Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-01-24
LEARNING SECRETS
OF LONG LOST CITY


Back in the middle ages about the year
1884. an Italian peasant named Domenico
Fontans was digging an underground
channel 10 bring water from one of the
springs of tax Sarno. About 20 feet be-
meath the ground where his grapevines
grew so abundantly, he tumble onto
some ancient ruins, evidently of some pre-
historic city. He reported his discovery.
and found that he had been born and
reared on the site OF a city that had been
buried for centuries. And so the long
forgotten city of Pompeii was once more
brought to the attention of the world.
Little was done at that time to exca-
waite the ruins. 1t was not until a CEN
fury later that King Charles H., on the
suggestion of Rocco Gioacchino de Aleu-
bierre, director of the excavations at Her
culaneum, which place had accidentally
been discovered by an Austrian general
In search of antiquities, commenced in
1148 excavations on a small scale at POM
pcii, then mistaken for Stabiae.
The Work Jagged at First.
Two years later the work was stopped
because the results were not considered
sufficiently important. Four more years
passed when a number of tombs and rev.
eral buildings were discovered by work.
men who were building a highway, but
they We're covered ny. Finally in 1863.
when the discovery of an inscription es-
tablished the fact that the site was hat
of Pompeii, excavations We're resumed
and important discoveries were made.
The work was continued with short in
t%erruptions from 1905 to 1s4S. when a great
portion of the city was laid bare and the
excavations were again stopped by the
revolution. Work was resumed in 1860,
after the fall of he ourban dynasty, un-
der the direction of Giuseppe Florelli.
Florelli put a stop to the haphazard dig
ging that had marked the work up to
this time. and did the work scientifically,
carefully preserving everything tina was
found. Florelli was succeeded by Michele
Ruggiero. then by Giulio de Petra. and
then by Vittorto Spinazzola. who is now
conducting the work.
Died at the City Gates.
When the great mass of ashes fell into
the stricken city there was the widest
confusion. A rush was made for the city
gates. And around these great piles OF
bones have been discovered, showing that
the escape of scores was cut off. Some of
the inhabitants survived, and these at
tempted to dig out the buried city and
recover what valuables they could from
their homes. Later the ruins We're re-
peatedly ransacked by thieves. The upper
parts of the houses that projected above
the ashes made it easy to find the places
where valuables were buried. Men dug
GOWN from the surface. tunneled through
the loose bits of pumice stone and other
volcanic deposits and first removed jew
els, money, statues and rich household
furniture. and later, when all the valua-
bles had been exhausted, ever marble and
building material.
More than half of the buried city had
now been e~xcavated. including what are
considered the principal streets. the
Forum with contiguous temples and pub
lie buildings, two theaters with large col
onades, the amphitheater and a great
number of large and small private houses.
The ~excavated portions show that Pom
peii wa an ancient city before 1t was de-
stroyed The hard lava with which the
streets were paved are worn deep in
places from the continuous passing of the
heavy chariots. In some places these ruts
are nearly a foot deep. A hole eight
inches deep had been worn in the top of
a granite drinking fountain by the hands
of thousands who leaned over to catch
the water as it fell into the basin.
The late excavations undertaken by
Professor Spinazzola are in the eastern
portion of the city. A large house in Nola
street, near the gate Of the same name
that was discovered in 1906 and only part
ly uncovered, has been laid bare. This
house Ia named after the Count of Turin.
who was present when 1t was discovered.
1t consists of a large atrium. a wide peri
style. or garden, enclosed by a colonnade
with a fountain in the middle, and a