The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-03-16
A R%emarEable Phenomenn..A Vol.


\ correspondent Of the London Time
wiring from Athens, Greece, announces tn
new island began 20 rise atoFe the leve
OF tne sea IN the Bay Of Thera. tSaut0r Il
IN the Grecian Archipelago. On the 4th q
February, and in five DAYS il attained n
height OF from 730 TO l5O ieet. with alengtl
OF upwards OF $50 feet and a breadth OF 100
II continues 70 increase, and consists OF
rusty black metallic lava, very heavy, ans
resembling half-smelted scorla which ba.
boiled up from q furnace. -Itcontains many
small whitsh, semi-trarsparent particles
disseminated through the mass AEe quart.
or feldspar.
The eruption began on the 3Ist of Jan.
uary. A noise like yolleys OF artillery va:
hesrd, but without any earthquake. On the
following day flames issued from the sea, ID
q part Of the bay named Nulkanos, where
the water is always discolored and impreg-
mated with sulphur from abundant SPRING
at the bottom. The flames rose al inter
walls 70 the height Of fifteen feet, and were
seen at times 10 issue from the southern
part Of Nea haimene. That island was
soon rent By adeep assure, and the southern
pant sunk considerably.
On the 4th Of February the eruptions be-
came more violent and the sea more dis
turbed. Gas forced itself up from the
depths with terrific noise, resembling the
bursting of q steam boiler flames arose at
intervals, and white smoke, rising steadily,
formed an immense column, crowned with
a curled capital Of dark, heavy clouds. The
new island was visible next morning, in
creasIng sensibly to the eye as it rose ont Of
the sea at no great distance to the South Of
Nea Kaimene.
The new island has been visited by DR.. De
Hgalla, a man Of science and an able OBJ
server, who will record accurately all the
phenomena Of the eruption as it proceeds.
The heat Of the sea rose from 60 Fshrenheit
to l22 as near the vicinity Of volcanic action
as 1t was safe TO approach. The bottom OF
the sea all round Nea Kaimene, appears to
have risen greatly. In one p ace, where
the depth is marked on the Admiralty chart
one hundred iathOms, it was found TO be
now only thirty, and at another, where il
was seventeen, it's now Gully three fathOms.
The new island, as it increases, will pToba-
bly, form a junction with Nea Kaimene. 1t
grows, as it were, out into the sea, the mass
below pushing upward that which is al
ready above water. The lower part is hot,
its h~ssures, where they are deep, being 10
Fahrenheit, and the upper part, after four
days exposure, was found TO be still 50.
At present the centre Of the volcanic force
lies evidently far below the bottom OF the
sea, and only gases and smoke work their
way through the incumbent earth 10 the
water, ana escape IN noise, dames and
smoke &c the surface. But should q fssure
at the bottom Of the sea allow the water TO
penetrate to the fires that throw up the mel
ted metal Of the new island 10 the surface,
eruption may take place Of a kind SINH |
lar TO that which destroyed Pompeii, bat far |
more terrible.
The eruption that formed the present
Island Of Nea Kaimene began in the year
10Y, and the volcanic action continued. |
without doing any serious injury TO the in
Of Thera until l7l3. 1t is posi- |
bic the present eruption may continue as
long, and be as mild IN its operation. But
as late IS 1850 a terrible eruption laid waste
a great part of the island, and raised an
island on its Northeastern coast, which sunk
again into the sea, leaving a shoal,
The lslsnd Of Old Kaimene made It's first
appearance in the year Ig8 before the Chris
tan era. lis size was increased by several
aruptlons mentioned in history. The last
It received was in 1457. The small
halmene, which is nearest TO Thsra, was
thrown up in 1873. All the eruptions in the
bays have been attended with similar phe-
lomena.
The British naval commander at Malta
sent two ships to the scene Of these
phenomena. A letter dated February z,
containing the latest news, says:
"Ihe same smoke and fire in the evening
IS yesterday, and the hillock continues its
Jperations. The sea, too, boils beyond the
'ove more than yesterday. The hillock, or
and, will probably by Tomorrow increase
Is far as the entrance 10 the cove, and be
oiued by its sides"