Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-10-04

was on the afternoon of AnriI "a
when he took his way toward DR. Mat,
teuci's observatory. The electric
train was pushing slowly with its
cogged wheels upward toward the nh.
seryatory station; beyond that noint
the road was destroyed. The fields
outside OF Naples showed one or two
inches OF dust, brown, gray, and gray.
green, but most of the vegetable gar
dens had been cleared of it. A little
farther the pines and palms were
heavily loaded with sand. as in a
snoWstorm. 1t was three inches deem
on the walls. 1t had drifted in places
to depth of two or three feet. On
nearing the observatory the lava fields
or 1872 and 1898 were found buried
under or 6 inches of sand and dust
which formed heavy mantle. but not
sufficient to wholly disguise the shaggy
contortions beneath. The whole cone
OF Vesuvius became cleared of clouds
In the course of the afternoon and il
was seen to be covered with straight
sand slides of whitish-gray color
which occasionally slipped downward
as on the sleeper slopes of a dune.
Pure white steam boiled I'D SLOWLY
from the crater. In one instance it
burst out radially over the edge of
the crater, showing ring on the bor-
der, dome of cumulus above and
within, and second still higher outer
ring made of an older rain-cloud
which has been punctured and pushed
up bodily. The effect was like a hat
on the mountains crown. At nigh.
the con, was clear and entirely with
out luminosity. Professor Matteuci
was found on his return from an as
cent, in which he had been accom-
panied by DR.. Sjorgren, of Stock
holm, and Mr. Perret, a graduate of
the Brooklyn Polytechnic. They had
been in the clouds, and their faces
were most picturesquely plastered
with blown dust, but they had been
unable to see anything, so dense was
the fog of steam and sand.
The next morning, with strong
west wind, we started up. The steam
was settling down in the clouds on the
summit from time to time, in altera-
ton with clear spells. The route fol-
lowed the extension of the tramway to
the place where the lower Funicular
station had been, and then the west
ern profile of the cone was followed
straight up. The rails along the foot
of the cave had been twisted and torn
by landslides. Most of the old track
and the lower station were buried but
not under lava. No new lava was any
where visible on this side of the noun
tain. Everywhere was covered with
pebbles, sand, and dust. vesuvius
was never more completely "cinder
cone" in outward appearance than it
is at the present time. The slope OF
the main cone averages about 20 de-
grees, and the ejecta seem to have
slipped down this slope to form thick
taluses at the bottom. Here and there
large angular pieces of hard rock
have fallen, up to feet in diameter.
Climbing the cone was not especi-
ally difficult, though it was very steep
in places. By making somewhat
zigzag track and keeping on the radial
elevations rather than in the shallow
troughs, hard pan could be found to
walk upon. Some of this was secured
old hard lava, otherwise it was closely
wedged or plastered fragments, where
as the gullies were filled with deep
sand. 1t was necessary to be very
cautious to avoid starting rocks down
on those below The steepness in
creased up to point near the edge OF
less. The edge of the crater Itself
the upper rim as seen below; there
are no intervening ridges. Therefore
the abruptness of the fall off, when
we finally come to it, was startling in
the extreme. The wind had steadfly
increased and was peiting our necks
with stinging sand grains which
surged in whirling clouds all about
us. It was impossible to face this
bombardment except during lulls in
the gale; hence photography was ac-
complished under difficulties and the
flying dust was ruinous to cameras.
Only occasionally did the dim sunlight
sift through the mixture OF sand,
steam, and cloud In those lucent In
tervals, however, we could make out
an inward slope of 35 or more degrees,
covered with hot sand and broken
fragments, terminated about 120 feet
vertically below by jutting lodges
which appeared to be precipitous. Be-
yond was steam and sulphurous heat
and obscurity. The lodges fumed in
places. No noise could be heard
above the bowling Of the wind. The
curvature of the crater edge was ir-
regular with embayments, and II
showed much irregularity in height.
We could not see the opposite side OF
the cauldron, but from the curvature
II was estimated that the crater could
not be less than from one-fourth TO
oue-half mile in diameter-unusually
large for Vesuvius. The summit was
1000 feet above the sea by Aneroid.
or some $50 feet lower than befo e