The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-05-20

thrice repeated, near the banks OF the
great river of fire that ran close 10 the
observatory. At three points, and at dlf-
icrent times, | observed great balls of
black smoke issue from the lava driven
up with continued violence, as II from q
crater; through the smoke l frequently
observed numerous pro1ectilcs thrown up
Into the air, but l could not say whether
with noise or silence, for the noise OF the
central crater was deafenlng.
Each OF these little eruptions. which
! may call external eruptions. lasted from
hfteen TO twenty minutes One occurred
particularly close 10 the observatory, all
were seen from Naples, and there The
observatory was justly believed TO be in
danger"
study. Pamieri was compelled to speak
OF these dangers In his account He failed
to menton the fact that the tempests Of
dust all but suffocated him: In Naples
every one wns seriously incommoded by
the dust clouds. Only to his Immediate
family did he tell OF still other dangers
Ing on the leather seats OF the observa-
tory chairs in order to staye of starya-
ton.
Sciences Triumph Over Fear.
Though violent death in several of Its
most horrible forms threatened him time
ard again, he did not once forget that he
was on the volcano for scientific pur-
poses.
The thermometer In the observatory
rose as high as -l30 degrees Fahrenheit
the window glass was cracked by the
heat or broken by scorIae, yet he so
minutely observed the prenomcnon of the
external explosions that he was able TO
report that they terminated without
leaving little cones or craters. the lava
In Its impetuoslty, carrying every trace
away"
When his observatory violently rocked
TO and fro he critically observed that
the oscillations were chiefly undulatory
from y E. to 8. w"
While asncs and stones were still FALL
Ing In great quantity, he went TO the
observatorys roof to gather specimens
When tho fall had ceased. he rushed to
measure Its depth and fell eagerly TO
speculatlng why "a great qpentity Of
sembled on the ashes and lapilli-
Indeed. the entire time that he was
shut in the observatory he was busy not
ing the various phenomena OF the crup-
tion from every possible viewpoint Be
fore he was surrounded by the two tor
rents of fire he went hlther and yon over
the volcano, studying the lava streams
nnd venturlng as close 10 the crater as
the heat and lava would permit him. on
the night when lava, Issuing from great
1ssure In the Atrio del Cavello. over
whelmed a number Of sightseers, he tried
to dissuadc parties from going up the
mountain beyond the observatory but he
himself left the observatory at Z o'clock
and did not return until the early hours
OF the following morning. when he was
distressed to find dead and dying sight
sccrs in the observatory.
Eight Hundred Feet Into the Crater.
1t has truly been said that Palmerl
WAS the familiar spirit of the Volcano!
He apparently had no dread OF II in the
slightest degree Indeed. tho eruption
OF 1872 was barely over before he made
his way to the crater, taking along with
him his portable bif1lar clectrometer. an
instrument OF his own invention, for
studying the electricity in the Vesuvian
smoke clouds,
He found the crater divided by
great wall. Tho two abysses had YER
teal sides. and revealed tho internal
structure Of the cone. Their vertical
depth was $50 meters, and beyond that
l observed n sort of tunnel perforat ted
In the rock. with covering arch raised
above the bottom OF the eastern abyss
about twelve meters, Judging by the
eye Various assures about the
brim of the double crater indicated
prolongations downward. which allowed
me TO descend with a rope, In order to
examine tho interior OF the tunnel
Just a matter OF $50 feet into a hols
that a short while before had been
belching fiery and suffocating death and