New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-15
FRIGHTFCL EARTHQUAKE IN TIE
MOLUCCAS.
THREE THOUSAND LIVES LOST.


The Indian mail brings advicts of another OF tLCse
dreadful earthquakes for which Ternat and the ad.
joining localities in the Moluccas proverb4l An
eruption of the ac i've vocio the Island of Great
Ssnsr, in lon. 1852 5O' f., and lat 81 80 n, has
occurred. The nOrth-wcst IN paIt Of the IslanI OF
Great SsDer Is formed by the mountain Avn, which
has several peaks the highest b-ing abont 1000 feet
above the soa. On the west side the uua1 very
steep into the sea-at the hight of the large vii a &c
kendba, however, falling away to Il 10 pro 1lontofy.
Between al d o'clock on the evening of the 2t Of
March, sudden and altogether indescribdbe crash.
ug Leard, which, indicating to the San 1irese
al erJ pOn Of the volcano filed them with lstcrna.
ton Simuant ously With this, the glowing lava
smed CORnward with irresistible force in different
directions, bearing with it whatever 1t Olnered
Is destructive course, and causing the ssa t. boil
WhoIevu they caLe in contact The hot s,lIug OPEN
ed up and cast out food Of boiling water which ie-
strOycd and carried way what the frs had spar 3D.
The sta Obcdient to al unusul impuse, llshcd the
rocks with sru yio nee, dashed upon tn shore an
heaved scf IN Wild haste against tie land, as If j.
erove TO o, cr-mastcT the fire cream
This Gohlful picture Of desIru tloD the horrO- Of
which increased by the shIiks of men and b ast-
the Wild roaring Of the tempest, AMI the crashing of
thousands Of trees oru up and carti d away Wa fol-
lowed about an hour iater, by ais Of thundcr whcl
shC ok the lOund and deafeicd the ear A bl ick
column OF stones and ashes tncn shot up from the
tain to IN iIInen,c hight, and fell, liu nined by the
glare of the ava ike show-r If fire u;cn lc
rounding county below, producer dltkncss tat,
only aud th6n moDcntarily broken by tn lls1es
of ightn = intense, that peODi" could MT d,
CEN objects close at hand and which completed their
confusion and despair. Llgc stones hurled
through ,ne air. crushing giatever they fell upou
IIUuses ard crops, which bad not been DESTROYED by
fire. sunk etd disappeared beneath the ashes aad
stoDes, and the hill streams stopped by these oarcrs
f1ned st' :, which breaking over their banks, s0)n
proved lew source of destruction.
This lasted hour'. About mi might the raging
clemens sank 20 rot but on the folio wing dag, ab0lt
nOOn they again rcsnined their work ci destruction,
with renewed vloeIce. In the mean time, th. id! Of
aAcs continued without III cr1nissOu and wa 30 thick
on this dav that the of the could not penetrate
through il, and an appalling darkness prevailed
Scarctl recovered 10 degree from their fri ght,
the inhabitants OF this desoated part Of Sinsir
again disturbed by an eruption on the 18th MHca,
which destroyed mauy fields aId great nuInbsr OF
trees on the Tahukan side.
Since ttCs the vol 'auo has remained quiet and the
only symptom Of its woIkiI has been the Ike rising
Up IN al oilt cens from cracks and iissures in the
GROUND. The streams of lsNa on the slopes are si
80 slightly cooled that Ope dare not venture 10 any
great distance from the ore. According 10 the n,
counts the natyeS, the top of the m"unail docs
not appear to have undergone any noticeable aieri
ton.
On the other side Of an5har on the extreme north
point of the l.and the appearance Of the devastation
Which las been caused IL, il possible. even more
hgh;iul than via, has taken place at laruna FOR
here where formerly there were to be scan extensive
fields Learnr all kinds of c,Op and hckly plan ed
and endless groves of cocOanUts, nos find nothing
but lava stones ard ashes. The liquid fire seems at
this point to have flowed fro the mountin with me
ssiib'c force AID in prodlglous quantity No: Only
has tbs fearful food II were buried the wno.e ds
trct and all that upon t. bat after having caused
this destruction exte / OF several miles, Wa
still powerful enough on reaching the shore to form
two lJng ton0ns caQos at places Shcre the dePih OF
water iurm, RI co.'s sisted o. many i,,nOnlS
4 Durnbt of ether Gs nets and places have be n,
some wholly destroyed Others greatly injured by the
flc.
The c.s Of lie has been great It il eztimlted as
io'lows in Tie underu en0nCd Districts: Tiuua,
men, women and chlcren, -; KlndhGr, men, w,men
and children, A.; Iabukau, men, women and cIi!ifcn,
2,O}9; tota,, 800.
The greater uunber met their d. ath in th gard m
They fed in ell directlo. but overt .kCn G1d
swallowed up by the fatal fire s'ream Slrle usd "a
save them.eives IN the rcoe but were either c4rfs
away with them or killed by the scOrching heat A,
| ka'apgan end Tariarg the houses were hled WIN
pco, e Who were siopIcd in their fsh. b. ;Ia lava
s'rcamD down on all sides, and toe streams OF boinS
wal x, aud who met their deah TN Ter the burning
ashes and The tumbng h0uscs. Many, VINO hai
reachoG the shore and thought Themselves safe, D.,
came rrey 80 the fuIiois waves. and many died
! through -bocf doepar Gnd agony.