On Sunday, the 15th, the searchers at Ottejano were surprised at finding
two aged women still alive, after six days' entombment in the ruins.
They were among those who had been buried by the falling walls a week
before. The rafters of the house had protected them, and a few morsels
of food in their pockets aided to keep them alive. At some points there
the ashes were ten feet deep. At San Giuseppe bodies of women were found
in whose hands were coins and jewels, and one woman held a jewelled
rosary. This recalls the results of exploration at Herculaneum and
Pompeii, where were similar instances of death overtaking the victims of
the volcano while fleeing with their jewels in their hands.
It is interesting to learn that two men stood heroically to their post
of duty during the whole scene of the explosion, Professor Matteucci,
Director of the Royal Observatory, and his American assistant, Professor
Frank A. Perret, of New York. Though the building occupied by them
was exposed to the full force of the rain of stones from the burning
mountain, they remained undauntedly at their post through that week of
terror. On the 14th some of that venturesome fraternity, the newspaper
correspondents, reached their eyrie on the highest habitable point on
Vesuvius and heard the story of their experiences.
THE HEROES OF THE OBSERVATORY.
For several days Professors Matteucci and Perret and their two servants
had been cut off from the outside world and bombarded by the volcano,
their rations consisting of bread, cheese and dried onions, until on
Friday a hardy guide was induced to push through to them with
some provisions.
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