The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1853-05-03
GREAT EARTHouAkEs IN THE INDIAN ARCH.
- = L .,{1.w IprYlG0, 1901. f....

- -8-<@ lfELA6O.
syfic Sangapofe FREQ Press, ofstFie i4th Of
February last, quofes from. the Java BodB the
fQfd,wing account of a terrible commotion Of
'nsturc. which commenced on the 10TH, or pro-
babIy the 26ih of November last:
On the 10th of November, about twsnty
minutes to 8 in the morning. heavy vertical
oscillation of the ground was felt at Banda
Neira, which soon changed into a rapidly in
.creasng undulation from the N. 4. to the 8. z.
whicq last for more Than five minutes Evefys
ono left his house, to,fcmain standing was i'm
'frasilae; people wer3bli iyed to take firm holds
OF something, or throw themselves on tho
trednd. In the morning, slight showef ~
rain fell, but otherwise the weather was 6t7
favorable. fS%~ S-F
At the. first shock nearly all the houses were
thrown down. or very Inucstshaitered. The
government buildings, the officers Houses III tho
eat9Rm ePeGaPt9Rmspps and the ware houses sufered.th
of ruins--the native village on tho ZonSnse2saaii
was laid waste. The Pehenberg fell partly
in. and twoo bamboo houses upon il disappear
cd, and on tho Great Banda the houses of the
park keepers, their out houses and smoking
houses for the nutmcgs underwent the same
fate; everything there was also thrown down,
or greatly injured: nothing is visible of the viii
lage Lonthoir but heap of ruins Saru was
terribly shattered, while detached pieces of rock
lay everywhere scattered around. There were
no deaths, however, to lament, and only some
persons were slightly bruised ar wounded.
But the misfortune did not stop hero A
bout 8 o'clock disturbance of the sea (Zee-
beving) occurred, which filled every hdsrt
with fear and dismay, and caused every one to
fly to the highest ground. In quick succession
the bay filled and emptied, and at times appe-
ared to be only little river.
Tho chin t;af-a al Racbuoop ladou with rim
lying in the reads, twice touched the ground,
after-like II. MS brig De Haai, which had
anchored the doy preyious-having been driv-
on backwards and forwards a number of times;
but this sea quake increased in frightful man.
ner, and thrice overwhelmed Great Banda and
Neira with the largest rollers on the last place
they reached sever feet high in the houses, and
burst the doors open.
These huge waves formed in the Zonnegat
and in the chunnel of Lonthoir, and ran so high
that they beat over fort Nassau, and reached the
foot of the hill on which Fort Belgica is built
carrying them in refux, but at the same time
leaving behind quantity of fishes. The pra-
hus id the roads were driven amongst and a.
ganst each other, and carried to and from the
shorv. They foundered, or drove in the Zon-
negat, where they struck on the shore: only .
few could save themselves by flight The pha-
rus belonged to the Saru and Key Islands and
Ceram, and part of their crews finding them
selxes on shore, sought shelter in one Of the
sheds on the old pier, but they could not with
stand the force of the rollers, and in moment
they were torn our of their place of shelter
and driven scawards, there mserably to per-
ish. 1t is estimated that sixty men lost their
lives in this way.
Miserable was the condition OF the inhabit-
ants, who saw the waves, twenty-six feet high.
rolling so irresistably towards them threatening
to ongulf them, the ground continually rocking
under their feet. the atmosphere ochOing with
loud reports like cannon shots, filling their
hearts with fear and this all destructive, inde-
scribable state of things lasted, not merely for
five minutes-an hour-a day-but for sue
cessive days; for these frightful natural phen-
omena only ceased on the 22d of December,
while all that time scarcely an hour passed
that the grounp did not shake, now in the hea-
West manner, and then lighter, but always so
that dstrust and fear remained imprinted in
the hearts of tho inhabitants, who, partly or
wholly ruined, without hsbitations, sheltering
in light bamboo huts, look forward to the gloo-
mist future, ond will perhaps never be able to
recover from the blow which they have recei-
ved