The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-11-01
AWAKENING OF YEsuY1us.
Description of the Late Eruption by an
American Eyewitness.

Description of the Late Eruption by an
American Eyewitness.
For many day Italy has not been so
rudely shaken from its calm serenity as
in the last two weeks, when excitement
of various kinds has swept over the
country, reaching every one, from the
members of the royal family to the
very humblest Of subjects Hardly
had the little prince been ushered into
the light Of day, with much ringing Of
bells, waving of flags, and reports of
cannon, when rejoicing was turned to-
apprehension and fear at the sullen
calm and riotous excitement Of a great
| strike. SShops were closed, trains
ceased running, and the streets were
In darkness and deserted save when
the strikers poured through them in
hundreds, laughing or menacing, as the
case might be. Even the pope in the
silence Of the Vatican has been dis
tturbed by the echoes from a RATIONAL
list conference held under his very nose
in the city once the stronghold Of the
church.
Vesuvius has taken this moment of
social and religious upheaval to shake
loft the lethargy of several years, and
has broken forth in such splendor that
all the questions of state and church
seem but petty nothings in comparison.
Int has been, perhaps, rather an ao-
knowIedged fact that Vesuvius has had
her day, and that little more was to be
expected of her.
| Just two months ago a learned coll
llege girl laughed with scorn at an UNI
i sophisticated shipmate who was look-
| ing forward with excitement to landing
Fat Naples in the hope Of seeing little
| fire from Vesuvius.
1 When an old resident of the bay who
has seen several small eruptions, lifted
lup her uncollegic voice to encourage
THE young girl In her hopes, she was Sc
verely suppressed at once by the re-
mark that no real eruption had been
seen for twenty years, and so there was
no sort of chance of its ever being ac-
tive again.
And vet here is yesuvius pouring
fourth fire and lava and smoke and
ashes in a truly magnificent style; but,
alas! the college girl is far away.
From the last Of August until the 10th
iof September there have been nunler-
Gus small eruptions accompanied by
Irumblings and explosions. On the 10Th
the activity began to increase, especial
| ly during the night; and on the night
Of the 22d torrent Of lava was to be
seen with three active craters beyond
! the Punta del Masonic. On the Gath the
explosions increased, and each one was
followed by shower of ashes. AS the
night came on, the noise redoubled, and
the sight became more magnificent.
After every explosion a strong shock
was felt, rafting the windows lii the
homes at the foot Of the mountain.
Immense crowds of tourists made use
Of the new electric railroad to ascend
Vesuvius, and were met by people from
the observatory, who told them just
how far it was safe to approach this
dangerous monster The funiculare
was partly destroyed by little openings
near the chief station itself.
A panic began among the people, In
the nearer towns Of Sonma, Resina,
San Giorgio and Crsmano; and, as the
rumblings and shocks increased in
force the panic became intense. At
Naples the shocks of earthquake were
also felt with much force, and every
roof-top and TRACE in the city was
crowded with people watching in awe
the splendid sight which seemed every
moment to threaten them, far away al
they were.
At. the summit Of the cone, on the
side toward San Sebastiano, several
openings appeared with high cones,
from which fell a constant shower of
sparks, adding to the general brillian-
cy.
AT every explosion dense cloud Of
black smoke broke out into fantastic
forms in the sky and then fell in fine
shower below, while thousands and
thousands of powders of every size
shot up FIVE hundred meters from the
cone and then rolled down the sides Off
the mountain, some Of them reaching
as far as the road to Pompeii. One
bowlder, weighing twenty kilos, fell at
the feet Of some interested spectators,
fortunately not touching them; for it