Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-19

the figure that STOOD out from al INC rest
was Matteucci. the intrepid professor In
charge of the Royal Observatory located
on vesuvius side. about $500 yards in q
straight line from the central crater.
Matteucci has been studying the phenom-
ena of the famous chimney for ten years
now. For more than four decades his mas
ter, Luigi Palmieri. occupied the Same post
and in that time put his life In peril in
several eruptons for sciences sake.
Concerning the scope of his work on
Vesuvius. Prof Palmieri modestly wrote IN
his account of the great eruption OF ISL
1872:
when the observatory was established
I was able-in tho first instance at my own
expense. and afterward with some slight
assistance from the goyernment-to under
take studies more assiduous than any pre-
viously made"
It was Palmien who invented and per-
fected most Of the instruments now used
in the observatory in the study OF the vol.
cano. 1t was Palmiert who nrst remained
on the volcano during a great eruption that
he might study at close range the phenom-
ena attendant on the explosion. In br1ef:
II was Palmieri who originated the lines OF
siduously followed by Matteucci. and 1t
was Palmieri who took Matteucci. poor
boy. and trained him for the work he 80
heroicaliy performed of late.
Why Matteucci Was Chosen.
Matteucci really owes his present emf
nence to the circumstance that each OF his
masters sons bitterly disappointed his
father in not embracing science. It
was the fathers desire that his elder
son. Leonardo, should be trained up to sue
coed him In his Vesuvian work, and when
Leonardo declared for a business career
he is a leading Neapolitan business factor
the father looked to tho other boy, Joseph.
to succeed him But 1t was all the pro-
fessor could do to persuade Joseph to take
q course in medicine.
Compelled to search beyond his family
for a SUCCESSOR he finally took up Mat
teucci, whose innate cleverness attracted
attention, and trained him 80 thoroughly
that shortly after the masters death, IN
September, 1895. the pupil found himself
In sole charge Of the Vesuvian observatory.
But long after he had picked Matteucci.
Palmieri endeavored to persuade a nephew.
John Palmieri Of New York, then on visit
to his native land. to give up his new world
ambitions and take up his station In the
observatory as assistant The professor
recognized Matteucct's ability, but he was
proud of the name Of Palmieri, and 1t was
the greatest disappointment of his life that
he was not able to induce one OF that name
to continue the study Of Vesuvius where
he would leave of when death claimed him.
The study Of Vesuvius was consuming
passion with him-Vesuvtus was his one
pet,
When MatteuccI became pupil OF Pal
mieri he was practically homeless, his par
ents being dead. Pa1mieri received the boy
into his own house and gave him IA
Tiers care. as well as a teachers instruc-
ton.
Hemmed in by Rivers Of Fire.
Palmieri was forty-seven when he first
established himself on Vesuvius; he was in
his sixty fifth year when he deliberately
took his life in his hands by sticking to
his post throughout the grand eruption Of
1872.
The dangers that he ran were multiple.
On the night Of the 26th Of April" says
Palmieri, in his classical account Of the
eruption the observatory lay between two
torrents Of fire, which emitted an tnsuffer-
able heat. The glass in the window frames
was hot and cracking. and smell OF
Ias cone. besides being furrowed by the
lava streams just described. was traversed
by several Others which appeared and dis
appeared. 1t seemed completely perfo-
rated. and the lava oozed as It were,
through it's whole surface. I cannot better
express this phenomenon than by saying
that Vesuvius sweated fire.
ION the Goth (ApriD, with a strong wind
blowing from the east, scortae of such a
size fell at the observatory that the glass
of the windows unprotected by external
blinds was broken
"The ground was perpetually disturbed
while the volcano ragged, 50 that the obser-
vatory oscilated violently.
But before leaving the subject OF these
iavas I must narrate an important fact to
which I was a witness, and which was
thrice repeated, near the banks of the great
river Of fire that ran close to the observa-
tory. At three points, and at different
times, l observed great balls of black smoke
issue from the lava, driven up with con-
tinued violence as IL from crater;
through the smoke ] frequently observed
numerous projectiles thrown UP into the
air. but could not say whether with noise
or silence. for the noise of the central
crater was deafening.
Each Of these little eruptions, which l
may call external eruptions, lasted from
fifteen to twenty minutes" One occurred
particularly close to the observatory, all
were seen from Naples and there ''the OBJ
servatory was Justly believed to be In dan
GER
In order to tell the full story Of his study
Palmterd was compelled to speak Of these
dangers In his account. He failed to men-
ton the fact that the tempests Of dust ali
but suffocated him; In Naples every one
was seriously incommoded by the dust
clouds. Only to his immediate family did
ne tell Of still other dangers-for example,
how he was reduced to living on the leather
seats of the observatory chairs. in order
to stave of starvation.
Sciences Triumph Over Fear.
Though violent death in several OF its
most horrible forms threatened him time
and again. he did not once forget that he
was on the volcano for scientific purposes.
The thermometer In the observatory rose
as high as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. the win
dow glass was cracked by the heat or
broken by scoriae, yet he so infinitely OBJ
served the phenomenon OF the external ex-
blossoms that he was abie to report that
they Terminated without ieaving little
cones or Orators. the lava, in ITS impetu-
ossty, carrying every traos away"
When his observatory violently rocked 30
and fro he critically observed that ..tha
oscillations were chiefly undulatory from
northeast to southwest"
While ashes and stones were still faIitns
IN great quantity, he went to the observa-
tory roof to gather specimens. When this
fall had ceased he rushed to measure it,
depth. and fell eagerly to Specializing why
"a great quantity OF coleoptera" "a species
OF insect had assembled on the ashes and
lapiiii.
Indeed, the entire time that he was shui
In the observatory he was busy nottnG tia
various phenomena OF the eruption hou
xrr