The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-01-25
WONDERSOF LAVA
This Molten Rock Is a Most Pc.
CuIiar Substance.
REDHOT SNOW SANDWICHES.
Curious Effect on Mount Vesuvius
Produced by the Lava's Amazing
Properties as Nonconductor Of
Hsat-DeadIy Volcanic Ashes.

PRODUCED by the laNas Amazing
Properties as Nonconductor Of
Hsat-DeadIy Volcanic Ashes.
Vesuvius, the most famous volcano
IN the world with its mighty vomit-
lngs Of lava and dust, is guilty Of
many queer freaks. Mighty transforms
have set in motion the lava dust and
lava cinders that lie on its sides, and
torrents Of muddy lava have over
whelmed towns and villages as II
swept down 10 the sea. The resulting
effect from THIS has been so great that
It changed the face of the coast line
by forming a new promontory.
Lava i one Of the most curious Of
substances. 1t is simply rock melted
by heat so intense that It flows like
thin Cruel. When Vesuvius is in erup-
ton thousands Of tons of it are squirt
ed up the pipe" and out of the crater.
As ii flows out over the edge II soon
cools and leaves n thick, ropy coating.
which spreads over the entire coun-
tryside.
But it is only on the top that it really
cools. \ few inches below the sur
face Of the lava is often red hot. Wis
itors are often invited TO light their
cigarettes in the chinks of a bed OF
lava that has been lying out in the
open air for twenty years or more.
1t IS the most wonderful noncon-
ductor of heat known. Behring'S made
through some lava beds have shown
that they are made up of layers of lava
and layers Of unmelted snow As sue
cessive torrents of lava came pouring
down the surface that lay on the
snow cooled at once, and the surface
open to the air also cooled at once.
But between the two surfaces there
was blazing heat; so if you bored
down through some lava beds you
would find a cool upper surface. a
redhot inside a cool layer, snow. a
cool layer. q redhot one, a cool one
and then snow again.
In fact, layer of lava will let nei-
Their heat nor cold through If you
built q house entirely of lava on a
scorching summer day you would still
have % degrees inside when there was
snow outside If you built it in the
winter ice would form in your parlor
in July
This clearly demonstrates what an
extraordinary nOnconductOr lava is.
There is, indeed, on the slopes of
| Vesuvius little lava hut into which
summer visitors put bottles of wine
to get them chilled.
When n volcano throws its lava out
with such tremendous force that it
jets high into the air It very often
falls in the form OF dust. owing to the
explosive power of the high pressure
steam that spurts out with it. 1t
bursts into q fine spray and falls as
dust-dust far finer than any other
dust known.
1t Is SO fine, indeed, that sometimes
years elapse before it settles When
the mighty island volcano Of Kraka-
| toa blew itself nearly into bits in 1888
with a crashing sound of cannonading
| that smashed windows hundreds of
miles away the lava dust was so thick
! in the air that for hundreds of miles
round midday was as black as night.
! Volumes of infinitely fine dust sailed
| per atmosphere and made England's
sunsets of that year unusually splen-
! did. 1t was three years before the
upper air became quite clear again.
Lava dust has the same properties
as lava. Shepherds on the slopes of
| Vesuvius sprinkle patches of snow in
! the winter with lava dust so that
| they may have 1t when the scorching
! days of summer arrive.
| 1t was lava lust turned to mud by
| torrents of rain such as usually come
| with volcanic outbursts, that, nearly
/ 1000 years ago, destroyed the famous
| pleasure city of Herculaneum, and il
was showers of volcanic ashes that
! overwhelmed Pompeii. Herculaneum
still lies nearly forty yards from the
! open air
There are rivers of lava mud that are
! plotting out towns and villages now.
| A curious point has always been
! noticed when Vesuvius is In eruption
and that is the strong odor Of washing
| day that hangs around the mountain.
One might wonder why the slopes
! Of such a mountain are so thickly
| populated when there IS always dan
! ger of eruptiOns and Of avalanches OF
/ lava mud. Well, the reason is that
/ volcanic soil IS always very fertile
/ Some of the best wine of Italy comes
/ from Nesuvian vineyards, and people
are ready 70 take the risks.-LOndoI
/ American.