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Up Vesuvius by Trolley

A Fascinating Trip that Robs the Volcano of Some of its Terrors

By FRANK C. PERKINS

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NE of the most interesting trips taken by the European tourist, is that from Naples to the top of Mount Vesuvius-a jaunt now taken with ease and comparative safety by the aid of electric power, and affording experiences unique in attractiveness and excitement.

Several forms of electric traction are employed in conveying the traveler from Naples to the crater of the volcano. As far as Pugliano, the journey is taken by means of the ordinary electric cars or trams used in Italian cities; and from this point to the top of Vesuvius, one portion is of rack-and-pinion construction, another is of ordinary adhesion traction, while the last section which passes up the steep side of lava deposit to a point 1,181.26 meters (3.875.5 feet) above sea-level is a cable road.

The trip is full of interest, and the scenes most varied, the road from Naples

to Pugliano passing through the Strada di Chiaja, showing the Italian city street life as well as the suburban life of the San Giovanni and Portici, and giving one a fine view of the Bay of Naples.

The Vesuvius electric railway begins at the northern quarter of Resina, at Pugliano, and passes through a most interesting cultivated section, with vineyards, orchards, and gardens on every side, to the Royal Observatory, which is 595.75 meters (1,954.5 feet) above sealevel. On the last portion of this section, where the train ascends the slope of Monte Cateroni, an electric locomotive is required for pushing the electric cars up the rack railway from the generating station at the foot of Monte Cateroni. This portion of the trip is most thrilling and interesting, as deep ravines, with intervening stretches of chestnut and acacia woods, are seen, while excellent views may be had of the Bay of Naples.

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few hundred feet of the crater-which is finally reached by foot-dark brown lava is noted on every side, frequently colored pink and green by the rays of the sun. The great cone of ashes is seen above the mountain of lava, over which rises a black column of smoke. The The fields of petrified lava spread out in most curious and fantastic formations.

The highest section of the Mount Vesuvius electric railway is a cable road which was constructed twenty-three years ago, since which time it has carried many tourists to the top of the cone, or

three sections, two of which are of the adhesion type, while the third, between the two, about one mile in length, is of rack-and-pinion construction, the Strub system being employed, which is similar to that used on Jungfrau Mountain electric railway.

The cable line begins at a point 793.6 meters (2,603.6 feet) above sea-level and rises to a height of 1,181.26 meters (3,875.5 feet), with grades varying from 35 to 65 per cent. The cable cars each carry twenty-one persons, and are provided with hand brakes as well as a

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ELECTRIC CAR AND STATION ON ADHESION SECTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS RAILWAY.

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complete equipment of automatic brakes for both sets of wheels. About 12,000 persons are carried to the top of this cable line each year, the largest numbers during March and April, the average for these months being more than 2,000 passengers.

The electric generating station for the Mount Vesuvius electric railway operat

sisting of 300 cells, which are used for taking care of the peak of the load and for regulation.

The electric locomotive used on the rack railway is provided with two 85-H. P. motors, operating at a speed of 700 revolutions per minute. It weighs somewhat over ten tons, and operates at a speed of 6 to 8 kilometers (about 334 to 5 miles) per hour, drawing a load of more than ten tons. The locomotive is provided with emergency brakes as well as hand brakes, together with automatic brakes which are so arranged that the current is shut off when the speed of the locomotive exceeds the limit that has been decided upon.

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ing between Pugliano and the lower station of the cable road, is located at the foot of the rack-and-pinion section, 249.6 meters (818.8 feet) above sea-level. The power station is provided with two four-cycle gas engines of Swiss make, each having a normal capacity of 90 H. P. and operating a direct-current shunt-wound dynamo at a speed of 700 revolutions per minute. These directcurrent generators were designed for a maximum pressure of 770 volts, and supply a maximum of 137 amperes at a normal pressure of 550 volts. They send current to a set of storage batteries con

PROFILE OF UPPER SECTION OF CABLE RAILWAY AT CONE OF MOUNT VESUVIUS.

Each of the electric cars weighs somewhat less than nine tons, and is provided with single trucks having two axles. Each car is provided with three com

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construction, and power house, was about a quarter of a million of dollars, or somewhat over $50,000 per mile. The cost of repairs is very high, especially on the upper section, where, as during the present eruption, deposits of lava have given much trouble.

The trip to the top of Mount Vesuvius

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is comparatively safe, as great pains has been taken with the brake equipment of the cars and locomotives. It is possible for the motorman on the front of the car to operate the brakes of the locomotive in the rear and to signal the engineer when necessary. Telephone communication is also provided between all stations of the line and the power house.

The Finsen Light

Application of Light Rays to the Cure of Lupus and Other Diseases-The Work of the Late Doctor Finsen

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By A. G. STILLHAMER, M. A.
Fellow in Physics, The University of Chicago

HE WORLD has just lost one of that small band of men who toil ahead, blaze the trails, and point out the paths of advance for the multitude. A cablegram from Copenhagen, dated September 24, 1904, announced the death of Prof. Niels R. Finsen. His life was one which may well inspire others, and his discoveries will place his name with those of Lister and Pasteur.

Though a native of the Faroe Islands, he spent the first twenty-one years of his life in Iceland. Leaving there, he entered Copenhagen University, where he took his Doctor's degree in 1890. Although well trained for his profession, he found himself unable to follow it because of physical weakness; so he accepted a position as preceptor in anatomy at Copenhagen University. He was not content, however, merely to attend to his university duties, and accordingly employed his spare time, as far as he was able, in experimenting on the action of light on the body. Believing that light could be used to cure disease, he set himself the task of finding its healing value. A reason for his choice of this line of work may be seen in his statement:

"All that I have accomplished in my experiments with light, and all that I have learned about its therapeutic value, has come because I needed the light so much myself; I longed for it so."

His residence in Iceland during his youth had created in him an intense love for the light and sunshine.

He tried the action of lights of different colors upon various animals, and concluded that the blue, violet, and ultraviolet rays (the chemical rays) were the only ones valuable for his purpose. At this time he came across a paper by Dr.

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this time Finsen had never seen a case of smallpox himself, this note of Dr. Pictou's, together with the results of his own experiments, caused him, in 1893, to publish a paper with the title, "The Influence of Light on the Skin," in which he announced a light treatment to prevent the disfiguring scars usually left by smallpox. In August, 1893, Dr. Svendsen made the first test of his theory at Bergen, Norway, and fully confirmed it. The treatment consists in keeping the

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