ETNA’S HISTORY

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11661, 27 October 1923, Page 12

ETNA’S HISTORY

MOST TALKED of volcano GARDEN ROUND THE BASE. HOMER SANG OF IT. The newspaper men who were writing hastily about Etna after the eruption recently were scooped some years ago by at least three rather well-known fellow craftsmen: Homer, Pindar, and Plato. For this volcano —greatest in Europe, and ranking with the greatest in the world, has been pouring out lava and ashes, destroying farms and villages. and interesting philosophers and scientists since the world was young. Pindar was the first writer to mention Etna'*? fires, in 474 8.C.. and since that time more than TOO eruptions are said to have taken place, says* an article prepared for the Boston “Herald” by the National Geographic Society. A much more romote history of Etna has been pieced together by modern geologists who look upon the whole island of Sicily a* a contribution from the great reservoir of molten material under the mountain. They picture a time when the sea rolled over the site of Sicily. Then presumably in the Pliocene Etna’s tip emerged ; and through the ages i that steadily built itself and Sicily up. TOWN WITH CHARMED LIFE. *

Few of the towns and villages near Etna have escaped destruction or serious damage from one or more of the numerous eruptions. One town that seemingly lives a charmed existence is Rundazzo, which, though less than ten miles from the crater, lias always escaped. The City and port of Catania, about 20 miles from the crater, has, on the other hand, been Etna’s chief victim, and is reputed to have suffered more from eruptions and earthquakes than any other place cf importance in the world. Because of partial destruction in 122, Rome remitted part of its taxes lor a decade. There, in 11G0, the cathedral was overwhelmed by lava, and its worshippers and bishop destroyed. In 1600, a river of lava rose above the 60-foot walls, poured into the streets, destroyed a large part of the city, and, flowing into the sea. ruined the harbour. The streams that have poured down Etna’s sides during tho hist eruption can hardly be different from the numerous preceding Hows that have been so frequently described. The typical river of fire from Etna flows in a relatively narrow stream. It move sufficiently slowly, so that men and animals may keep out of iU path, and large crowds of people assemble to watch its progress. It is a crowd of mixed emotions. Beside the small farmer, trembling

lest the stream may destroy his valunable orchards, may kneel peasants from a threatened village, weeping and praying that the fltfw be deflected, and tourists from a far land, viewing whaL can be to them a magnificent activity of Nature. Priests head processions of the pious country folk; candles are lighted, relics exhibited, and altars set up.

Beneath the rays of the sun the stream seems black, except when, like the crest of a breaker, the edge of the On-coming wave breaks, disclosing the angry red interior, and sending aloft sparks as the falling material shatters on the ground. "When night falls, the same activity seems tremendously increased. The stream is now a river of fire—a thing of fascinating, hut cruel, CREATOR AND DESTROYER.

Etna might be described in the terms of an Eastern religion as both the creator and destroyer. It has created Sicily ; its disintegrated lava has given a soil of matchless fertility which .supports rich vineyards and orchards; and it has drawn to its slopes, in spite of obvious dangers, hundreds of thousands of tillers of the . coil and their towns and villages. As one writer puts it, ‘‘towns succeeded towns along ita base like pearls in a necklace. and when a stream of lava effects a breach in the chain of human habitations, it is closed up again as soon at tho lava has had time to cool.” Many of the villages on the mountain’s slope* are built almost exclusively from block* of block lava, and have n sombre, depressing aspect in consequence. It is on the lower slopes of Etna where time and weather have most completely broken un and washed down the ancient lava, that the creative side of the volcano is best seen. Virtually the whole circuit is a garden spot of date palms, bananas, oranges, lemons, olives. figa and almonds. Farther up are nut trees —notably the beautiful ordered filbert orchards near Castiglione—and a forest zone of chestnut cork, nine, and oak.

Above fiSOO feet is the region that fire has kept for it.- own domain—a dreary, rough, black desert of lava and ash Down from this region an 4 into the forest and orchard and fan* zones, tongues of molion lava havt eiRToa r *hed at frequent intervals. The*® arc left, significant warnings of Etna’# potentialities for destruction, only long as they imi.-t bo. Seme enterprising planters have blasted holes in fairly recent lava flows, and have made the artificially fractured material support olives and nlinomU and citrus tree*.