Vesuvius’ flow of lava slows
Pompeii, Italy (UP) –
Vesuvius still spouted smoke and ashes 20,000 in the air today but the lava flows subsided sufficiently to permit evacuees to return to some of the previously-threatened areas.
Some residents returned to Cercola. Officials still stood ready to evacuate Torre del Greco and Torre Annunziata, both of which were digging out from a two-foot deposit of gravel-like ash.
Army bulldozers cleared main roads in the vicinity of the volcano as cinders became a serious problem, particularly along the main railroad running south from Naples.
Work to clear line
Veteran U.S. troops, some of whom as railroaders used to battle heavy snowstorms in the Northwest United States, worked 24 hours without a halt to keep the line open.
The villages of Pagani and Nocera east of Torre Annunziata suffered heavily from the ash fall.
The ashes weighed down homes and spread across vineyards and orchards, causing damage expected to run into millions of dollars.
Residents in the vicinity carried umbrellas to keep the ashes from hair and clothing.
Many birds killed
Streets were littered with dead birds. Some villagers who had been forced to stay indoors several days and had been without food went up and down streets picking up the birds.
The ash sleet was reddish in color, giving the impression it was raining wine.
The crater was also shooting out boulders, about two feet in diameter, which rose nearly 2,000 feet and came crashing down like bombs.