The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-09

city is crowded with fugitives from the
Vesuvian towns and villages, and more are
continually arriving.
The saddest sight is that of numerous
families who are too poor TO pay for transit
YEARLY struggling onfoot into Naples, with
children in their arms, their backs bent
under hui ge bundles and theirfaces worn and
For these the municipality Of Naples has
provided shelter in railway carriages.
Late Sunday night a terrific downfall of
dust obscured the air like fog. There is
a deposit Of ashes in the streets more than
an inch deep. Everybody is wearing Cog
giles or substitutes improvised from paper,
but although these protect the eyes the
showers of fine black sand make breathing
difficult.
Prof Blaserna- says the city has nothing
to fear beyond the discomfort arising from
the ashes. Although the present situation
is striking, and even terrible, it is actually
less alarming than the eruptions in 1872,
1892 and 1894
The churches have been crowded all
day with worshippers Offering prayers for
their safety, Those who are frightened
have been unnerved principally by the
earthquakes. A fugitive from Boscotrecase
says the school near Ottajano has been
destroyed. The scholars fed and have
been lost on the mountainside. Railway
men found three of them. The others, in
Guiding some infants, are missing.
Several villages have been destroyed by
showers of stones, which lie six feet deep
in some places.
wARsHIPs FoR
ROME, April s.-The Ministry of Marine
has ordered the Italian Mediterranean
fleet, which is now at Gaeta, to go to Ma
| pies and take orders from the Duke of
Aosta, who is now there. The warships
will assist in embarkinE refugees at the
coast owns. The Minister of Finance
and other Government officials have gone
to Naples. 1t is understood that the King
will also go.
MANY TOWNS ABANDONED.
IONDpN Fhlil Ne II 'S'NhNH - 'N'
days eruption of Mount Vesuvius which
have reached here are detached and mex
pert. 1t is clear that the evacuation OF the
towns and villages in a wide area around
the volcano before the advancing lava
and torrents of hot ashes and sand has
left nobody TO observe the progress OF the
catastrophe, even il such observation were
possible. A correspondent who went to
the Boscotrecase and Tore Annunziata
districts on Saturday says:
Along the road ! met hundreds Of families
in fight, carrying their few miserable pos
sessions. The spectacle of collapsed carts
and fainting women was frequent. When
one reached the lava streams a Supplying
spectacle presented itself. From a point
on the mountain between he towns I
watched four rivers OF molten fire, one
of which, 200 feet wide and over forty
feet deep, was moving slowly and ma
jestically onward, devouing vineyards
and olive groves. i witnessed the destruc-
ton of a farmhouse, which was enveloped
on three sides by lava.
Immediately overhead the great crater
was belching incandescent rocks and scorlh
for an incredible distance The whole sum
NIT was wreathed with flames, and a per-
petual roar was heard. Ever and anon the
cone of the volcano was encircled with vivid
electric phenomena, amid which a downpour
Of liquid fire on all sides Of the crater was
revealed in magnificent awfulness.
"In the evening there was a frightful
shock of earthquake, which was repeated
at ? o'clock on Sunday morning. Stimuli
taneo! sly, the lava streams redoubled
their onrush, and men, women and children
fed precipitately toward the sea. The
lava had invaded the road behind them.
CROWDS sBE THE spRcTAcrE.
Another correspondent describes a visit
made to B~oscotecase Saturday, saying:
As nothing could be seer from Naples
owing to the dense, black pail Of sand
half of Naples hurried TO the threatened
town by railway, electric tramway. motor
car and country cart.
1t was difficult enough to obtain a ticket
and infinitely more difficult 70 obtain a
seat in the trains, although tho service had
been trebled. AS far as the picturesque
tow Of Portici the country lay desolate
under a shroud OF sand.
Not q blossom could be seen on tho
withered trees, not a crap Of fodder on
the ground for the cattle. Along the rail-
way the people Of the towns through which
it passes stood Watching in mournful sur
prise the procession Of crowded trains.
when we reached Doscotreoase at 4
P. M. we found that only two or three houses
outside the town had yet been destroyed,
although with them vast tracts Of vine
yards had been devastated. The upper
houses in the town. which stand on the
very slopes Of the volcano. had been de-
serted. but their inhabitants were return
ing, as the stream Of lava which had threat
ened them had ceased to advance.
"A second stream, however, was moving
forward, but it was not dangerous. This