The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-04-15
MATTEUCCI BRAvELY STOOD
At POSITION ON vESUvIOS
WHILE The INFERNO RACED
uuoe soI;d Rocks Hurled Skyward--Vv'd Flashes
Of Lightning Give Sky B|ood-l'ke Color
SLIT WITH A GIGANTIC SABRE


nav he resumed a any moment na'
avnlosion rent the westerly cone Ne
euyius presented a majestic spectacle
from this point of vantage ms was
ea, ;neiaa the outer circle Of smoke
which hides the volcano from Napieo'
Tha great monster stood out clearly
,,,dor tha bright sunlight. 1t was en-
,t,e1, white like a snow covered noun
tain for the ashes had turned us ioi ~
or daep green col1r Its contour aiSo
haa changed. The gigantic, JasSed
crna M longer rose like the setting ol
q, enormous ieweled ring. lnsteao
tho ton now forms graceful curve,
barmonizing with the gradual Slope q
ia hfl The white surface OF the
nonntain Is slit here and there as WIN
,tant eahre strokes, leaving gulcAes
hropqh which the lava course. fhe
yrecllad remnant fine tUnleaiaf rh''
way lav n the bottom Of one oi these
euches. a-
prof Pewet speaking OF his obsef,
sotion eaid the disturbance + beyond
,airtost conception Of these OUTSIDE
.hn immediate terrora Of Vesayiaa
4rba most terrible moment cam
saturday night. he said had gone
a Bosco Terecase for the purpose q
,hotoerag1ine the lava stream then
,elielng that town. | returned 70 'he
observatory about midn @nt
4The dynamic force Of the mait
ra er increased enormously and crater
,onths opened in the mountain sld'
xithln ten minutes Of each other I'M
caused immense havoc
cat midnight the tu9tion lh ~
,bsarvatopyrw rwas.tssai aslsss,a u i5its saaA'
rocked under it and 1t was lmpossibp
u stand 6rnIy on ones fcei, Tae rear
ljne of the main crater was deaiehlRg
he vocano operated like q fountain u
discharge ri. ing and spreading an'
hen falling over great area In
,lectric pheaomena was terriiy ne
~laps Of tbunder were incessa1t "i1n'
rurid play + lightning
The cause OF the phenomena va
friction from ascending particles gen
sraflng electricity which displayed =
,olf in incassent Lighting and tmnde
,laps.
No one thought of leep but al
stood gazing at the awful scene a
hree in the morning the lowest s't
lion seemed burning and al $50 TN
whole cone broke open with iremer
! dous earthquake shock. Red hoi pf'
iectiles we're precipitated toWar
n Mount Somma and the obsoryator!
e THAT seemed to be the critical momer
c and the brigadier of carbineers orde
+ ed retreat. We made cur way 10
4 / small hut down the mountain bt
there the rain OF spone continue
J. Dne Of the carb.neers was struck q
o me head and badly cut. After IA
r he intensity of the eruption steadie
d and decreased,
e The mountain climb gave the co
y RESPONDENT an opportunity TO see II
IS 1esolation in the stricken districts.
3 Resina. passing over Herculaneum
IS pompeii. Here ashes had fallen TO
II 3enth of three feet and hundreds
# military wagons ard iquads OF soldie
IS we're Milling them in four parallel dr.f
II Ten feet high. through which filed
motley thr ng of fugitiyes and lin
r of military wagons. The fugitiy
ie were miserable lot covered with ral
# 7ortici was a sorry sight and Pompi
:. md Herculaneum were closed Il
NJ luge piles Of ashes dammns the
u rance.
The lower .lope OF the monnia
IS 5 dotted with villas and parks
ne which orange trees were all blasted
e Ter the rain cf ashes 4 weird silen
'lf Prevailed. for even the birds have d
ar 1ppeared. As the correspondent jo
IL 1eyed Upward the new crater suddel
ms 1ursi and from he summit enormC
Iu- masses of sand and mist shot sEywa
Ell rhe monstor trembled,. seeming alb
in q re-ew its commissions. Fortnuat
hc was pa, sing man n'festatien- Towi
in' The ton or the mountain the pict'
me vas ore CT unutterable desOlation;
al natives. strangely persisted ;
OF wvinkled with age emerged from III
.re- drgeuts Just below the observatory
be fering milk and eggs to the pa
)us Vesuvius had no teTr3rs Tor tn
the While descending after the inteyy
with Ma;teeci the sounis Of mai
ent lin came from out Of the dusoots vi
8 a was scarcely visible above the re
are Of ashes
lem