June, 1 913 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



XI 1 1 



A DESCENT INTO VESUVIUS 



ALTHOUGH many tourists visit the 

 volcano of Vesuvius and enjoy the 

 grand and terrible sight, few have the 

 daring or the physical endurance to 

 descend into the depths of the crater. 

 Suffocating sulphur fumes, red-hot cin- 

 ders, precipitous walls down which 

 masses of rock are constantly plunging, 

 are obstacles that only a few explorers 

 have overcome. The last to accomplish 

 the descent was Mr. A. Console. He was 

 accompanied by Mr. A. Malladra, who 

 had been the second to explore the 

 crater. Their experiences are described 

 by Mons. V. Forbin in La Nature. Tied 

 to a long rope, which six guides at the 

 top lowered inch by inch, the two began 

 to descend the perilous slope. The broken 

 nature of the wall, which was seamed 

 with deep crevasses, made the downward 

 climb extremely difficult, and the crumb- 

 ling rock offered no secure grip or foot- 

 hold. The heat soon became almost in- 

 supportable. Mr. Console felt that 

 his feet were actuallv roasting, and a 

 thermometer that Mr. Malladra carried 

 registered 8"2 deg. Centigrade, or 179. G 

 deg. Fahrenheit. 



Finally the explorers reached the bot- 

 tom of the cliff, and halted near the 

 Fumarole Mercalli. This hole is prob- 

 ably the vent of the volcanic chimney 

 that has been almost entirely blocked by 

 years of accumulated debris. It con- 

 stantly vomits forth clouds of white and 

 yellow fumes that render the surround- 

 ing air unbreathable. All about this fuma- 

 role the ground is covered with a deep 

 layer of hot white powder mixed with 

 gravel, into which the two adventurers 

 sank almost to their knees. 



As Mr. Console was focusing his cam- 

 era to take a view of the crater, the 

 ground beneath him suddenly opened, and 

 he sank to his waist in the red-hot cin- 

 ders. As his companion was some dis- 

 tance away, he had to effect his own 

 rescue. Fortunately, the end of the rope 

 that had been used in the descent was 

 within a few feet of him ; he managed to 

 grasp it, and by its aid drew himself 

 from his precarious and painful situation. 



Every moment of their stay at the bot- 

 tom of the crater, rocks were breaking 

 from the wall and plunging down about 

 them. Mr. Console, who had stayed near 

 the foot of the cliff, had to keep dodging 

 these dangerous missiles. One or two 

 did strike and wound him. The suf- 

 focating heat and the noxious gases 

 brought on a strange sickness that 

 caused him to reel in his gait, and his 

 heart to beat rapidly and violently. A 

 terrible fit of coughing and choking 

 seized Mr. Malladra, who had stayed too 

 long near the fumarole, and it lasted 

 until he reached the top again. 



Naturally, the ascent was far more dif- 

 ficult than the descent had been. Al- 

 though they had spent only twenty min- 

 utes at the bottom of the crater, they 

 were so soent that they were several 

 times on the point of fainting. 



Once, after scaling a perpendicular 

 wall of twenty-five feet, Mr. Console 

 thought that he had reached the limit 

 of his endurance. Summoning all his 

 strength and courage, however, he 

 dragged himself on. Looking back a mo- 

 ment later, he saw a small avalanche 

 sweep over the exact spot he had just 

 left. When the two explorers were fin- 

 ally lifted over the edge of the cliff they 

 were on the point of complete exhaus- 

 tion. 



Parker Morse Hooper, Arch., N. Y. Photo Harry Coutanr, 



INTERIOR CORNWALL-ON-HUDSON 



<I Nothing could better illustrate the possibilities for individual taste in simple and 

 artistic furnishing than this charming interior, furnished with 



LEAVENS FURNITURE 



<J The variety of styles and custom finishes, affords a wide latitude for selections. 



Send for Illustrations 



WILLIAM LEAVENS & CO., Mfrs. 



32 Canal Street 



Boston Mass. 



JH.BR00KSeC0.CLE!(Et^a 



Floor&Sidewalk Lights. 



EVERY DESCRIPTION. 



Send^bCatalogue. 



THE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN BOY AT SCHOOL 



By A. RUSSELL BOND 

 , 12 mo. (6x8Vi), Cloth, 338 Pases, 314 Illustrations. Price, $2.00, Postpaid 



This is a sequel to " The Scientific American Boy," and like its predecessor, is brim lull of practical suggestions, all of which are entirely 

 new. The construction of the apparatus, which is within the scope of the average boy, is fully described and the instructions are interwoven 

 in a fascinating story, which makes the book interesting as well as instructive to the boy. 



MUNN & CO., Inc., Publishers, : : : 361 Broadway, NEW YORK. 





A striking ex- 

 ample of modern return 

 to the classic in outdoor dec- 

 oration is shown in this Garden 

 Gazing Globe. A crystal ball mounted 

 within easy reach of vision on a pedestal of 

 chaste and artistic design. 



The Garden Gazing Globe 



is a stately and beautiful garden ornament. It re- 

 flects all the shifting charms of the landscape. Here 

 is one of the many letters from delighted owners. 

 "I am more than pleased with it, and the landscape views 

 developed in it are not only interesting to ourselves, but 

 are enjoyed by all of our friends." 



May we send descriptive booklet and cir- 

 culars with prices to-day? 



m 



Stewart Carey Glass Co 



Indianapolis, 



Ind. 



s 



