The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-05-17
From the German Review das Ausland.l
Terrible Earthquake ia the MO
ItIccns-4O. .OO0 LIVES f,6sf.


ltTccns--4O,O ,OO0 Lives lost.
The 2sth Of November 1861 will long DO
remembered by the inhabitants of Ternato.
who since the year lS4l, did not experts
enco such fearful eruption of the volcano
as that which happened on this and tho fol.
lowing day. About one o'clock we heard
a subtelranean noise accompanied by sew
eral shocks of an earthquake rapidly fol-
lowing each other, but not lasting longer
than three or four seconds, Being aecus.
toned TO such phenomena | did not take
any notice OF them, and INDUCED as usual
In my afternoon siesta, when was aroused
in the most disagreeable manner. Asthrce
o'clock there followed rapid succession,
such violent shocks that their noise can
be compared only with the laundering OF a
heavy battery ON board man ofswar.
Frightened to the utmost degree, jumped
from my couch a sultry ana oppressive at
mosphere filled the room, which became al.
most as dark as the night.
When looked through the windbw
perceived that the grass before the house
had disappeared under a heap Of ashes and
stones, which were coming down in great
masses. quickly dressed myself, aud un.
der the cover OF the corridor | repaired to
the noighboring barracks, where | ordered
the soldiers-iortunatcl most Of them were
Japanese, who are not easily frightened by
snch occurrences as Europeans-to take
their ranks aud march of to the subtorrans
can casemates, which aft rded safer shelter
against the rain Of ashes and stones than tho
light root OF the palm tree leaves wheroa
with the barracks were covered But horo
the heat became so sutfncating on account
OF the sulphurous exhalations, and within
Sqa half hgt
cred with ashes to the depth of two aud a
half feet, so that already resigned myself
10 be buried alive under them, like the un.
fortunate Inhabitants OF Pompeii aud Her.
cn'aucum. My Japanese soldiers--who,
happily, were not acquainted with the fate
ol those ancient cities--in consequence Of
their MUhammedau latalism, kept their
coun onauces, squatting on the ground their
arms IN their hands, and constantly murmur.
ing: "AHdh IL ARdh Mohammed rasai
ARuh :"
Now il was no longer possible TO distinl
guish whether il was daytime or night il
was really fearful situation. Besides tho
anxiety natural to such circumstances, %o
Were all OF us tormented by tho most vio-
lent thirst. A last about half past twelve
NJ, we again perceived the stars In tho
sky, which had cleared up, and leaving our
sheltered places we again breathed the
r,sh air
Although it was still night, we could oh.
serve that the ground was covered with
ashes about FIVE to Ave and half feet, tho
root of the barracks had given way, and all
tue branches of tho trses were torn of.
But 8 was only with the rising sun that thu
complete spectacle of death and destruc.
ton presented itself before our eyes. In
the campongs (arms,) men and animals
had perished, and the houses crumbed
down. In an eastern direction came flow
ing down out of the crater Of the volcano d
stream of burning lava, destroying what.
ever it met in its way. Eighty lives had
fallen victims of this fearful earthquake and
eruption. On the 29th in southwestern
direction another shock took place, which
lasted four seconds. From the baslion of
the fortress we saw, between the IslanGH
Tidor, Ternate and Badjah, the sea in a
most fearful commotion, at Q o'clock P. NJ,
1t rose to such hight that our fort. which
is twenty feet aboye the highest elevation
OF the water, was entirely inundated.
On the next day, schooner brought tho
n"ws that on the 2Sth, in the island Of Ma
khan, belonging alao to the group of the
Moluccas, not far from Ternate, the volcano
had completely burst asunder and buried
the whole island with its inhabitants. tm.
mediately our commander, together with
the president and my elG, determined to
take on board of the steamer Bethee, which
was at our disposition, some of the soldiers
and to sail there in ORDER if possible, to
bring them succor, and to carry back Il
small post stationed there. But all in vain [
Such n complete dee truction of all vegetable
and animal life without any exception, as
on that doomed island, was never known,
even in these zones. where destruction by
earthquakes and other volcanic eruptions
is common occurrence. The ever active
volcano on Makiau had completely burst,
as if severed by mine, and covered the
whole island with it's fiery mass, so that
not even trace of vegetation, or any build
ing, or of any living creature was to be
found there; 10000 men had been buried
under the ruins of this fiery colossus