The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-13
LAST DAYS OF POMPEU.
Pains Big PyrOtechnfcaI Spectacle
for Carnival Week.

The second big show of the carnival is
the Pain pyrotechnical spectacle, Last
Days Of Pompeii." The Pain Company is
putting forth unusual efforts with this
show, the reason being that much new
matter will be introduced both i'm the char
acter OF specialties and fire effects. No
subject has ever been selected tina offered
the pyrotechnical opportunities and spec
tacular features that this does. Any one
familiar with Bulwer Lytton's novel of
the same name and who has appreciated
his description Of the awful destruction
visited upon the Roman city will realize
what Is necessary TO a complete revelation
Of IL In the Pain production, which II. ].
Pain is coming here especially to super
wise, the story Of Lord Lytton's novel is
closely followed in the pantomime fete
which preCedes the volcanic eruption. Ar
baces. an Egyption OF power and wealth,
gives the fete TO the people at Pompeii.
Pompeti bore about the same relation TO
the Romans that Newport or Saratoga
does to the Americans. 1t was their place
Of voluptuOus pleasure. Arbaces sought TO
win the hand of lone, who was in love with
Glaucus.
In the pantomime GIaucus is required.
after being denounced as a Christian, to
offer worship to the idol Isis. He dehes it
and great disorder results. The idol seems
TO be all aiame. AT this period the erup-
ton of Nesuvius begins and continues with
frightful realism until the city is shaken.
buildings are destroyed and apparently the
people killed within them. During the
progress of the fete a great many modern
specislties are introduced. Among them is
the comic acrobatic work of Martella and
Lancaster, the Bell trio, RomoIa brothers
and F~ondela, who does wonderful feats of
head balancing in midair. There is a large
ballet. which r~eproduces the graceful
dances OF the days of Roman pomp and
power.
RECENT DISCOVERIES.
Since 1884, when the late Lord Lytton.
then Sir Edward Bulwar Lytton, published
his amous, novel, The Last Days of Pom
peii,' so extensive have been the discov-
cries made among the ruins Of the buried
city that very little of what he then wrote
remains accurate The excavations of the
past twenty years have laid bare sufficient
TO guarantee the assertion that, far from
being a little country seaside town, as the
great novelist described it to have been.
PomDeii was a very large city indeed. with
possibly over 10000 inhabitants. Even Sir
William Cells beautiful work. compiled
with so much patience and personal re-
search, holds no longer its position as an
tnfalhble guide. In 1892 about 300 bodies
had been dug out of the ruins: TODAY the
humber reaches considerably over 1000
The history of Pompeii is simple enough.
Its building is generally ascrfbed to the
OScans, and Its name Is derived from The
Greek, "HOmiieta." or ''storehouse." indi-
eating its commercial origin. 1t II known
TO have been a city of some Importance
800 years before Christ, but under the en-
plre 1t seems to have become a kind Of
Brighton OF the epoch, a fashionable sum
mer resort and watering place. Cicero had
a villa in its suburbs, in which he wrote
MS famous "OfhceS and entertained as
guests Augustus Caesar. Balbus. Hirtius
and Pansa. Claudius took refuge here
from the tyranny of Tiberius, and his son
Drusus died within the walls of POmpeii.
oddly enough, from the effects of swallow
ing, the wrong way, a pear pip. which
chOked him.
On more than one occasion the city was
menaced by destruction-frstly, n. d. SO.
by a terrible earthquake, which Tacitus
tells threw down half the place. and Sem
eca adds, killed over six hundred sheep
and deprived hundreds of persons Of their
reason. SO great, indeed, was the terror
that many persons abandoned entirely"
In the course of the same year there was
vet another earthquake, which was. if any,
thing. much more terrible than the first.
and traces of which are yet discernible
among the ruins now brought TO light.
The first eruption of Vesuvius of which
we have authentic record occurred in the
year a. d. 70, on the oath day of August.
late IN the afternoon. 1t is memorable. not
only as being the one which destroyed
POmpeii and Herculaneum and caused the
death of Pliny, the naturalist. but also as
having Pliny, the younger. his nephew, as
its historian.
HERCULANEUM DESTROYED.
On this memorable night Hercuianeum.
a much larger city than Pompeii, was de-
stroyed by a kim Of flow of liquid lava,
which, pouring itself into every c~revice, has
rendered attempts to recover the remains
almost fruitless. Pompeii. however. was
buried under a thick coat of ashes. which
have rather preserved than damaged it. so
that, as a rule, the homes are unearthed
entire and pretty nearly in their original
condition, the frescOes as fresh as if
painted but yesterday, and even articles OF
virtu found just where they were left more
than eighteen hundred years ago. From
certain indications il seems evident that
during the first four centuries of our era
many slight excavations We're made. possi-
bly, with a view of unearthing bidder
treasures, and that even a village or 50
was built on the site Of the once great city.
bat in 42 another vigorous eruption de.
stroyed the huts and So scared the people
that. until las. no further attempts were