The herald., 1921-09-22

Was One OF FORCES Where VULGAR
Made JoVe's Spears.
The constantly active volcano
Stromboli, on StrOmboli island in the
Mediterranean, seems TO be redOubling
its efforts lately, and the 5000 terri.
fed inhabitants are holding them
selves In readiness to flee at almost
any moment should the danger from
the molten rocks and sulphurouS gases
issuing from the crater threaten their
lives and their homes, dispatches
state.
"The circular cone of the volcano
which forms the island Of Stromboll,
and the six other iSlets Of the Lipari
group comprise a connecting link be
tween Vesuvius on the mainland Of
Italy and Etna on Sicily. The vol
canic wrath Of these three mighty
mountains is partially responsible for
the terrific earth shudderlngs at Mes
sina and In other parts of Sicily and
Italy" says a bulletin Of the National
Geographic society from Its headQuar-
tiers In Washington.
vuIcan's Forge of the Ancients.
'The situation Of the Lipari group
on map suggests the idea that they
are the stars which Sicily saw from q
terrific blow In cOsmic times on the
tip Of her nose, inflicted by the wrath
full boot Of Italy. StrOmboli is living
up to this flgurative excuse for her
existence by keeping her fires burning
night and day, and throwing her lurid
light on the Italian and Sicllian hori-
ION.
"On this mountain which rises about
1900 feet above sea level and about
5000 above the floor of the sea, ac-
cording to the ancients, was one CT
the FORCES Of Vulcan on which he
hammered out the scepter of Jove and
the shields and spears Of the gods. On
its precipitous slopes Aeolus, the god
Of the winds, In company with his six
sons and six daughters was supposed
20 have held revels and In the cav
ernous sides Of the mountain to have
confined the blasts.
"In medieval times the belchlng
crater Of StrombOli was believed TO be
the entrance Of Purgatory
"About a thousand feet from the
top Of Stromboli there IS an opening
from which steam constantly issues
and hangs In a smoky-loOking cloud
above the mountain. Ordinarily 1t IS
possible to climb up to the opening
and look over upon the black floor
through the cracks Of which smoke Is
sues and the red-hot lava Kisses, bolls
and sputters, the Cooking of the
earth's interior resembling more than
anything else the boiling Of a large
pot Of mush. AS the huge bubbles
burst, lava Is thrown high in the air.
Sometimes the fire 6f the earth quick
ems, as 1t has been doing recently, and
then the kissing Of the steam may be
heard many miles out at sea and the
lava boils over the side Of the cone.
Like Man-Made Lighthouses.
"Stromboli, unlike the volcanoes
that experience intense paroXysms of
activity followed by long periods of
repose, offers one of the best examples
Of the continuously active volcano.
Standing alone In the sea, 1t is visible
for almost hundred miles, It's ever
lighted fires tinting the clouds and the
sky with rosy glow, which has led
to its being known as The Lighthouse
Of the Mediterranean Its light, how
ever, Is not constant In its intensity;
first the sky is almost a bright red, |
which then decreases to a faint glow,
only to be followed again by the |
bright light.
I'm this respect 1t resembles the |
flashing lighthouses which are COM
mon to coasts the world over, and In |
reality 1t is used by sailors In the
Mediterranean. In lighthouses of the
man-made kind the flashes come at
regular intervals, one Of the beacons
being differentiated from another by
the length of time between the flashes.
Stromboli, In this respect maintains
Its individuality, for its glowings are
very irregular, varying between one
and twenty flashes per second, the IN
tensity also varying from time to
time.
60 in studying the flashes
OF the mountain have
Vas the steam accumulates
me lava in trying to force its
" out pushes back the scum on the
cauldron and leaves the surface of the
molten mass exposed to view: when
that bubble has burst with roar the
scum again darkens the surface. In
consequence Of which the sky CLOVIS
and fades.
'The little town Of San vincenzo
on Stromboli Is about sixteen miles
from the Straits Of MsssIna. The sur
rounding country Is fertile and cot
ton, wine and figs are raised. The
mountain sides yield sulphur and
pumice stone"
Woman Sentenced for Throwing Acid.
Convicted for assault for having
thrown acid into the face of Miss I'm