The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1906-04-13

Mingle With Poisonous Gases
New Craters Pouring La.
va on All Sides of VOL
cano-Ashes Six
Feet Dsep.
Naples, April 8.-The hope that
Mount Vesuvious was becoming
, calm was dissipated today when the
volcano became more active than
ever. The panic has spread to Ma
pies. Two strong earthquake shocks
which shattered the windows and
cracked the walls of buildings, were
I experienced today. The entire pop
uiation rushed to he streets in ter
ror, many of them crying. "The
Madonna has forsaken us; the end
of the world has come"
No trace remains of Boscotrecaee,
a commune on the southern decliv-
I ity of the mountain, where, up to
48 hours ago 10000 persons lived;
and Tore Annunziata, on the
shores OF the Gulf of Naples, one
mile to the southwark, is almost
surrounded by the invading lava
and has been evacuated by its &c..
OOO inhabitants.
The people were brought to Ma.
pies by trains, street cars, military
carts and steamships. Similar
means of transportation are being
employed to bring away the people
from Tore del Greco.
| A telegram received from the
Mayor Of San Sebastian, a village
near the Observatory on the North.
west declivity of Vesuvius, says
that lava is approaching rapidly
and that the people are terror strick
en-. They have been for some
nights without sleep, and are desti
tute and beg assistance be giver
them.
The work of succor is hanperec
owing to delays to the railway ser
vice, which is interrupted by red
hot stones thrown to a height o
; 900 feet falling on the tracks. Al
enormous volume of Black smoke
rises to a height Of two miles abov'
the crater. A continuous southeast
erly wind carries the ashes owe
the city of Naples, Which is go com
pletely enveloped in darkness tha
for three days our communication
by STA have been cut off. Steam
ers and large sailboats trying t.
reach Naples find themselves in to
tai darkness several miles from
shore and turn back, numbers G
persons having tainted from th
sulphurous fumes.
Fissures have opened far below
the cone, emitting many streams c
lava, one of which has completed
destroyed the town of Boscotrecas
which bad 10000 inhabitants.
Yesterday I drove through TORI
Annunziato to the point where th
main stream of lava stopped o
Sunday. The lava carried vas
masses of burned stone and sulphu
on its surface like dross on molte
lead, and nothing was visible tow
ard Boscotrecaz but endless acre
of dark scoriae, broken here an
there by the greenish, curling smok
of sulphur. At the point we reach
ed great stone pine tree, torn U
by its roots and turned to blac
charcoal, stuck out of the mass at
sharp angle. The air was almo:
unbreathable, the heat.,intense.
When the stream of fire threater
ed Boscotrecaz, soldiers dug vic
ditch across its path and threw U
formidable intrenchment in tt
hope of diverting its course, but ey
erv effort was useless.
The molten stone advanced liA
colossal serpent of fire, turning i
head to the right and left as
snake does, but keeping its gener1
direction toward the fated town.
was not till it reached the fir
\ house, sending up great showers
! sparks, that the people finally ae
for their lives, taking such belon,
ings as they could carry in the
arms or pile upon the creakir
carts. I saw men, women and chi
dren and infants, whose mothe
carried them at the breast or
their aprons. Dogs, too, and ca
were on the carts and sometim
even chickens tied together by Il
ilegs and piles of mattresses al
| pillows and shameless bundles