Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-09-04
Eruption ofAIOunt Ararnt Twenty Years

The village Arguri, which was DESTROYED
by the eruption of Mount Ararat in l540,
was according to the traditions of the
country people, Of the most unquestionable
antiquity-it having been founded by no less
a person than Noah himself Immediately
after coming out of the ark.
Arguri was one of the largest and hand
soonest villages of Armenia. 1t lay in
ravine of Mount Ararat, about $500 feet.
above the bed of the Araxes, and had pop
ulation Of nearly 1000, Independently of the
Curds, who worked as day-laborers for the
Armenians. II was a hourishing place;
wheat and barley throve well notwithstand-
ing its elevated position; in the gardens most
Of the fruits Of Europe prospered well, and
the focks and herds found good pasture from
April to October. A spring furnished the
inhabitants with good water for drinking,
and in sufficient quantity for the irrigation of
the gardens At the melting of the SHOWS
this brook became considerable stream, and
poured down into the Karasu.
According to tradition, Arguri was the
Oldest village in the world, and the first
vine was planted here by the hand of Noah.
Half mile above Arguri stood the convent
OF st. James, where the traveller, Parrot,
resided during his stay on Ararat. The gar
dens planted with fruit trees reached still
higher and by the operation of water, the
crumbling of the volcanic rock had here ad-
vanced farther than elsewhere on the mount
aims. Near to the upper end of the ravine
were great hollows containing masses of ice
and snow, which, in the hottest summers,
never entirely melted, and probably reached
great depth. What was called the Dark
Ravine of Ararat, was most likely formed
originally by a rending of the mountain
from internal fire. For centuries, however,
the existence of slumbering volcanic forces
had only been indicated by occasional trem-
blings. But the tranquility in which for
ages this vast subterranean furnace had re-
posed, was, on the 20th of June, 1840 sud-
denly broken by terrible and devastating
eruption.
About half an hour after sunset when the
atmosphere was perfectly clear, the inhabi-
tants of Armenia were startled by terrible
explosion, which was loudest and most fear
full in the vicinity of Ararat. This was fol-
lowed by an undulation of the ground, in
direction eastward and southwark from the
mountain; and at the same time a chasm
yawned open about three miles above Arguri,
at the end of Dark Ravine; and there burst
from it volumes of gas and steam, while
stones and masses of earth were hurle with
enormous force down the declivities toward
the plain. The clouds of steam that arose
from the abyss probably caused the heavy
rain that fell around the mountain in the
summer in these regions, very rare.
AT its first breaking forth, the steam was
tinged sometimes of a blue, but more fire.
quently of a red color but whether there
had been flames or not the witnesses could
not undertake to say. These blue and red
| colors soon passed into deep black, and
at the same time, the air was filed with an
unpleasant sulphurous smell. The mount
ain roared and the earth shook without ceas-
/ inn. apd cuh Of
| cracking and believing, there was a whls
| tling sound, like that of cannon balls, from
| the stones thrown through the air. The
size of some of these masses of rock will be
scarcely credited: one | observed which
could not have weighed less than severa
tuns. Wherever those masses fell, they
mostly remained lying, as the inclination OF
the ground at the foot of the hill is too gentle
to enable them to roll On.
The eruption lasted full hour; and wher
the steam and smoke rolled away, and the
| shower of stones and mud ceased, neither
the great rich village of Arguri, nor the
renowned convent, was any longer to be
seen, and the fields and the blooming gar.
dens, and the harmless population which,
for many peaceful years, had found in them
their occupation and their subsistence had
now found in them a grave, beneath the
stones and mud. Of the monks and servants
of the convent, of the 1900 villagers and 40C
Curd laborers, only ia individuals were left
| alive; and these had been on journeys, OF
otherwise absent. These poor people were
when / was in Ararat scattered about among
! the villages of the plain, suffering the bit
terest poverty; and Noahs mountain wa:
again as solitary as ON the morning after the
| deluge. ol ft
1t has been observed of many volcanoes
that they have long periods Of rest; that
| they have remained for centuries inactive
| and then suddenly burst forth again with ali
| their tremendous energy. Thus, Vesuvius
| up to the year 79, appeared to be completely
extinguished, and covered with trees to the
| very summit. Strabo, indeed, concluded
from the external character of the mountain
that it might at some time have vomited
fire; but he could find no historical fact tC
support his assertion. Aurelius Victor
speaking of Vesuvius, says that in 70 it began
to burn. The case was the same with the Etns
before the year 40 and the great volcanoes o
America have seldom more than one erup
ton in century.
1.-THE life of volcanoes" says Humboldt
'depends entirely on the mode and duration
of their connection with the interior of tht
earth. Eruptions have, with many volca
noes, an intermittent character; and this
effect ceases as soon as the channel is closed
by which the communication of the atmos
kept up"
Thus the activity of the long silent volca
noes of Armenia may be destined again t.
awaken, and this remarkable eruption o
Ararat be but the messenger and forerunnel
of future outbreak. 1t does not appear
probable that so long q period has elapsed
from the formation of the Allages to tht
present time, as between. the activity of tn
ancient crater of Vesuvius TO the eruption
of TO- The Titanic force which upheaveC
the vast piles OF Caucasus and Ararat lis no
dead; but sleepeth."
PRRvALENoEo OF MoHAMMEDANIsM IN AFRICA
The Wollos, says DR.. Krapf in his recen
work, are said to have been converted t
Mohammedanism by an Arab, named Debelo