Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-08-23
Short Trip to Europe-vesuvius
BY e. II. McCLINTIC.

1
bay and ia plain view. in isolated
majesty. rises vesuvlus from the
historic Campanian plain. The as
cent rises easy from the sea fol
two or three miles, gradually be-
coming more PERCEPTIONS and bar
rem until it assumes very striking
similarity to cone, the sides OF
which rise at an angle Of from 81
to 40 degrees until the summit at
tains an altitude of over 4.200 feet.
An idea Of the length ofsthe as
cent may be obtained by those ia
miliar with the county of High
land by reminding them that the
top of Sounding Knob, the highest
point in the county, can be reach
ed BY climbing mp something over
a thousand feet from the valley
while to reach the summit OF We.
uvius, you 60 nearly four times az
far.
Looking at the mountain in the
distance, it has two peaks or cones
one of which is more symmetrIcal
than the other. One Of them
properly Called Monte Somma, is
| now extinct, and shows no sign OF
activity, though centuries ago II
was in active eruption and buried
80 feet deep the cities of llerculan'
cum and Pompeii, FIVE miles distant
while the ashes driven forth car.
ried by the winds reached as far as
Constantinoplp, nearly 1000 miles.
It is now supposed that during
these dying struggles of Monte
u
Somma in the year 10, the new Mt
Vesuvius, the cone and crater prop
err, were born.
What awfnl scenes heralded her
birth and surrounded her natal
moments; a succession Of Fremont.
tory earthquakes, the raging and
flashing of agitated scar, the deto'
nations and explosions of the erup-
tions as il all the artillery OF the
gods were in action, dense clouds
overhang land and sea rent with
incessant lightning, immense
stones hurled mile above the
crater. exploding in wild pyrotech-
mic effect, while down from the
crater rolled great streams, verlta'
ble rivers Of molten lava, melting
away even the rocks that interrupt.
ed the flow, rushing down the slopes
in lurid terror.
Since those DAYS down to the
present time Vesuvius is sometimes
active and then for long periods it
is quiet. While she is spoken Of
AS being quiet or inactive. the
smoke is seen slowly issuing from
the crater and at the summit the
mutterings in her deep caverns
can generally be heard. Vesuvius
is spoken Of by the Italians in the
feminine gender, a phraseolog'
which adopt. asked my guide
why this was. He said it was be-
cause "she was always causing peo'
pIe trouble" / concluded that ht
was not happily married. After
periods of waiting she generally
gives indications of the coming
eruption, but on one occasion
| (1872) she burst forth with sucl
suddeness that she overwhelmed {
number Of tourists.
L
You would no doubt think tina
you would feel apprehensive about
pntting Yourself in reach OF such
an uncontrolled power, but wheI
you are there and see how regard
less the people there are OF any
danger, you hardly give tia mo
ment's thought.
There are several ways OF COINS
up. Yon may walk if you wish al
the way, or go by horseback mos
Of the way and walk the rest o
YOU may utilize the electric ca
line part of the way aud ride par
Of the way and walk the balance
/ No matter how you may select
yon must walk part Of the way.
selected to 60 by car line. | start
ed out in the morning and wen
about three miles by the ordinary
electric car line. This was ais
the line going to Ilelcnlane"m AM
pompeii and other cities aroun.
the bay. Then we left this Ca
-ouk mort nf the WAY d.