Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1909-07-31
AsCENDs MT. vEsUvIUs
Accident on North Carolina
Fleet to Return to the
States.
u. S. S. North Carolina, at
Naples, Italy, July Is, 1909

! - LIZ 40 ~ ---'-N'
We arrived in this port from
Mersina, Turkey, on the 10th inst;
coaled and cleaned up ship the same
day and sent a liberty party ashore
on Sunday afternoon. / was one of
that party and have just returned
aboard the ship tired and worn out.
While ashore we visited Mount We
suvius and went.up to the very high
est peak and looked into the crater
where the lava flows out. And while
| ! was up there dense clouds of smoke
were pouring out and l made my Wis
it a short one. The next place we
visited was Herculaeneum The City
destroyed by an eruption of Mount
Vesuvius. The place as whole is one
solid rock Of lava, only two places
being dug OUT. and both Of these
places have Amphitheatres where
Iprize fights of all kinds are pulled
off. The nextl place we went to see
was Pompeii the other City that was
destroyed by Vesuvius. The Italians
here have 2 Museum and things that
have been taken out Of the ruins of
these two cities are on exhibition
for the sum of one franc or twenty
cents in American currency. Truly
there was a lot to be seen while
looking around the ruins of these
two cities but as our time was lin
ited we could not see everything.
We saw eighty men employed there
and we were told they worked every
day uncovering the ruins but at the
rate they seemed to be going it will
take fifty years to finish the job. My
last letter to you was written at
Joppa and in that letter ] told you
POSSIBLY l might be fortunate enough
to get shore leave there and visit
Jerusalem. Well ] did and made
short visit both to Bethlehem and
Jerusalem. And of all the wonders
Of this world Jerusalem is certainly
the greatest one to me. While there
/ did not feel like | was on earth. l
was in temples there that had floors
inlald with gold and jewels. saw
the place where Christ was crucifed
and a large piece of the cross. Beth.
lehem is certainly a Heaven on this
earth if such it could be. 1t is the
most religious place on earth / know
to-day. ! visited the tomb of Laza-
rus and also went through the Holy
tombs. We had everything explain
ed to US, much of which we did not
understand. We were told that in
building the tomb of Lazarus it took
two hundred and fifty men fifty
years working three hours a day to
complete the capola or dome over
the tomb. There is anwal around
the Tomb the Jews call the "wailing
wall" and they go there by the hun
dreds to cry and kiss this wall. Beth
any the town Of Lazarus and his sis
tiers is situated about one mile east
from Jerusalem but Bethlehem is
six miles south of Jerusalem and
stands on ridge, but has valleys of
great fertility on the north and
south. / bought book for you in
Jerusalem that had flowers that grew
there pasted in it. and it is perfectly
beautiful. | will! send it to you with
other things l have for you just as
soon as ! reach the States. / will
have no duty to pay on them. l can
tell you more about the wonderful
sights and things ] have seen during
my sojourn in foreign lands when
get furlough and come home to
see you. AS accident happened on
board this Ship last Sunday morning
that cost the life of Ensign II. A.
Aiken, one of the best officers we
had on board the ship. Soon after
we had finished c1alng ship he went
through to inspect the coal bunkers
which we had just filed the day be-.
fore. He not knowing The coal was
wet and the bunkers had been air
tight for five or six hours carried
torch with him; there Fad acca-
INFLATED So much gas in the bankers
they blew up instantly and burned
him to a crisp, he only lived a few
minutes There was also water
ltAndar hurt hadlr hIlt he will ua