Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-29
THE ERUPTION OF vESUvIUa
Scientific Summary of the Outburst
and Its Results.
From the Geographical Journal.

From the Geographical Journal.
Among the earliest scientists to visit We
suvius after the late eruption was DIR. Ven-
turino Sabatini from whose report the fol-
lowing description of the outburst and its
results has been taken. The eruption
brought to a close a phase in the activity of
the volcano which had lasted thirty years.
during which period the crater formed in
1872 became gradually filled by the quiet
yelling up of lava in the interior. only q
few of the eruptions making their effects
visible externally, though in course of time
the piling up of material changed the profile
of the summit considerably.
Between and am. on April assure
opened on the southeastern side of the cone
at an altitude of 1900 feet an avalanche Of
blocks of all dimensions destroying the AL
bergo Ffroenza, while a narrow stream OF
lava flowed down a gully Of the mountains
side. At 3 pm. the small lateral cone fell
in and dense column of smoke rose above
the crater black ashes falling at Naples in
the evening On April second assure
opened at a lower level, and a lava stream
flowed two and one-half miles to within
some 800 yards of Bosco TrecaSe. On April
& still more copiouS stream poured forth,
and by midday of April had approached
to about 500 yards from Tore AnnunZiata-
By the evening the main crater began to
hurl out huge white hotblocks, with the
| accompaniment of loud detonations and
| fashes of light, while at the same time a
| rain of lapilli and ashes began the destruc-
| ton of Ottajano and San Giuseppe Earth
quake shocks were felt at Naples and else
where. On April the ashes, which con-
| tinued to fall in great quantities, We're red
dish gray, instead of black, as at hrst ana
were sometimes SO dense as to form a dark
| pail, rendering artificial light necessary In
the daytime. This cloud extended to a
distance Of 100 miles, while fall OF ashes
| took place at Venice, Paris, etc.
| A rough calculation places the total
| amount of ashes and lapilli which fell at
| So 600 900 cubic meters, the place most dam-
| aged being Ottajano The lava streams oc-
cuped a sector Of 80 degrees and evidently
| had their source at various points or the
crater. The three principal ones reached
| height of ten to twelve feet, and In places
double this amount. This lava was very
| rapidly disintegrated, probably because 1t
| was formed of a chaotic mixture OF lrregu-
| lar blocks and fragments.
| Az regards the more general results, DR..
| Sabatini points out that while lesser out
break.s increase the height of the volcano,
| catastrophe like that of April last tends to
| lower it. Whatever may have been the case
| in 70 A. D., We know that this was the re-
| suit in 1851 and 1874, when the cone APP
| peared after eruptions as If truncated. Sim
ilarly, the pointed profile of March last ex-
lists no longer, and the present height seems
below that of the crater of 1877, though
the reduction does not probably exceed $50
| feet Besides this, the whole form and COM
position of the surface of the mountain
| have been changed, the old assures having
| disappeared whole sections of the crater
| wall fallen in, and the whole surface hav-
ing been covered with a thick layer of ashes.
| These still retained high temperature on
| ApriI a. and, owing to their loose nature,
| were constantly slipping down hill or being
raised into the air by the wind.
| Except at the time of the most violent
| outbursts, the smoke rose quietly from three
| assures in three unbroken columns. ac-
| companied by puffs of smoke much resem-
bling balls of cotton wool Owing to their
| great density, these rapidly fall to the
| ground and as the density and weight IN
| crease give rise to the avalanches OF hot
| ashes which have been frequently reported,
and of which the occurrence is now Definite
ly established. These are really nothing
| but the so-called glowing clouds OF very
| restricted mobility and the phenomenon
NAV occur whenever the necessary condi-
tions are present, and may occasionally lead
to destructive results. These emissions may
account in part for the high temperature
| retained by the ashes, which seems due also
| To emissions Of steam at certain spots.
| The emission of nitrogen or other poisonous
gas seems to have been quite an exceptional
occurrence Although the accounts of de-
| struction were in many cases exaggerated,
| DIR Sabatini considers that the damage
| NAV be reckoned at certainly more than
Ell 600 600