Lynne Waters, age il, of Dallas, Texas, for her question:

Is it true that bread was preserved in the ruins of Pompeii?

This question takes us back to a catastrophe that occurred 1888 years in the past. It belongs in a tale of a sudden, earth shattering explosion that buried three whole cities in a few short hours. The memory of it was so horrifying that the ruins were left buried for centuries.

Most visitors to Italy take a short trip southward from Rome to admire the Bay of Naples. The curved coastline dips its sandy toes daintily into the blue waves of the Mediterranean Sea. Inland from the shore spread the colorful streets of Naples and in the background towers the steep cone of the temperamental voloano Vesuvius. For thousands of years, this natural beauty spot has been alive with thriving cities and fertile fields. From the dawn of history, the slumbering mountain dozed while cities flourished at its feet and on its slopes. Vineyards thrived in its rich soil and grapevines twined over the rocky wall that surrounded the flat floor of its quiet crater.

Around 63 A.D., the prosperous region began to shudder with earthquakes. One temblor shattered buildings in Pompeii on the southeastern slopes. But no one linked these earth movements to the slumbering volcano. No one suspected that the flat crater plugged up the buried fury of an ancient fire mountain. The people repaired their earthquake damage and, after 16 years, their ruined temple was almost rebuilt. Then the volcano exploded with sudden fury.

The disaster struck on August 24 in the year 79 A.D. With an immense explosion, Vesu ' vius blew up the solid plug in its crater. It filled the sky with gigantic black clouds shot with sparks and seething, fire bombs. Countless tons of ashes and volcanic dust were flung aloft and fell, spreading a thick dark carpet over the landscape. Two cities were suddenly buried by mud and soggy landslides.

In a few hours, the busy and beautiful city of Pompeii was buried deep under hot, dry volcanic ashes and cinders. Most of the people had time to flee. But many were asphyxiated where they were by suffocating volcanic gases. About 2,000 townspeople were buried with their city under some 30 feet of volcanic debris. Later, the disaster area was shunned and forgotten. Centuries later, the buried city was discovered by accident.

In the last 100 years, expert archeologists have been patiently unearthing old Pompeii section by section. Under their blanket of dry cinders, many streets and buildings were preserved in surprisingly good condition. Looms were found in weaving workshops, though the scorched fabrics had decayed to dust. In metal shops, tools waited to be repaired. There were human shaped hollows in the ashey debris, but the bodies had long since turned to dusty skeletons. There were bakeries with loaves preserved in the ovens. But the bread was charred and after 1,888 years it was far too stale to be treated as useful food.

Italy has made the excavations of old Pompeii into a national museum. Tourists walk the ancient streets and visit the buildings and partial ruins that are left much as they were on that fatal day. Theatres and handsome temples have been uncoverdd, stalls and workshops and ovens displaying their charred loaves. There are elegant villas with wallp still colored in painted murals. An admiring visitor can stroll through the gracious rooms of a villa to a paved patio adorned with statues. Chances are, the patio garden has been restored with proper plantings and sparkling water has been returned to the ancient stone fountain.