Page:Burning mountains.pdf/14

(14) 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 top of the mountain, were evident ſigns of the activity of the fire underneath. The lava ran ſlowly at Torre del Greco after it had reached the ſea; and on the 17th of June in the morning, courſe was ſtopped, excepting that at times a lit rivulet of liquid fire iſſed from under the ſmoking ſcoriae into the ſea, and cauſed a hiſſing noiſe, a white ſmoke; at other times, a quantity of large ſcoriae were puſhed off the ſurface of the body the lava into the ſea, diſcovering that it was redl under that ſurface; and even to the latter end 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 destroyed the greateſt part of the town of Torre del Greco, having been exactly meaſured by the duke 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; extends into the ſea 626 feet. The ſea water boiling as in a cauldron, where it washed the fo of this new formed promontory: and although a author was at leaſt a hundred yards from it, obſerving that the ſea ſmoaked near his boat, he ut hand into the water, which was literally ſcalded and by his time his boatmen obſerved that pitch from the bottom of the boat was melting fa and floating on the ſurface of the ſea, and that t boat began to leak; he therefore retired haſt from this ſpot, and landed at ſome diſtance from the hot lava. The town of Torre del Greco contain about 18,000 inhabitants, all of whom (except