New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1923-07-06
IETNA, THE WORLDS
GREATEST VOLCANO
Homer, Pindar, and Plato Wrote
About Ancient Volcanic Mountain

washington, D. c., July 6-Tht
newspa permen who are writing
hastily about Etna these days were
scooped some years ago by at least
three rather well known fellow crafts
men. Homer, Pindar and Plato says
a bulletin from the Washington, ID.
c., headquarters of the National Geo.
graphic society. For this volcano,
greatest in Europe and ranking with
the greatest in the world, has peen
pouring out lava and ashes, destroy
ing farms and villages and interest
ing philosophers and scientists since
the world was young. Pindar was
the first writer to mention Etna's
fires, In 474 B. c., and since that
time more than 100 eruptions are
said to have taken place.
"A much more remote history or
Etna has been pieced together by
modern biologists who look upon the
whole island OF Sicily as a contribu-
ton from the great reservoir of mol
ten material under the mountain.
They picture time when the sea
rolled over the site of Sicily. Then,
presumably in the Pliocene, Etnas
tip emerged; and through the ages
1t has steadily built itself and Sicily
UP.
"Etna might be described in the
terms of an Eastern religion as both
the Creator and the Destroyer. 1t has
created Sicily; Its disintegrated lava
has given a soil of matchless fertility
which supports rich vineyards and or
chards; and 1t has drawn to its slopes,
In spite of obvious dangers, hundreds
OF thousands OF tillers of the soil and
their towns and villages. AS one writ
er puts 1t towns succeed towns along
its base like pearls in a necklace, and
when stream of lava effects a
breach in the chain of human hab
itations, 1t is closed up again as soon
as the lava has had time to cool.
Many of the villages on the noun
tain's slope, are built almost exclu-
sivly from blocks of black lava, and
have sonbber, depressing aspect in
consequence
TT is on the lower slopes of Etna !
where time and weather have most |
completely broken up and washed
down the ancient lava, that the Gre
alive side of the volcano is best seen. |
Virtually the whole circuit is a gar
den spot of date palms, bananas or
anges, lemons. olives. figs and al |
rf,onds. Farther up are nut trees
notably the beautifully ordered filbert
orchards near Castiglione-and a for
est zone of chestnut, cork, pine and
oak. Above $500 feet is the region
that fire has kept for its own domain
"a dreary rough, black desert of lava
and ash. Down from this region and
INTO the forestnand orchard and farm
zones. tongues of molten lava have
sncroached at frequent intervals.
These are left, significant warnings
Of Etnas potentialities for destruc-
lion. only SO long as they must be.
Some entsrprising planters have blast
ed holes in fairly recent lava flows
and have made the artificially frac-
tured material support olive and al
mond and citrus trees.
Few of the towns and villages near
Etna have escaped destruction or GER
Gus damage from one or more of the
numerous erupt1ons.
4 One town that seemingly lives a
existence is Randazzo which,
hough less than ten miles from the
crater, has always escaped. The city