Year: 1871


the following description of night
on Mount Vesuvius during the erup-
ton of the 10th uIt. The writer had
predicted this eruption: This was by
far the most thrilling and eventful
night of my life. My interest in the
volcano had been raised to enthusi-
asm by the outbreak of its torrent Of
lava on the evening of the Sd instant,
against the opinions of experiences
residents. During a late walk on
that magnificent road, the COrsO
NittOria EnanueIe, which OverlOOks
the finest city and bay, and the most
charming scenery l ever beheld,
heard, on the evening of the Sth,
succession of violent explosions from
the crater, the distance being about
twelve miles, Similar reports were
frequent on the morning of the 9Th,
and the afternoon party of us start
ed for the scene.


To omit the amusing incidents of
the journey, we reached the stream OF
lava before sunset, and the summit
before dark. We had a close view Of
the new crater at the foot of the
great cone, which, having no accu-
mutation of elected matter-that is,
no cone of stone and aShes-shoWS
clearly how it was first formed. A
thick bed of solid rock seems to have
been rent by the pent up forces be-
meath, and forced upward into a YER
tical position, like the jaws of
monSter-broad at the base and tap
ering at the top. Three or four of
these vast rocks form the chimney,
from which pour volumes of steam
and smoke, roaring flame and lava,
with great violence, as if from n





pressure below.


Our party were in haste to descend
as the night drew on; but I was not
satisfied, and being on the ground, !
resolved to stay till morning; and 1
was well repaid for my trouble and
privatiOn. l t is impossible to do jus
tice to such a subject in brief article.
There are really three separate
thrOats, so to speak, from the depths
below, quite distinct in their mode Of
action. Two are within the main
crater at the summit, and on a line
with the new one above named, which
is near the north base of the great
summit, or apex cone, and whose ac-
ton [ have described. The middle
throat or register is the only one that
was violent iniits action, and through
the night, at longer or shorter inter
walls, ii was terrific.


After q brief period of rest it broke
forth again with q tremendous ex-
plOsiOn, as sudden and intense as
that of the heaviest cannon, but
many, many times vaster and grand
er, as if q magazine of powder or nitro
glycerine had suddenly been ignited
far down in the deep bowels of the
earth, sometimes one, OftenCr several
reports came in quick succession.
Sometimes the first was the lOudest,
but oftenCr the second and third re-
ports followed with increasing rapidi-
ty and violence, and with much
greater intensity than the first.
At all the explosions of this opening
immense vOlleys of glowing stones
and red-hOt cinders were thrown to
the hight of from one to two hundred
feet, spreading into magnificent bou-
quets of great brilliancy, many of
these stones, some of large size, fall
ing outside the crater and rolling
down the cone in glowing fragments
TO its base. Sometimes the explosions
were preceded by subterranean rumb-
ling far down in the deep caverns of
the mountain, accompanied by a
trembling of the solid frame to its
very base.


The action of the third spout or
register was wholly different from the
other two. There was no violent eX-
plosion, as of pent up power, as in
the case of that just described, though,
like them, it's delivery was fitful;
blowing out at intervals and never
uniform; continuous and un-eXplo-
sive, like the first described new
crater outside the cone, whose flow
was a cOpiOus compressed volume of
smoke and fian7e, as from weIl-fed
furnace, and with no noise, except
that of the constant roaring of the
flames. This third register made a
great blowing noise, like an immense
fuse, and very much like the noise OF
an ascending rocket of immense pro-
! portions. Tt threw out volumes of
Z black smoke and great bouquets of
glowing cinders, but with much less
yiolencethan its companion, as if the
| opening were much larger-sO much
larger, ia proportion to its discharge,
4 as ifto divest it of all explosive viO-
lence. ] should regard this rs the
/ old and nearly spent crater.