The Washington times., 1906-04-15

out Its tale Of terror 70 tell Of the
great fiery hill
In 1794 Tore del Greco. which has
been the most frequent victim. was
almost entirely destroyed A stream
OF lava passed through the center or
the town enveloping churches and
principal buildings i'm d food varying
from twelve 10 forty feet in thick
ness In 1872 IL was found when Il
was all over that more than 1870 feet
OF the cone. about half the height OF
the volcano, had been carried away.
reducing it from 4.o00 10 2o0o feet.
II has now regained its Old height
Of about 400 feet. which is its average
height. though any violent eruption is
likely 10 change II. and there is evil
dence that at some prehistoric time
IL was at least twice its present height
In 1880 the eruption destroyed the
Bosco Real. which was full OF fine oak
and lex trees. These when surround
ed by lava poured out Jets Of steam
from every knot and branch and final
IL exploded with loud reports. adding
greatly 20 the terror OF the natives.
For as long as the oldest inhabitant
can remember now Vesuvius has been
a cloud OF smoke by- Jay. and pillar
or more recently creScent-of IRE by
night The smoke comes from the
crater and is occas. 9nally lighted BY
Iurid flashes. The crescent is the lava
food Of 1895. which shows two miles Of
steam by day and the same length Of
glowing redness from dark to dawn
Half way up the mountain stands-or
stood for after withstandinE many
eruptions il has been destroyed by
this one-the observatory maintained
by the Italian government II is-was
a handsome three-stOry structure,
standing sharply against the sky on
a spur Of the mountain. 200 feet
above the sea level. II is from the
balcony Of this observatory that the
traveller doing Vesuvius" has been
wont 20 get his first idea Of the i'm
mensity, horror. and unimagined force
of the mighty vent for earth's interior
fires that towers above. In every di-
rection was a shOreless sea of dull
black lava. Its tossing pillows and
breakers and eddies once white-hOt
and angry were now chilled to rigid
stone. The eddies. spiashes, and cur
rents were plainly apparent. and look
ed soft and pastry though they were
I'm reality heavy and hard as castircn-
The white-hOt LIQUID mass that OriEi-
nally formed these waves swept tor
rent-like down the mountain at near
iy a mile a minute. and still so hot
when IL overwhelmed Tore del
Greco. four and 8 half miles away,
IT melted copper, silver, and even
fints-
1t was at this observatory that on
April % and p. 1872. Prof Palmieri.
"the Father OF VesuvUs. stood at
his post while two lava floods rushed
down the valleys on ei,her side and
the observatory became an island be-
tween two molten seas. It was so hot
inside with all the doors and shutters
closed that the thermometer stood at
I7S fahrenheit. and the director and
his assistants were in imminent
danger OF roasting alive Vesuvius was
throwing out blocks Of stone forty-fiye
feet IN circumference, sending small
stones and projectiles few thousand
feet in air. and flames and smoke
many thousand feet higher. The
mountain roared and beloved in a
way that was deafening and in its
fury shook the houses in Naples. The
smoke was shot with lightning flashes
Ano tne d4T Iuu OL OidZllS proISCtllSS
which fell on the observatory in a
shower. Not only the crater but the
black cone itself. half mile in height.
was cracked in all directions, was
spouting flame from these cracks and
threatened to collapse into the boiling
lake within.
Previous TO A. D. 70 there was but
one mountain. Monte S4nma- Now
there are two. twin peaks. Monte
Somma and NesuviuS, and the latter
Is higher than its fellow. From be-
meath the surface OF the earth there
fore. has come enough lava TO build
several cities and a .zountain, and to
cover hundreds If square miles with
lava beds Of varying thickness Is It
any wonder then that the cry We
suvius is in eruption" strikes terror
20 the native, and bids the whole civ
iIized world harkea. and u need Be
help.