Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-06-13

were the products of this eruption, The
one that flowed down the Skaptka was
50 miles long by 10 wide. The other,
which rolled down the Hyerdshiot, was
10 miles by, Where il is imprisoned
by the immensely high banks of the
Skaptka, the lava is 500 or 600 feet
thick; hut on the plain, after il emerged,
the thickness OF tho mass never ex.
oeeds 100 feet The eruption continued
until August, "when the Plutonic-
drama concluded with an earthquake"
The effects Of this amazing pheno-
monon extended over whole year and
over an Immense distance. During all
this time clouds sur,charged with Gin
des hung over Iceland, They over
whelmed to n great depth tens OF thous-
ands OF acres OF fertile lands. The Fa-
roe Islands, the Orkneys, and the Shet-
lands were covered with volcanic
dust, This substance even ex-
tended TO tho atmosphere OF Eng
land and of Holland, A number
varously estimated, hut doubtless
including many thousand human
beings and 10000 cattle, persisted in
Iceland, Apart from such calamities,
this eruption must have elected some
gigantic physical changes, concerning
which We have seen no speoulations.
Il would appear, first, that the propel-
ling force within the crater of the
Skapta Jokul must have been exerted
At u vast depth below the external point
Of ogross; next, that caverns OF enor-
nous extent must have been left by the
masses which were expelled: and,
finally, that rs the bulk of lava.
houldors, and other elected flowed
long distance toward the south, and
represented many cubic miles of solid
matter when cool, change must have
boon wrought in the position toward the
previous centre of gravity of oonsid-
cradle portion ot the mass of tho earth.
Whether this movement was of suii-
ciont relative Importance to produce
anything more than n local influence,
we must leayo 10 scientists To deter
mine, In any case the subject presents
an interesting field of inquiry.
This stupendous eruption devastated
territory at long distance; but Mt.
Elna Is much nearer To man and his
works than Skapta Jokul, and there il
apparently danger that Catania. and
even Mossma, may bo grayoly injured.
To protect the former city n wall was
formerly built quite sixty foot high; and
yet the lava has been known To sur
mount this wall and 20 pour iuto the
streets Of the city. Since the first
recorded eruption of Ena named by
niodorus Sioulus, there have boon sew
onty considerable outbreaks of the
mountain. That of 1869 was proceeded
by an earthquake, aud attended by the
same phenomena that is reported now,
namely; tho opening Of many fresh
ohasms or craters nj different poins of
thh promontory. The eruption over
wholmed fourteen towns and villages,
some of them Mt great distance from
the volcano. IL ia n remarkable fact
that oruptions have sometimes occurred
at or about the same time from vol
canes far distant from Zach other,
giving rise to m opinion held by some
physicists That subterranean oonnec-
ton existed between the mouatains.
The fact that Vesuvius is reported to DO
in lively and increasing eruption Mt tho
present moment gives color TO this
theory, and lends additional interest to
the volcanic situation.