The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-11-16
Sicilian Volcano Built Island
It Now Devastates With
Lava

Rome, Nov. l6.-Mount Etna. the
creator and the destroyer of the
Island of Sicily, is subsiding after
another of its periodical rampages.
The old, familiar story of destruction
and death, rolling forth from its fire.
stained mouth, is getting another re-
telling.
For nearly 25 centuries Etna has
taken a more or less regular toll Of
the lives and property Of the people
who live near it. The poet Pindar,
writing nearly 500 years before the
Christian era, spoke of the violence
and destructiveness of its eruptions;
and since then the story has been re-
peated more times than anyone can
ceunt.
Yet if Etna turns parts Of Sicily,
now and then, into scorched. lava
buried desolations, Etna perhaps has
the right; for it was Etna that built
Sicily in the first place.
Volcano Built Island
Long, long ago, probably before
there was no land where Sicily now
men appeared on the earth at all.
is. The sea rolled there unbroken.
Far beneath the bottom Of this sea,
subterranean fires were generating
a long series Of explosions. They
forced the sea floor up, and little by
little thrust cone-shaped, rocky
islet above the surface-the summit
of Mount Etna.
This new islet was as active a
volcano as the world had seen. Its
eruptions were violent and frequent.
Each one poured forth new stream
of molten lava. building the cone
higher and higher, and each time
adding a little to the black beach
that began to take form at its base.
In the course Of thousands of
years, the entire island was built
I'm in this way. The lava cooled,
disintegrated in sun and wind and
rain, became rich black soil. Vegeta-
ton took hold in abundance; and
when the republic of Rome struggled
through it's birth throes, Sicily was
already garden spot, thickly popu-
lated with farmers.
Menace Ever Present
But the people who live on Sicily
have never been free from the men,
ace Of the towering mountain.
| In the year 1872 A. D., for in
stance, the Roman empire RENTED
Sicily's taxes for a decade because
C damage caused by an eruption.
Again, in 1869 a flood of lava
destroyed the cathedral at Catania,
chief city Of Sicily, killing hundreds
of worshipers and the bishop who
was officiating there.
Five hundred years later a ire
mendous wall of lava came down on
the city like moving mountain, de.
stroying large part of the city and
running the harbor. Twenty thou.
sand people lost their lives.
A score of years after that there
came a terrific earthquake that
killed many more. In 1869 another
eruption nearly destroyed the entire
city, taking $4,000 lives. Then fol
lowed number of relatively quiet
1 years, with no disturbance Of rea
size until 1879, when another violen
eruption took place.
20 Villages Engulfed
In 1910 Eena renewed it's activit,
with q series of earthquakes and mi
nor eruptions that eliminated in al
earth-making catastrophe in 1914
when a score of villages were de
!, stroyed and 200 people were killed
The loss of life would have bee1
| many times greater in the 1914 dis
aster had not a group of mino
, earthquakes given advance warning
, and enabled people to get out Of TIL
; way.
i Then, in 1923, came another catas
, trophe, DESTROYING the homes Of 80
900 people and taking many NOR
} lives. Since then Etna has slun
bered-until now.
Vesuvius is probably the best-ad
vertised volcano in the world, bu
for destructiveness it has never com
pared with Mount Etna-nor, fo
that matter, has any other volcano
Since the destruction of Pompeii an
Herculaneum, Vcsuvius has don
little extensive damage; Etna's out
bursts, however, never seem to emf
i A point worth noting is the dit
ference between the holocaust ths
buried Pompeii and Herculaneul
i and the eruption that Etna is no,
having.
Buried by Ashes
ii The lost cities Of the Romans wer
i. buried under thousands of tons q
{ | volcanic ash and dust. The house
Remained intact Etna On the nfhe