Ottajano, a little nearer to the volcano, had been buried in scoria, and nine-tenths of the roofs had fallen in, rendering the dwellings untenable.
From here a clear view of Mt.

Vesuvius could be obtained.

The shape of the mountain had greatly altered and the cone had lost sixty-five feet of its altitude.

But when one gazed upon the enormous bulk of volcanic deposit that littered the country for miles around, it seemed to equal a dozen mountains the size of Vesuvius.

The marvel was that so much ashes and cinders could come from a single crater in so short a period.
Naples was cleaning house, but slowly and listlessly.