Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-04-12
The Most Famous Volcano.

of NCSuNiuS lose none ol tleT awe
from the fact that they have been ia
mililr for centuries. Including the
beautifuI city of Naples there are fully
500. 900 people living within radius of
II miles of Vesuvius which is the
worlds most famous volcano. though
not so large as Etna of Mauna Loa. Its
slopes are covered with vineyards and
the cities and villages at its base, buiit
above the buried cities of old, make it
the center of the most denseiy pepu-
lated section of Italy. 1t is indeed,
something quite surprising that not
wjthstandng the great danger at
tendlnt upon living i'm that region. on
account of the uncertainty of the be-
haviCr Of the volcano, people crowd
about the foot of that mountain of fire
living in jeopardy of an eruption al
most constantly.
Vesuvius is the best known of all
The worlds volcanoes. With cir
cumferencc at its base of about 30
miles. it rises from the center Of
plain 2,3GO feet above the sea in sort
of conical pyramid of about 1900 feet
high and about 1000 feet in diameter.
so that the total height is about $500
feet In 1880 a railway was laid to its
summit which WAS equipped with
electrical apparatus in 1903'0i Be
fore the Christian era, Vesuvius was
supposed to be twice its present
height, its various periods of eruption
having shrunken or lessened its pro-
portions. while it is thought that a
tremendous eruption of which history
gives no record. blew away the upper
half of its cone.
The locality about Vesuvius and the
cities at its base is replete with his
torical interest. The mountain side
was the home of the early Greek set
tiers. and 1t was here that the Gladia-
tor Srartacus was besieged by the
PraetOr Claudius Pulcher. Spartacus
escaping by a vine branch, descending
through an unguardcd notch in the
crater. Till 63 a. d. when many of
| the surrounding cities were damaged
| py an earthquake. no symptoms of
| activity arc known to have been given
| forth by Eesuvius. In the year 10 of
| the Christian era, August u, occurred
| the great eruption described in the
| letters of the younger Pliny. which
| dest roycd the cities of Pompeii and
Herculaneum and several smaller
towns. A public festival was in
progress at the time of the eruption
which was not so suddenly overwhelm-
ing .is to prevent personal flight and it
the sick. prisoners and sentinels es-
carcd Among those who persisted was
the elder Pliny. who with others was
hast"hing with part of the Roman
| fleet to the relief of the inha bitants.
Since that eruption III a. ID. 10. other
| crupt ions have taken place in the fol-
lowing named years: 1896. 1910. 1893,
1884, 1Si7, 1850. 1855, 1867. 1872, 1878,
1880 and 1895.
| The present eruption rivals III vio-
lencc that of April. 1872. when the
| vapors and rock fragments were eject
ed tn an altitude of 10000 feet. During
this fearful outburst one immense fis-
! sure was formed extending from the
| top of the mountain below the base of
| the cone, while many smaller rents
| were maze in the sides Of the noun
| taius. 50 that from its whole surface
| liquid lava eXudrd. ON this occasion
| Professor Palmieri, who witnessed the
| eruption from the observatory, said
| "EeSuvi,ls Sweated fire" A close
study of Ncsuviau cruptions shows
| that as "A general rule an extremely
violent outburst is seldom maintained
for many days. The great eruption Of
| 1872 attained its climax of intensity in
| two days and then slowly died out.
| Arguing from this it may be hoped
| that the present eruption will soon be-
| gin TO diminish in intensity