THE REWARD OF RASHNESS.

Evening Star, Issue 3085, 8 January 1873, Page 3

THE REWARD OF RASHNESS.

The Hevista contains the following account of the loss of two gentlemen in the crater of Vesuvius, who, with great temerity, insisted on being lowered down to the dark hole immediately below the orifice of the crater :-—A party was formed to ascend Mount Vesuvius ou Friday afternoon in the Caffe di Kuropa. r l he party consisted of two American?, three Englishmen, and one Frenchmen On Sunday night they took carriages from the Caffe for Eesina, reaching there at 11.30 in the night. Having procured horses, guides, and other necessaries, they started for the burning mountain and began the ascent, one Luigi Garoglio leading as cicerone, and arrived at the base of the uppermost cone, further than which horses do not go. The tourists then began the ascent over the hillocks and boulders of lava until the vicinity of the crater was reached, when Mr James Wilcox and Francois Le Mieur, an American and a Frenchman, insisted on being lowered down to the cavern which is formed below the mouth of the volcano. The guides, who provide themselves with ropes for that purpose, complied with the request of the foreigners, and lowered them down. Iho mountain being perfectly quiet, no danger was anticipated j but when one of the party above the prater culled out to the rash adventurers, no answer was returned. The guides growing anxious, cried, “ Gentlemen, it would be better for you to hold on to the end of the ropes ” > s till the rapes remained slack, and no answer came from the sulphurous and murky cavern below. Twenty minutes passed, and the adventurers were yet silent. It was then proposed that one of the guides should be lowered down, and hold on to the ropes until he had investigated the appearance of the cavern base. He had hardly entered, when he cried out loudly : “Su ! su ! non e’e niente che una pictra stretissima!” (‘‘Up! up! there’s nothing here but a very narrow rock!”) As far as an living person c.m tell the rest, the unfortunate strangers, the victims of their own imprudence, were hurled into the mysterious abysses of Mount Vesuvius.