The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-02-15
WONDERS OF LAVA
This Molten Rock Is a Most Pc
cu!iar Substance.
REDHoT SNOW SANDWICHES.
curiess Eject on Moun. Vesuv'us
Produced by the lavs's Amazing
Properties as a Noaeondueser OF
Hea-oeaaiy Volcanic Ashes

Hea-oeadiy Volcanic Ashes.
vesuvsus. the most famous volcano
sn the world, With its mighty vonst-
snss Of lava and dcst. IS guilty OF
many queer freaks Mighty rainstorns
have set in motion the lava dust and
Lava c.adc-s that lie on its sides, and
torrents Of muddy lava have over
whelmed towns and villages as It
swept down to the sea- The resulting
eject from this has been SO great that
sc changed the face OF the coast line
by for,nins new promontozy-
Lava S one Of the most curious OF
substances Il IS simply rock meiteG
By beat so intense that It flows Ike
thin cruel. When vesuvius is in erup-
ticn thousands Of tons Of 1t are squirt
ed up the ..pipe" and out OF the crater.
AS ;e flows out over the edge It soon
eools and leaves thick, ropy coating.
which spreads syer the entire coun-
fyside.
But st IS only on the top that 1t really
cools. A few inches below the sur
face OF the lava IS often red hot VS.
stocs are often invited to light their
cigarettes in the chinks OF 4 bed OF
lava that has been lying out IN the
open air for twenty years OF more
Is IS the most wonderful noncon-
ductor Of heat known Borinss made
through some Lava beds have shown
that they are made up Of layers OF Lava
and layers OF unme,ted SNOW. As sue
cessive torrents Of lava came pouring
down the surface that lsy on the
snow cooled ss once, and the surface
open to the air also cooled at once.
But between the two surfaces there
was blazing heat: SO Il you bored
down through some Lava beds you
would ird 3 cool upper surface,
redhoe inside. a cool layer. snow,
cool Layer. reshot one, q cool one
and then snow again
In fact, layer Of Lava VIII let nei-
ther heat nor cold through Il you
built house entirely OF lava on
scorchiag summer day yo1 would still
have a5 degrees inside when there was
snow outside. II yoI built It in the
winter ice would form In your par3or
in July.
: This clearly demonstrates what an
extraordinary noncorductor lava Is.
There IS. indeed. on the slopes Of
vesuyins little lava hut into which
summer visitors pat bottles Of wine
to get them chilled.
When 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 spcrts out with il. It
bursts into ine spray and falls IS
dust-dust far finer than any other
dust known
It IS so aue, indeed, that sometimes
years elapse before It settles. When
the mighty island volcano Of KraSa-
toa blew itself nearly into bits IN 1883
with crashing sound Of cannonadinS
that smashed windows hundreds OF
miles away the lava dust was so thick
! In the air that fo- hundreds Of niles
round midday Was as blacA as night.
Volumes Of infinitely fne dust sailed
round and round the earth IN the up
per atmosphere and made Enslands
sunsets Of that year unusually sDlen-
did. It was three years before tho
upper air became quite clear again
lava dust has the same properties
IS lava Shepherds on the slopes OF
vesuyius sprinkle patches Of soow n
the winter with lava dust so that
they may have It when the scorchinS
days OF summer arrive.
E was lava dust turned to mud By
torrents Of rain such as usually cone
with volcanic outbursts, that, nearly
2o0o years ago. destroyed the famous
pleasure city ot Herculaneum. and It
was showers Of volcanic ashes that
overwhelmed PompeM He1culaneum
st!n lies nearly forty yards from the
open ain.
There are nrecs Of Lava mud that are
hsotttnS cut Gowns and villages now.
a curious point has always been
noticed when vesuvius IS in eruption.
and that Is the strong oaor OF wasa&S
Gay that hangs around the mountain
One might woodes why the slopes
oe such mountain are so thsckly
populated when there Is always dan
ger Of e<uptions and Of aralanches o.
lava mud. Well, the reason IS that
volcanic SCH IS always very fertile.
Some Of the best wine OF Italy comes.
fcorc vesuyian vineyards, and people
are ready to take the. risks.-London
American.