Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-10-05
AN EYE WITNESS.
An Account OF The Recent Eruption
Or Etns By One Near The Spot.
lBy Harold Sherwood speneer.l


Very nearly every midshipman now
az TIRE Naval Academy remembers
Harold Sherwood Spencer. one time
editor Of the Naval Academy Bulletin
and a writer Of verse and magazine
contributor.
Mr.. Spencer resigned as a midship-
man early last spring and accepted
a position IN the consular service,
going 70 Egypt. He later married
and his home is in the country of
the Nile. He writes the following
interesting letter from la GuardioIa,
Taormina. Sicily. under date Of
September II, 1911, in which he
gives an account Of the recent erup-
tion Of Mount Etna.
Mr. Spencer was on the spot at
the time and one Of the few people
near the summit The description of
the eruption from former Midship.
man Spencer's own pen follows:
At midnight on the night of Sep
TENDER 9 we left the Osservatorio
commonly known as the Casa Etna)
for the last thousand feet of the as
cent. The Osservatorio stands on the
sight of a former Casa Inglese, an
observatory erected by the English
in 1906 during their occupation of
Sicily. There was no wind and the
ash-covered pathway was brilliant as
day under the full harvest moon.
Shortly after o'clock we reached
the crater. After spending an hour
enjoying the superb effect of the moon
lit panorama we returned to the casa.
1t was after o'clock and we planned
to have breakfast and enjoy the sun
rise. Suddenly the mountain trembled
under a series of slight earthquakes.
Then the most deafening thunder
rumbled from within the old crater.
A sudden ash-aden smoke sprang up
and carried by the force of the steam
and gas it passed right over our
heads. A slight breeze had risen
with the sunrise. This blowing from
the north covered US with the dry ash
of old eruptions that lay just above
us.
Myself and small nephew, a lad
of fifteen, accompanied by the guides,
discarded all coats, lunch baskets,
etc, and started down for the new
Casa Cantoniera with all speed. This
we reached in the record-breaking
time of little over two hours. The
Casa was erected by the Italian
Alpine Club and possessed a cistern
of water. This water we fairly
bathed in. After soaking our caps
we got a donkey, which Walter rode.
1t was then after six and very
bright and clear The ashes were all
being carried to the westward of US.
Etna continued to thunder in terrify-
ing volleys. We felt no earthquakes
after the first. Soon rumble
more deep and prolonged sounded
and looking over the Vale del Bove
we saw an immense cloud of steam
rising. This we surmised was a new
crater. And we have found since
that the old Monte Renato had reopen
ed with a small lava stream.
1--WE reached Nicoaosi, nine miles
from Catania, at 10 o'clock and got
to Catania in time to catch the noon
train to our home. We reached here
at O'Clock and greatly relieved the
family, for they had worried very
much. An excellent view is seen of
the eruption from our terrace. The
main crater and the small one which
opened last year near it are smoking
violently. At o'clock yesterday
afternoon Shortly after we arrived)
a new crater opened low on the North
side of the mountain. A violent lava
flow is coming from it destroying the
almond and olive grove
"Donkeys are at the door waiting to
take us to where the lava flow has
already reached. The flow is from 20
to so feet high and two miles
wide