Page:Awful phenomena of nature (2).pdf/42

This page has been validated.

( 38 )

darkneſs, that the violent operation of nature that was going on there could no longer be diſcerned, and ſo it remained for ſeveral days, but the dreadful noiſe, and the red tinge on the clouds over the top of the mountain, were evident ſigns of the activity of the fire underneath The lava ran back ſlowly at Torre del Greco after it had reached the ſea; and on the 17th of June in the morning, its courſe was ſtopped, excepting that at times a little rivulet of liquid fire iſſed from under the ſmoking ſcoriae into the ſea, and cauſed a hiſſing noiſe, and a white ſmoke; at other times, a quantity of large ſcoriae were puſhed off the ſurface of the body of the lava into the ſea, diſcovering that it was redhot under that ſurface; and even to the latter end of Auguſt the center of the thickeſt part of the lava that covered the town retained its red heat. The breadth of the lava that ran into the ſea, and formed a new promontory there, after having deſroyed the greateſt part of the town of Torre del Greco, having been exactly meaſured by the du(illegible text) della Torre, is of Engliſh feet 1204. Its height above the ſea is twelve feet, and as many feet under water; ſo that its whole height is twenty-four feet; it extends into the ſea 626 feet. The ſea water was boiling as in a cauldron, where it waſhed the fo(illegible text) of this new formed promontory: and although c(illegible text) author was at leaſt a hundred yards from it, obſerving that the ſea ſmoaked near his boat, he put his hand into the water, which was literally ſcalded and by this time his boatmen obſerved that the pitch from the bottom of the boat was melting faſt and floating on the ſurface of the ſea, and that the boat began to leak; he therefore retired haſtily from this ſpot, and landed at ſome diſtance from the hot lava. The town of Torre del Greco containing about 18,000 inhabitants, all of whom (except