The Hawaiian gazette., 1879-08-20
Notable Eruptions.
Some of the Terrific Volcanic Phenemena
in the Past.

Notable EruptiOns.
Some of the Terrific Volcanic Phenemens
in the Past.
The duration and extent of volcanic phenome
ma are absolutely incalculabIe. All that expe
rlence teaches is that when a volcano has been
dormant for long time, its eruption, when i,
comes at last. is likely to be fierce one. Bot
1t may be short as well as fierce, like the memo
rable outbreak of Vesuv!us that changed the
face OF the Campagna and swallowed up Stable
Herculaneum and Pompel or it may be pro
tracted like the eruption of Jurullo in the Next
can province of Valladolid, or Mechuacan, thai
lasted from June, lI50. until February, l76O.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION.
Humboldt describes this famous eruption on
Jnrullo as having been continuous between the
dates named. But its progress was attended BY
some ebuilltons OF extraordinary fury. On the
nights OF the 28tb-29th of September, 1850 a
scene was presented which for terrific magni6
canoe has perhaps not been surpassed in the
history of the world. 1t was witnessed from the
nelghboring mountain of Aguazanco, and Hum.
ooldt got his account from those who were on
the spot. he says that the flames spouted IN
over an area nearly league square. The waters
OF two rivers, the San Pedro and the Cuitimba
plunged into gaping rents that were torn through
the earth aud actually disappeared Thousands
oil small VOLCANOES burst forth over wide tract Of
country and vomited smoke and sulphurous
fumes. Six large cones also sprang up, rivalliup
the original crater, and yielded torrents of fire,
lava and basalt.
Whirlwinds packed with colored ashes flew
over hundreds OF square miles The earth rocked
aud the air was filled with overwhelming tbun-
ders. The simple Indians, who, not unnsturally.
thought the end OF the world was at hand, fed
10 mad terror and confusion. II was long before
the survivors ventured back into the region once
filled with smiling and prolific "hacieudas," but
now black and desolate waste. Those who
returned looked for the once familiar rivers that
had watered and enriched the surrounding plain:
they had vanished and were seen no more. But
wandering natives profess TO this day to hear the
ravished streams creeping. like Hyssus, in
lingering labyrinths' far below the surface or
the engulfng earth.
THE ERUPTION OF vEsUvIUs, A. D. '73,
The craters of Vesuvius B. G. 70 had slept
Tor time immemorial. The gladiators who fed
from the Roman prator and bid in the assures of
the volcano, had no fear of nature, whatever they
might have of man. When they burst from
their lair to release their leader. Spartacus. and
10 overthrow for h space the cruel Roman power.
49, SNN"N'oS VI tuO HuOSe lTdch IueV IOl-
lowed had become mere tradition. Even on
that memorable day, before the kalends of Sep
TENDER, when the two Plinys. the elder who per-
ished and the younger who recorded, first saw
the cloud over Vesuyius they deemed it curl
osity only. Probably when the worthy admiral
got the letter, further on in the day, praying for
help, from Rectine, the wife of Casius Bassius.
whose honse was at the foot of Vesuyus, he
thought her w0manish fears uncalled Tor. How
were people to believe in catastrophe of nature
that had scarcely even beer heard of? But the
sad tragedy of Stable followed, when Pliny in
nobly striving to save Others lost himself
THE ICELAND VOLCANOES.
Eruptions like that of Vesuvius, coming ia
such intervals that the broadened space is
scarcely bridged by authentic history, are natur-
ally the most appalling volcano like Hecla.
on the other hand, which, between 1904 and
l766 unburthened itself twenty-three times, does
not at any rate take the world by surprise. The
terrors of Hecla, indeed, sink into insigni6capce
when compared with those of its awful neighbor,
the Skapta Jokul. Iceland has been very mi.
nutely and accurately surveyed and mapped by
the Danish government, but the region about
the Skepta Jokul constitutes an exception.
There is q tract oil four hundred square miles not
deneated in the government ordinance mans.
man has ever intruded. Lord Dufferin went very
near the forbidden territory. as his Letters
from High Lattudes" so graphically show. The
space about the great volcano is for the most
part. however as void of man and his works as
the poles themselves. 1t is an area heaped to
the clouds with masses of ice and everlasting
SHOWS.
THE GREATEST ERUPTION ON RECORD.
The most tremendous eruption Of which there
is trustworthy record occurred n 1883. In NAV
OF that year there was seen throughout that part
OF Iceland, a mysterious light, blush fog. Early
In June there were slight, and as it seemed. an.
prehensive tremblings of the EARTH On the Sih
OF June immense pillars OF sable smoke gathered
over the lofty country of the north, and bearing
ominousy down against the wind, wrapped the
whole district of Sida in pitchy darkness. On
the 10th OF June whrlwind of ashes swept
over the entire country. Innumerable fire
spouts like so many demon beacons, now flashed
and leaped through the frozen holloBs of the
mountains, The river Skapta one OF the larges.
in Iceland, having first poured down to the plain
q volume of fGtid waters mixed with sand. like
the Mexican rivers, suddenly disappeared. Forty.
eight hours afterward prodigiOus mass of lava,
issuing from the sources to which no one has
been able to penetrate. came sliding down the
bed of the dried-up river
The channel according to Lord Dufferin-to
whom we are indebted for the most Of these de-
tails-was of great depth and breadth but the
fearful deluge brimmed up to its banks, over
flowed them, and then drove 10 molten masses
over the face of the whole country. Two oceans
Of lava were the product Of this eruption. The
one that flowed down the Skapta was fifty miles
long and fifteen wide. The other, which rolled
down the Hver6sfiot. was forty miles by seven
Where it is imprisoned by the immensely high
banks of the Skapta. the lava is five or six
hundred feet thick; but on the plain, after it
emerged, the thickness Of the mass never exceeds
one hundred feet. The eruption continued until
August, when the Plutonic drama concluded
With an earthquake"
THE EFFECTS
DIT this amazing phenomenon extended over q |
whole year and over an immense distance. Dur |
ng all this time clouds surchsrged with cinders |
lung over Iceland They overwhelmed to |
sreat DEPTH tens Of thousands Of acres of fertile
ands. The Farce Islands. the 0rkueys and the |
5hetlands were covered with volcanic dust. This |
ubs:ance even extended to the atmosphere of |
England and of Holland. A number variously |
but doubtless including many thou |
ands Of human beings and 10000 cattle. per- |
shed 10 Iceland Apart from such calamities, |
his eruption must have effected some gigantic |
,hysical changes, concerning which We have |
cen no specuIations.
1t would appear first that the propelling force |
within the crater Of the Skapta JokuI must have |