The San Francisco call., 1906-04-15

only one sharing Professor Matteucci's
observations. This is Professor Frank
A. Perret of New York.
"Pve been here only three months. >.
says Professor Perret 81 came to Italy
originally for my health. / had studied
Matteucci. We became mutually inter-
ested and he honored me by invit-
ing me to share his observations as an
honorary assistant. The post Of assist
ant, to which i was recently appointed
by the city of Naples, came at most
fortunate moment, as it permitted my
observation of this tremendous disturb
ance, which is beyond the faintest con-
ception of those outside the immediate
terrors. of Vesuvius.
1.-THE most terrible moment came on
Saturday night. had gone to Boscotre-
CASE for the purpose of photographing the
lava stream that was then deluging that
town. L returned to the observatory
about midnight The dynamic force or
the main crater increased enormously
and new crater mouths opened in the
hmountainside within ten minutes of one
another. This caused immense havoc.
From Naples crowds fiocked to Boscotre-
casz to witness the sight, which was
grander there than at any other point
vESUvIUS LIKE A FOUNTAIN.
'At midnight the situation at the OBJ
servatory was terrible. The ground
rocked underneath, and it was impossible
to stand firmly on ones feet The roar
ing of the main crater was deafening; the
volcano operated like fountain, its dis
charge rising and spreading and then fall
ing over a great area. The electric
phenomena was terrifying. The claps of
thunder were incessant, with lurid play
Of liObfpino he nan Hf nnRn0mQna
was friction from the ascending particles
generating electricity which displayed
itself in incessant lightning and thunder
claps.
mo one thought of sleep, but all stood
gazing at the awful scene. AT 8 o'clock
In the morning the lowest station seemed
to be burning and at $3.50 o'clock the
whole cone broke open with tremendous
earthquake shock. Redhot projectiles
were precipitated toward Mount Somma
and the observatory. That seemed to be
a critical moment and the brigadier of
the carbineers ordered q retreat. We
made our way to a small house down the
mountain side, but even there the rain
of stones continued. One of the carbi-
neers was struck on the head and badly
cut. After this the intensity of the
eruption steadily decreased
SCENES OF DEsOLATIoN.
The mountain climb gave the CORE
spondent an opportunity to see the DESC
lation in the stricken districts. The route
was through Portici and Besina, passing
over Herculaneum to Pompeii. Here ashes
had fallen to the depth of three feet
and hundreds of military wagons and
squads of soldiers were piling them in
four parallel drifts ten feet high, through
which filed a motley crowd of fugitives
and lines of military wagons. The fugi-
tives were a miserable lot, covered with
rags. Many of them were young chill
dren, who carried babes in their arms,
some of the, latter having brought new
toys. the result of the misapplied char
ity from the fashionable villas.
Portici was a sorry sight. The houses
were streaked with mud and ashes up to
the window sills. Five hundred refugees
were grouped before the City Hall, de-
manding relief. Pompeii and Herculan-
cum were closed, huge piles damning the
entrance
ORCHARDS BLASTED BY ASHES
The lower slope of the mountain is dot
ted with villas and parks, in which the
orange trees were all blasted under the
rain of ashes The donkey on which the
rode labored through ashes
three feet deep. A weird silence pre-
vailed even the birds having disappeared.
The route was over the lava beds eject
ed in the eruption Of 1872, and these lay
In distorted masses like an ice jam.