146 Jounston-Lavis-—The Eruption of Vesuvius in April, 1906. 
of lava very fluid, so that it spread out, but was of little thickness, in some places 
being nearly half a kilometre in breadth. By the early afternoon it had reached 
the Casa d’ Aponte, that is about two kilometres. The irregularities of the ground 
of course influenced the direction and speed of the current. Near the mouths, on 
the steeper slope, with the rock less cooled, it is credited with having flowed 5 m. 
per minute; but as it advanced, cooled, and reached a feebler slope, its speed was 
less. Where the main path up to Casa Fiorenza crosses the five hundred and 
twenty-fifth contour-line, the flow divided. The western arm, broad at first, split 
into three tongues near the four hundredth contour-line, the two external ones 
stopping short, whilst the middle, as a narrow band, flowed due south, passing 
between the Masseria Izzo and that of Casa Torrentino, over the lava of 1754, 
destroying the Mass. C. Pallone, and stopping a short distance after having 
destroyed a good many gardens and vineyards. The eastern limb at first flowed 
in narrow strips on the steep slopes of I Cognoli, soon spreading into a broad 
sheet in the Rione Casarella and over the 1850 lava. 
Near the Mass. Jaconelle and C. Napuano, which the lava destroyed, commences 
a narrow and small vallone, or ravine, which near the Mass. C. Rendina attains 
some depth. Into this, part of the stream flowed as in a narrow drain. The 
main stream continued on in the direction of the west end of Boscotrecase. 
April Tth—About 1 p.m, the explosions from the crater were violent and 
luminous, and fragments of scoria are said to have reached as far as the obser- 
vatory. Early on this day, perhaps even before, lava flowed from a rift on the 
N.N.E. side of the cone. Wherever this lava did issue, it must have been from 
a point very high on the cone, for I found it sheared by the lip of the new 
crater, immediately after the eruption. The very luminous explosions just 
mentioned would certainly point to the lava-level still being very high in the 
chimney. In the early part of the day, there was relative quiet, possibly in 
consequence of relief given by the N.N. E. outflow. The southern stream moved 
on slowly, so that at about 3 p.m. it was stopped on a level with the Cemetery of 
Boscotrecase, that is, about half a kilometre from the town. Crowds of people went 
to visit the lava, thinking that the eruption was at an end, and those people of 
Boscotrecase who had removed their furniture were taking it back. During the 
morning of the 7th, Dr. Brunhuber observed an active mouth to the east of 
I Cognoli, which gave out two streams of lava flowing eastwards, towards 
Terzigno, the northernmost flowing as far as the Bo. Vracciaro and Bo. Fontanelle, 
the other through the Rione Torrioni towards Bo. Molara. Soon after 4 p.m., 
the explosions from the central crater became more violent, being audible from 
Naples. Prof. Mercalli says: ‘‘ The material ejected was nearly all incandescent 
and fluid, and in broad jets, and attaining from one to two kilometres above 
