The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-10-26
Remarkable Earth Commissions.

Remarkable Earth Commissions.
A correspondent OF the San Francisco
Chronicle, writing from Apia, Samoan
Islands, under date of July IL, says
mat the most extraordinary commissions
OF nature are taking place throughout
the island groups ofSouthern Polynesia.
and never in the history of those regions
have these commissions been so FREQUENT
as during the present year. There can
be no doubt that raging fires of great
vastness are now constantly active in
the bowels of the earth all throuoh
these tropical ATTITUDES, for daily new
islands have been formed or old ones
dotted out Of sight, absorbed into the
unknown by tremendous earthquakes.
Scarcely vessel arrives at Apia that
does not bring the news of some such
gigantic action of nature.
Capt. Hassenberg, master of the BRIG
antine Matutu, lately arrived at San
Francisco from the Ellis group, and re-
ported that the earth had been acting
IN very strange and mysterious man
ner. The sea encircling the group was
constantly agitated, and vast quantities
OF pumice stone were being thrown to
the surface. AT the Island of Vaitupu
Il lay two feet thick upon the reef.
When first upheaved it was hot, and oc.
casionally mixed with lava. This phe-
nOmenon was believed to be the ad-
vance guard of mighty eruption. and
the natives were looking for such an
occurrence daily. The group is of vol
canic origin.
reports of remarkable CONFUSION of
nature came from Tanna Island. and
were vouched for by Capt. Kilgour,
master of the schooner Stanley. The
phenomenon occurred on the 10th of
January last. At that date very Sc
we're shock of earthquake was expert
enced, and Immediately afterward q
body of land, estimated at forty acres,
situated at the north entrance of the
harbor, slid into the sea, and was alb
sorbed out of sight, as if it were a peb-
BILE
A New Zealand Captain who reached
Apia few days before, brought the in
telligence that a disastrous volcano
eruption occurred at Blanche Bay, New
Britain, IN the earl part of last Febru-
airy. An old crater that had been mae
tive during many years broke out with
awful and alarming fury, DESTROYED
two villages, the natives of which for
tunately escaped with their lives. The
eruption was preceded by frequent
shocks of earthquake, which alarmed
the inhabitants, and taking warning
therefrom they fled just in time to save
themselves. The shocks were very
severe in New Britain, but were not
felt on the Duke of York island, only
twenty miles distant. After the erup-
ton it was discovered that great guam
titles OF pumice stone had been thrown
up from the sea, the extent being sew
eral miles in length and averaging half
q mile in breadth. The pumice was
spread in a crust of from three to five
feet in depth. The old crater is still
active and throwing up immense clouds
of thick black smoke, accompanied by
red hot stones and ashes. A loud roar
ing is distinctly audible for a distance
OF twenty miles from the crater. On
the Sd OF February terrific shock rent
portions of the coast of New Britain.
and on the 4th two tidal waves swept
with irresistible power along the shore,
carrying with them fabulous bodies
of earth. The whole face of nature
has been changed by these commissions.
The British war vessel Sapphire, says
the San Francisco Chronicle, touched at
the island of Tongatabu, one of the
Tonga group, in April, and leaving
there on the 10Th of the month steamed
for the island of Vayau, volcanic
island which first made its appearance
above the water in 1854 and has been
constantly growing ever since, but as
imperceptibly as human being grows.
The object of the officers of the war
ship was to note the changes of this
growth in the years past. The Captain
of the ship John Wesley touched at the
island in 1862, when it had reached a
height of about twelve feet above the
level of the sea, A few years later
Dutch Captain estimated it's elevation
at thirty feet, and now it has attained
an elevation of Ill feet as correctly
measured by the Sapphire. Its sum-
NIT was covered with sulphur, and
large jets of steam and smoke issued
slowly from the countless crevices
Except that no valcano is in sight, the
ground is precisely like that adjacent
to the great crater Of Kilauea, on the
Sandwich Islands,, from which myriads
of jets of steam are constantly elected.
On the 18th of May, 1877 the waters
of Apia harbor rose and fell with sur
prising rapidity. After little while we
hadnews of earthquakes and tidal waves
on the American continent on May 10
of the same year. These waves must
have travelled at tremendous rate of
speed. Since the 18th of May last the
the tides of Apia harbor have been
remarkably low Opposite Matafele
the bank, or shoal, has grown consider
ably; in fact, all around the beach the
land seems to have risen. Scientific
american.
The Earth Not q GrayaIard.