The Washington herald., 1910-03-30
MOUNT ETNA's ERUPTI0NS.

MOUNT ETNA'S ERUPTI0NS.
From the Philadelpbia Public Ledger
The fear Of Etna among those who
dwell In the neighborhood Of the noun
tain is much older than the time of Virgil,
who writes Of the volcano vomiting Gin
ders and fire as high as the stars, or OF
Ovid. who speaks Of Etnas effort to
throw of the earth and thrust aside cities
and mountains. Dante first denied that
the manifestations Of activity on the part
OF the burning mountain were due TO the
agonized efforts OF an imprisoned giant
to make his escape. Between the erup-
ton described by Pindar that took place
in 476 B. c.. and the present outbreak
there Is historic record Of more than
eighty eruptons. and. as one asoends the
gradual slope that leads to the summit tat
$50 feet above The sea- the devastation
due TO erupdons in laos. 1857. 1859. 1856. and
other years is evident in the dreary waste
OF stunted broom brush and patches Of
cactus against the tortuous masses Of the
lava beds.
There are more than 200 smaller cones
upon the tanks Of Etna. some OF these
reaching a height of 700 feet. The prin-
cipsl crater at the summit is upon a ter
race marking the probable site Of great
cone destroyed in the early eruption. The
val del Bove." on the eastern slope. is
an amphitheater with walls some 5000
feet high affording a remarkable cross
section view Of the inner structure Of the
volcano.
In winter the summit is snow-clad; in
sequestered places the snow remains all
the year round. but where it is exposed
1t melts in the fierce heat Of the Sicilian
summer. When the mantle OF the snow
is removed the shoulders Of the mountain
present repellant vistas OF volcanic ashes
and lava. but the distant view is mag
nihcent Below the barren mountain-top
there is a zone Of forest, with pine. pop
lar beech, and oak trees, and az the base
between the mountan-which monOpOlizes
the eastern end OF Sicily-and the Medit-
erranean is a belt Of Iuxuriant vegetation.
made all the more fertile by the volcanic
dust. and from two TO eleven miles in
width. producing the cultivated crops OF
grain. fruit wine. and oil.
In the eruption Of a. p. 1874 the city OF
Catania 10 the south, was destroyed. with
its 1900 inhabitants. In 1927 two villages
were buried, and many lives were lost; in
1863 a flow Of lava, again in the direction
of Catania. overwhelmed $4,000 people. In
1870 tbara x-as q violent ar,tr,+soy,. duet fafI
in showers over the adjacent region, and
two new fissures-One Of two miles in
length-were opened on the side Of the
mountain. The eruption Of 1s64-65 had no
serious consequences. but in May, 1873
the lava destroyed an extensive area IN
der cultivation. There were other erup-
tons in 1856 and 1892, and Etna was in
malignant sympathy with the earthquake
shock that destroyed Messina last year.
though it was the earthquake and not the
volcano that was responsible for the ca
tastrophe.
The town Of Nicolosi, endangered by the
present eruption. has about 5000 inhabi-
tants. and lies on the mountainside some
1900 feet above sea level. It's houses are
all of one story, with wooden roofs for
the inhabitants have wholesome dread
Of earthquakes 1t is the usual starting
point for the ascent of the volcano and it
has the misfortune to lie directly in the
channel from which the lava stream is
likely to flow toward the city Of Cantania.
It has often been destroyed and partly
buried by the molten current. The region
above the town is described by recent
traveller as zone vast ash pit" with
scarcely a growing plant in a radius Of
half mile Gladstone in 1888 assembled
the mountain from this village. and has
graphically described his experience.
In 1856 a lava stream started for Catania
(now a city OF 10000 inhabitants) from a
point about four miles above Nicolosi. at
the rate of so or 60 yards an hour The
sun was darkened and all the people of
Eastern Sicily stopped work and sought
the churches or paraded the streets bear
ing religious emblems and praying aloud.
The lava moved more and more slowly.
and at last it travelled at the rate Of only
two yards an hour. but it seemed as
though no power on earth could save
Nicolosi. The archbishop of Catania
therefore visited the village. in his state
carriage drawn by two white horses, TAX
ing with him the holy white linen veil Of
st. Agatha, the most sacred relic of his
cathedral. After the veil was exhibited
in chapel on the mountainside the
stream of lava. it is asserted, divided, but
a part of the stream continued to flow in
the direction of the town. and the inhabi-
tants gave up all hope. Taking with them
all their possessions, even to the floor
boards Of their little houses, they sought
the lower slopes, nearer the sea; but when
within 1000 feet Of the town the lava flow
was arrested as the simple villagers aver
to this day, by the miraculous eleventh
hour Intervention Of ST. Agatha APP
parently the people Of Nicoiosi viii need
all their faith TO sustain them in the
present crisis.