Imperial Valley press., 1913-12-12
Mount VeSuviuS
Coming to Life
onr limited Press Assoclationsl

By United Press Associations
Naples, Italy, Dec. i2.-Mount We
suvius is rapidly reawakening to an
other OF It's periodic eruptions which
from the time of the destruction at
is base Of the cities of Pompeii and
Herculaneum have never failed to ex-
act heavy toll Of life and property.
Within the past six months scientific
observations made in the crater by
French. Italian and German scientists
have left no doubt as 10 the growing
state Of activity. The last and most
rduous of these observations were
made recently when Prof Malladra of
the Vesuvian observatory and Profs.
Max Stoltz and Paul jacob, two Mu-
uich scientists, descended into the
crater for a distance of $40 meters,
the greatest depth ever reached by
human beings In the crater of any
volcano. The result Of the observa-
tions then made have just been pre-
pared for the United Press by Prof.
Malladra as follows:
The history Of Mount Vesuvius,
which We have been able accurately to
compile from the destruction of Pom
peii and HeFcUlaneum down, shows
that periods Of activity have taken
place through all the centuries at
more or less regular intervals. The
last eruption occurred in 1907. An
other one not only is now due but
from March Of the present year we
have been able TO detect evidences of
the gradual but certain reawakening
of the volcano.
In the descent into the crater which |
we made recently we followed the |
same route which took in April when |
I made the first exploration of the |
interior Of the crater of Vesuvius ever |
made. The crater now has a depth |
Of 800 meters, and we reached the |
bottom Of this after more than an
hours hard work, descending by |
means Of ropes such as are used in |
mountain climbing.
The bottom Of the crater resembles |
very much a huge platform covered |
with immense rocks and also perfor- |
ated with fumarole. from which gases |
and vapors are always being exhaled. |
II was in this platform, following my |
first descent into the crater, when
found unmistakable signs of the re-
awakening Of the volcano, that a huge |
opening was later found. Ii had cir |
eumference Of 100 meters and a depth |
Of 20. In the formation of this and |
in the fire which poured out afterward |
the flag | had planted at the bottom |
of the crater on the occasion of my |
first visit was completely destroyed.
This opening took place on May |
10 and for a month afterward there |
was not only constant pouring forth |
of gases and vapors but also of fire,
which at times was emitted in gigantic |
blasts of an appalling nature. On Au-
gust 3, however, there was a new
sinking in at the base of this opening,
which evidently filed up the channel
by which the gases and fire were
coming from the inner regions of the |
volcano, and SO ON the occasion of our !
last descent we were able TO penetrate
even to the bottom of this opening,
making a total descent from the top
of the crater $40 meters.
"In making this final descent we
found the entire interior of the mouth
incrusted with formations which
showed unmistakably that during the
month of July molten lava rose to the
very bottom of the crater. From
where we were obliged 10 stop i'm our
descent efforts to take the temperi-
ture deeper down proved futile. The
first time a thermometer was lowered
by means of a cable wire, the ther-
mometer disappeared and the cable
was pulled back completely oxidized
by the gases. The second attempt re-
suited even worse, the cable coming
back in a fused state as a result of
the heat.
"After returning, however. to the
platform which forms the bottom of
the crater we were able 10 register
in one OF the fulmaroles temperature
Of 800 degrees centigrade, while un-
der the rocks on the bottom there was
an average temperature of so degrees II
centigrade. This intense heat shows
the certain reawskening Of the entire
volcano.
"Our ascent TO the top of the crater
was made without incident and the oh
servations we made demonstrated
again most clearly the steady prog
ress toward reactivity. As | stated
above the channel leading down from
the crater into the deeper regions o.
the volcano has evidently been tenn
porarily ehoked by the sinking and
falling in of portions along It's course.
When, however, this channel is again
as free as il was in June and July
it lis very likely that the eruption
will then take place"