Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-29
With ALI It's Damage NeapOlitans Prefer
Smoke from Its Crater,
AMERICAN OBSERVER NOW At VATICAN
Jesuit Who Served at Georgetown Has
Charge Of Observatory,
WILD WEST SHOW MAKES A HIT
Romans Crowd Circus TO See Per-
fOrmance and Colonel Cody Carr
rIes a Golden CIgarhOIder
aa Royal Souvenir.

ROME, April 2s.-Cspecial Cabiegram to
The Bee.)-Ever since the receipt OF the
news from San Francisco Italy has been
doubly aprehensive of appalling earthquake
calamlties. The violent eruption Of Yes
uylus, coupled with the awful reports |
from California have caused general |
alarm, especially among the peasantry and |
the worst is feared 1t is recalled that a
fortune teller has for months been preach |
ing the destruction OF the large cities and |
the worlds end. togethe. with the second |
coming OF Christ and this fanaticism has |
taken deep root, especially in the Italian |
rural quarters. So few years has elapsed !
since Mount Pelee blotted out the town and |
port OF st. Pierre in Martinique that the |
memory of that unspeakable disaster is
still vivid and the thought that similar |
desolation may be wrought along the bay |
OF Naples Is horrifylng and distressing.
1t is natural that the poorer classes and |
even the educated classes should pay more !
attention to subjects appertaining to vol |
canoes in a country like Italy than in a
country where earthquakes and volcanoes
are unknown. StIll, If the volcano would
only keep within bounds II is probable that
the people OF Naples would not mind a
little in the fireworks line. So until within
the past few weeks no particular atten-
tion was paid to the eruptions Now every
body is speculating whether there is any
direct connection between Vesuvius and
San Francisco and the speculation has as
Cumcd the form of wondering what is GO
ms to happen next. Upon subjects IKE
these, though European scientists are dis
cussiGg lcarnedly. II would begin to appear
as though one mans guess was about as
Gcod another.
Want Volcano Active.
As a general taing the Neapolitans pre-
Ter that the great mountain which domi-
mates their lovely bay. shall be at work
nd not idly qulescent. They know, of
ccuvto TIE poteittallty of havoc which
lu!ks Within the crater, but familiarity
bltrts the appreciation of the danger
f!gvs ;ers Of all nges have remarked on
q ssrerity 81 mind with which the Italian
peasants have gone on tending their
viues and fooEs high up the mountain
.. loo,lless OF The fate OF Ponpali and Her
culaneum. They have built their villages
on the very lava itself which swept over
the homes OF their ancestors. A similar
rpparent insensibility is manifested in all
volcanic districts where the risk IS accepted
with as much fatal!sm as fisher folks ac-
cept the perilNof the sea. However, when
the crucial hour comes sheer terror Seizes
the whole population. And as human ma
the panic which has prevailed throughout
Italy during the past month is extraordl-
narily like that contained In the two fam
Gus letters wherein Pliny, the younger de-
scribed the great eruption of A. d. 70. And
undoubtedly there was good excuse for
fear. The great mountain has been OBJ
scured by smoke and lighted up from time
to time by lurid flashes. Dense showers Of
eshes and small stones are falling all over
the countryside. And far more horrible
than the lapilli are the monstrous streams
~ lava which pour down the mountain
side, One river of molten rock which
flowed thrcush tho village Of Boscotrecase
~'2s twenty-one feet hiCh and six hundred
cot vide. II passed through cemetery
IN rs woy to the sen! The living had fed
row tie scene and only the dead remained
- ~'eleome the lava.
Theee rivers usu1ly flow down the south
c"n side In the event OF these e~uptions.
Unfortunately. whichever way the lava
turns Il Is bound to work ruin among the
i~d"stra' population. Vesuvius is com
"'~'olv rinEed round with little towns and
III ges, both on the coast and inland.
f'r;ning circuit Of some twenty miles.
Coast Towns suffer Most.
The northeastern side is the safest from
the lava for It is protected by the bulwark
~ Monte somma. but even here and at
OttaJano and San Giuseppe to the east
there is no protection from the hot rain OF
ashes. and II viii be remembered that the
ashes buried Pompei just as effectually
as the great bed OF lava sealed Hercu.
laneum. But It is the coast towns which
usually suffer the most during these latter
days. Naples commits the sins" says a
local proverb, and Tore pays for them
Portici and Resina stand on old lavs
, beds; lava streams ooze down into the
sea and form new promontories in the blue.
cf the bay. THIS stretch Of country, ne
more than six or seven miles wide, los
$500 CT its inhabitants in the great erup
dion OF 1891. They OF that century though
that the fires OF Vesuvius were extinct
Tor l3l years not curl OF smoke had riser
from its crater Suddenly il walked TO fury
and the lava streams are said to hav,
hoWe at the rate Of a mile a minute
Since then eruptions have been very fre
quent and the mysterious sources under
ground which supply the volcano shown n,
sign OF failing.
Probably no European ruler takes IN
interest In economic questions manifesto,
by the king OF italy. The great agriculture
conference called by the king Of Ital,
at the suggestion OF an American name,
Lubin was developed by the king An
HIS majesty has been entertaining durin
the last few days in right royal fashio
the delegates to the International posts
congress.
The people OF Rome have been exercise
In mind by the widely circulated repor
to the effect that the visit Of j. Pierpon
Morgan to the pope had its object IN
question Of the payment TO the Vatiea
OF an indemnity OF 100000 sterling O
the part OF the United States for the con
hscation OF ecclesiastical property in IN
Philippine islands. The journal OF th
Vatican, the Osservatore Romano, put IN
matter in It's true light when Il appende
note to the telegram which il published
The note characterized the statement as
fable which had not the least shadow q
toundation,' and which deserves 10 be put
the same rank with the others which hay