Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 004.djvu/146

 or Ashes we could taken a free view both of the old and new Channel of the Fire, and of that great mountain of Ashes cast up. That, which we guessed to be the old bed or channel, was a three-corner'd plot of about 2. Acres, with a crust of Sciarri at the bottom, and upon that a smal crust or surface of Brimstone. It was hedg'd in on each side with a great bank or hill of Ashes, and behind and at the upper end role up that huge mountain of the same matter. Between those two banks the Fire seems to have had its passage. At the upper end in the nook upon a little hillock of crusted Sciarri was an hole about 10. foot wide, whence 'tis probable the Fire issued; and it might have had several other such holes, since either crusted over or covered with ashes. At the bottom of this hole the Fire was seen to flow along, and below it was a channel of fire, beneath that surface of Sciarri, which being cleft a top for some space, we had an easy and leisurable view of the metal flowing along, whose superficies might be a yard broad, though possibly it carried a greater breadth underneath, the gutter going sloping. What depth it had, we could not guess: it was impenetrable by Iron hooks and other Instruments we had. We were very desirous to have got some of this matter at the Spring head, but we could penetrate no more into it, then with ones finger into the palme of the hand. 'Tis likely, that some running may have been more yielding, than we found this. From this channel, but especially from that hole above it, issued great store of a strong sulfureous smoak, wherewith some of our company were at first almost stifled through inadvertency. About once in a quarter of an hour there would rise a pillar of smoak or ashes, but nothing comparable to the former; which seem'd to come from the middle top of that new made Mountain. I confess, it was an omission in us, not to goe up to this mountain, being so near; but because it was troublesome and not without danger, the rest of the company being satisfied with what they had already seen, would not stay to see any more.

At this our last being at Catania we found the people busy in barricading the ends of some streets and passages, where they thought the fire might break in; and this they did by pulling down the old houses thereabout, and laying up the loose stones