The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-02
The ERUPTION I'm Iceland.

We have been favored, says the New
York Times, with the following transla-
ton from the paper Nordanfdri, pub
lished ut Akureyri, in the north of lee
land, on the 18th of April: "On the
evening of the 4th inst an intense glare
was observed III the sky all about the
eastern horizon, and when seen from
Laxardal it appeared to proceed from a
more southerly locality than before. A
few men, therefore, joined in an excur-
sion to the scene. This time the erup-
ton had found a new outlet in a south
easterly direction from Burfell, good
deal more than half way to the east be-
tween it and the Jokulsa. When they
had got rs far east as Hvannfell, they
heard heavy rumblings in the mountain,
but the weather being stormy, they
thought this might be only the din of
gusts of wind travelling through the hills.
Approaching Burfell they perceived that
the din increased so as mt times to give
! them the impression of many enormous
waterfalls tumbling over the precipices.
At certain intervals these thunders rolled
away, and then began with increased
vigor. Having passed Burfell TO the
eastward, they were surprised all of
sudden to hear no din at all, but it soon
made itself heard again as they APP
preached the place of the eruption. The
fire rose up from three lava craters, in
line from south to north, which it had
piled up around itself on perfectly level
! piece of ground. At distance OF fifty
to eighty fathoms to the west from the
craters a large fissure had formed itself
: M tl,xf srn 10 Ill
sunk i'll to the depth of about three
fathOms. Into the hollow thus formed
the lava had poured at first, but now it
flowed in a southwesterly direction from
the two southern craters. The northern
most crater had the appearance of being
oblong, about 800 fathoms in length, and
| from this crater the melted red-hot lava
was thrown about 200 or 800 feet into
the air in one compact column. The top
of this column then assumed a palmated
appearance, and the lava fell down in
small particles, like drops from a jet of
water, which, rs they became separated
from the column, grew gradually darker
and split into many pieces, bursting into
lesser and lesser fragments as they cooled
yet when they fell on the edge of the
crater they were still in such a molten
state that they were splashed about like
water dashed against solid substance.
AS matter of course, no flames were OBJ
served, but the glare proceeds from these
columns and the seething lava i'll the
craters. The columns rose up at various
points within the largest crater, but most
frequently toward the ends. and at times
! the explorers could count twenty to thir-
! ty of them. No real smoke accompanied
| the eruption, but blush steam, which
expanded and whitened in color as it rose
to greater distance from the crater, and
such seemed to be the power of this blue
! Jet of steam that it rose straight into the
air for many hundreds of fathoms in de-
/ spite OF heavy wind blowing. The din
! to which reference was made before APP
parently proceeded from the boiling ac-
ton inside the crater, which in power
and force exceeded any noise produced
/ by waterfalls. In the midst OF this din
there was heard now and then loud
cracks, exceeding any report OF cannon,
and these reports were followed imme-
diately by blue steam column shooting
up into the air. This is about the sixth
eruption which has broken out in these
mountains since the present volcanic ac-
ton began. With intermissions of from
ten to twelve days the eruptions are gain
ing steadily in intensity. The din men
toned before could be heard clearly
from the Myvatus Sveit-that is to say,
it is audible at distance of about TWEEN
ty English miles"