many
Of them would not allow vehicles to pass
in. These were raved with hard stone
| yet in many places they were worn by
the passing chariot wheels into ruts of
four to six inches deep. This would in
dicate that the city was very old when
destroyed. There are other things that
| point in the same direction. In one
| place there are three steps in the side
walk beside a house. Here were deep
marks showing where people had put
| their hands against the stone in rising
the step, alsoa marble fountain the i'm
mage ofa woman out of whose mouth
the water poured into stone tank. Here
the people were accustomed to stop and
drink. A deep hole has been worn IN
the stone where the right hand rested
and the woman's (statue) mouth has
been worn away by frequent kissing half
way to the ears on one side. A bakery
was found in which is an oven in perfe5t
condition, when found il contained
loaves of bread. 1t looked for all the
world like the out door ovens one often
sees in the country and which bake the
best bread in the world. In this bakery