The peninsular railway up the mountain
was ruined and the large hotel burned. One writer tells the following
tale of what he saw on that fatal Saturday and Sunday:
"On the road I met hundreds of families in flight, carrying their few
miserable possessions. The spectacle of collapsing carts and fainting
women was frequently seen. When one reached the lava stream a stupefying
spectacle presented itself. From a point on the mountain between the
towns I saw four rivers of molten fire, one of which, 200 feet wide
and over 40 deep, was moving slowly and majestically onward, devouring
vineyards and olive groves. I witnessed the destruction of a farm house
enveloped on three sides by lava. Immediately overhead the great crater
was belching incandescent rock and scoria for an incredible distance.
The whole scene was wreathed with flames, and a perpetual roar was
heard. Ever and anon the cone of the volcano was encircled with vivid
electric phenomena, amid which a downpour of liquid fire on all sides of
the crater was revealed in magnificent awfulness. In the evening there
was a frightful shock of earthquake, which was repeated at two o'clock
on Sunday morning. Simultaneously the lava streams redoubled their
onrush, and men, women and children fled precipitately toward the sea.
The lava had invaded the road behind them."
A REIGN OF TERROR.
The great loss of life was due to the vast fall of ashes, which crushed
in hundreds of roofs and buried the occupants within the ruins of their
homes.
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