Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-04-16

iAenei1x q naples extends eoafA
Sssssrdly along the shore a. shs ~
md thes. sindins inland. completely
sncircles ne mountain. TAis i dos-
ted with villages. an within hearing
q the volcanic nmblings and bel.
losinEs % yesurius.
Four miles down the bay road from
Naples lies Portici. rs 1900 populs.
iion dwelling peacefully upon lava
thrown down 20 the sea by ths
eruption II Issi. On this black b<d
stands The rosai palace. bniit IN
Charles iii. IN l7sS ReSina, one
mile farther. n the fzyorite suburb.
an sea o. wealthy Meapolitans III
1900 residents dwell partly upon The
ruins Of Hercalaneum and OF Retina,
% which latter city Piiny the elder
set out durins the great eruption
which destroyed these cities and
PompeiL He came BY boat 10 sase
the Roman garrison. hut finding the
harbor deiuked with ashes. ne went
ON 10 slahIae. where Ne died NJ.
sins n the town from which the %.
cent OF vesuvius 10 made. and II
the chief abode Of the vesnsim
guides
Sixteen times has tia burning
mountain overwhelmed Tore del
Greco. two and 4 half miles further
on: vet within four ana d haif miles
from fin destroyer the seventeenth
town flourishes with 1900 popnis.
ton. This little city has been the
sorest sufferer from yesnvius. each
lava flood drying and forming the
rocky foundation for new edifices.
There Is q saying among the Neapoli.
tans. NAPLES commits sins and Tor.
re pays for them"
After the eruption or 1861 an earth.
quake fissure In the streets Or this
iil-fated town was descended BY men
who found themselves inside 4 church
buried by the products OF q previ.
Gus eruption. Tore del Greco IL the
center OF the Mediterranean coral
fishery and Is surrounded by rich
vineyards as well as fruit orchards.
From It's grapes some Of the choicest
wines Of Italy are made. notably the
L~achrvmae Christi.
Five miles further along n Tore
del Annunziata. a large fishing town
ri 10000 people. Turning q mile
inland here the travellers view the
ruins % Pompeif.
When Pompeii Was Buried.
Previous 10 the year A. n. 6s. ves.
uyins WAS not recognized by the
Greeks and Romans rs an active vol.
cano. Al Tint time The summit was
n large crater. for centuries regard.
ed Az totally extinct. The first warn.
Ing OF renewed eruption within hlstor.
ic times was the earthquake or 'es.
Moderate earthquakes followed AZ IN.
.tervals until the disturbance cufmin.
ated IN the great catastrophe OF ~.
destroying not only PompeIL, but
stabiae, Retina and Oplontnm.
or the succession OF ancient erup.
tions which followed that depicted BY
Bnlwer. the most severe fell In 20s.
az. 512 and s9s. The first recorded
discharge Of lava since the last DAYS
OF Pompeii occurred in 1896, or thirty
years before the Normans conquered
England.
$4,000 Killed In 1881.
The first great modern eruption
was that Of 1851. eleven years after.
the Pilgrim fathers landed on Ply
mouth rock. For q long time before
this outburst the peaceful crater had
become so overgrown with vegeta-
tion that II offered . jungle for Wild
boars. while cattle grazed on the
slopes q little below. But q sudden
tidal wave Of lava, utterly unexpect
ed, engulfed $4,000 people, many Of
the coast towns being wholly and the
remainder partially wiped out.
Another outhurst III 1876 was re-
markable for having thrown : perpen.
dicular stream of lava high IN the
air.
From scattering eruptions In an
cient, medieval, and early modern
times the outbursts had Increased to
nine IN the seventeenth century. The
eighteenth was to increase this 70
twenty.six.
Dark Days Centuries AGO.
IN 17o7 the volcano sent forth 4
cloud 81 ashes so dense that At mid.
day IN the streets Or Naples the
blackness Of the darkest night reign.
ed supreme. The shrieks Of terror.
stricken women pierced the air, and
the churches were crowded by the
populace. The relics Of San Janu-
arius-his skull among them-were
carried in procession through the
streets.
Thirty years later q stream III lava
one mile wide and containing 800.
900 cubic feet hurst from the noun.
tain side. The next notable eruption
that of 1850. when new cones
formed at the side and gave forth
lava, smoke and ashes. Seven years
later the King Of Naples hastily re-
treated into the capital from the pal
ace at Porf5c3, threatened by B fresh