The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-11
n this world we must sacrifice re
!, Hast mart Of our ilyes to acquire ina.
wealth, which generally arrives "''e"
lie lime for enjoying It Is past
ues,,ui,,s and the Others.

Vesuvius and the Others.
& ~ All The mysterious I'VE mountains
,r,,,h have brought terror and devnsta-
zion to the sons Of men sinco histois
heran. thu terrible Nesuvius, when us
wa write Is threatening the Lives OF an
rho i've within It's reech, faa Jar inc
creates, and ,nhappiest distinction
s,,uated IL the heart Of region wr''oh
has been densely settled for more man an.
twenty centuries, this volcano has ''t''c
and again helchcd out death TO thosc
who have fondly mistaken It's temporary
< >,,,escence for safety. Tho burial OF
1,or,ne,, and Herc,,laneun1, made famous
nv The historian and the novelist was
nrohably the scene OF no more Violei'
,,nheayal than the colossal >erupt'oh u
,rAh,stnr,c times which blew away al
the upper half of the cone. HOW lar. pacA
,nto ,he centuries vesuvius's nctlv'-
ties strcch no man iniY say ~ y"
have authentic records Of them for over
eighteen hundred years. From ~ 70 1901
1ts movements were rare and relall'eis
feeble; but in the latter year there was
a frichttui outbreak preceded BY SIN
months increasingly violent earthquakes
In which $4,000 persons are said TO nave
lost their lives.
How many lives the violence OF TINS
..oicano have cost in all 1t would De I'M
,o.eihia even to estimate but 1T is PROB
hat pp
activity Issuing from single source mas
caused SO many. Vesuvius, however mas
never vet had an eruption SO destruct!Ve
al human life as that of l\rakatoa' IN
1ss3 as a result OF which nearly 4o'ooo
persons along the costs Of the Suhoa
Strait were drowned. and probably none
so destructive a $ the well remembered
Martinique disaster. In May, l9o2. he
Krakotoa catastrophe is :he most over-
whelming event Of the sort of when
history has any record. Tho Mont Pelec
rruntion offered to science rs Favorable
All opportunity for investigating the plu-
nomena OF volcaMoes perhaps rs we ara
ever likely to get. but 1t must be al
mitted that the resulting, gains to human
knowledge we're trivial. Our knowledge
nc ,ho causes and exact mechanism of
eruptons Is decidedly rudimentary. IN
n view Of the obvious difficulty Of making
,lose range study this deficiency is not
likely 10 be remedied at aSy very early
date. The fate Of Pliny the elder, whose
,nouirinc mind prompted him to too In
a. a. , u - the I'm
carries its own warning. But 1t Is highly
interesting to note from the press dis
patches yesterday. that Signor Matteuci
director of the observatory had declined
TO allow any risk Of personal danger to
shake him from his post
The shores of the Pacific appear to be
the chosen home of the volcanoes They
strech ut Irregular intervals from Japan
to the islands of the Indian Ocean, from
Patagonia to Aiasxa with apparently
Increasing activity as they near the tro-
pics. Some are constantly ut work
Others have long periods If nuet StG'p-
bali In the Mediterranean has beer crupt-
ing no, stoned stean and lava from the
4 dawn OF history. and Is still at it to-
day. The force Of volcanic explosions. Is
gigantic, nestmable. Granite and silu-
rian rocks have proved unequal to keep
them in Conseguina. in Nicaragua. threw
ashes to depth Of ten feet at Il point
twenty four miles distant. Dust and
sand fell in Jamaica. 700 miles away.
The lava retains It's heat marvellously.
Jarlla, In Mexico. emitted lava in 759
and twenty-one years later it was posi-
Bile to light cigar at the assures OF
the deposit
Man can feel the mighty force of these
Btrange monsters. can estimate 1t ana
suffer from II, but he cannot explain It.
Not all his Wanted skill can account
Tor the least culver Of our little planet,
Tar less arrest 1t. No doubt It takes
Nesuvus to hold always before US how
thoroughly We are puppets in he hancs
Of unseen powers able at any time TO
brush us away like so many flies.