The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-09-06
FORrx THOUSAND DEAD.
Victims Oh tho Terrible Volcano
4 Ernption and Tidal Waves 81 tho
D Island OF Java.

S Efupelon and Tidal waves Of the
Island OF Java.
The latest advices no m Batavia, tbs CAP
ital sf Java, show that the voleanio erup-
lions In that island ore much more serious
than ct 6lst indicated. The disturbances
began on the Island Of KrAkatoa, IN the
strait Of Sunda, about fifteen miles Oh tho
coast Of Java.
The first eruptions were on Saturday
night. On Sunday morning the disturb
ances had extended beneath the waters Of
the strait, and these were soon boiling and
hining violently, while great waves dashed
upon the Javanese shores. and the temper
allure Of the sea went up nearly 20 deg,
even q FIR away from the original point OF
disturbance as MAdura. The furious waves
were dashed into mountains OF foam a they
came rolling in. The threatening ramb.
lings gradually became more and moro dis
tinct, and soon the Malta Meru, the
largest OF the volcanoes of Java, wa
belcb ing forth flames ut q very alarming
rate. Men. women and children rushed in
terror from their tottering dwelling places.
filling the cir with their shrieks of / orror.
Hundreds were unable to get out before the
houses fell and we're buried beneath great
mass - ofrocks and mud which were piled
up where lew hours before all had been
peace. happiness and fancied security.
pathetic demonstrations from the sea. Tho
charged with electricity that Il one time
over fifteen huge WAterspOuts were seen. As
the erupti0hs increased in frequency aud
violence, the disturbance of the waters sur
rounding the barren coast became moro and
more violent. Here the waves rushed in
With terrific force up the steep, rocky in.
e en9 ,s esean,ng nGn the
cooled just at the moment when it was about
to fall over the precipice, and there remain
ing quickly hardened by contact with the
waters. The European and American
quarter was first overwhelmed by rocks.
mud and lava fro n the craters, and then
the waters came up and swallowed the
ruins, leaving nothing to mark the site, and
causing the loss of somewhere In the neigh
borhood of 10000 Inhabitants and those
who had tried to fluid refuge there. Ban
tam, once prosperous and dourishing ma
tive city, but practically abandoned many
years ego, was entirely covered several
times by the waters, and there must hava
been from 1900 to l,5O0 people drowned.
At the last advices the eruptions were still
continuing, although their violence had
abated somewhat, and it is feared that the
end of the disaster will show it to have
been one OF the most frightful ever known
in the history OF volcanic eruptions.
Java 10 an island in the Malavan archi.
Pelago; the principal seat ofDutch power in
the East. and after Snmatra and Borneo, the
largest In the Sunda group. 1t Is between
the Java sea and the Indian ocean. The
island Is $50 miles long by 80 to IS miles
broad, and has an area of 49, $50 square
miles. The island is traversed throughout its
whole length by two chains of mountains,
thickly set with volcanoes, active and e1-
height.
MORE DISASTROUS TEAM At FIRST REPORTED
LONDON, Special Cablegram, Aug 29-Fur.
ther particularly Of the great volcanic eruption
IN Java, which have just reached London from
Batavia show the disaster to have been even
more widespread and more disastrous than re-
ported in yesterdays advices. At noon Sunday
the eruptlons and shocks were supposed to
have reached their greatest height. Bnt late
In the afternoon and evening the violence
Of the disturbances suddenly increased, and
the island seemed to be about to be completely
buried in mass OF fire and sulphurous ashes.
At the Same time enormous waves began to
dash with great force upon the shores, COM
ing in some places far up into the interior, and
great cbasms opened into the earth and threat
ened to engulf large portion of the islands,
people and buildings. About midnight tho
most frightful scene Of the whole disturbance
took place. Suddenly an enormous luminous
cloud, similar to that which was seen on tho
Cunning Gnntur. but much greater III extent,
which skirt the southeast coast of the leland
The cloud gradually increased in size
until it formed canopy Of lurid red and
Whltlsh gray over wide extent Of territory
During this time the eruptlons increased and
streams Of lava poured necessarily down the
sides OF the mountains into the valleys, sweep
ing every thing before them Here and there
astream of lava would enter an arm OF the
sea or come in contact with the waters OF q
river, then the nearest incandescent lava a. it
protruded from the great stream would sud
denly produce
BOILING HEAT AND s1cKEN1No vAPoRs,
but the superficial consolidation that almost in
stantly ensued would prevent any further con-
TACT The assures That opened in this thin
crust as it solidined would emit torrents of
vapor. extending high into the air and making
a tremendous Kissing and seethtng sound as II
thousand locomotives were simultane-
ously letting of steam. Here and
there in the lava streams were
innumerable thin plate-like crystals OF
fedspar, arranged in trains one behind the
other in the direction Of the flow Of the cur
rent, aud feldspathio sphericles we're rapidly
formed in the vitreons matter, resembling
those which form in the Stag of glass
furnace. Ono of the most singular freaks
OF the eruption was the carrying in the
midst Of the molten lava Of = bed
lad been emitted from one of the craters, car
rled along by the current, and landed on the
extremity on Point St. Nicholas on the north
east corner of the island. This bed of ice was
surrounded by thick envelope Of eand and
scoria, which are such -nonconductors Of heat
hot a rod hnk nfr Of low -
will not melt snow. 1t il supposed this ice
had formed the crust of some vast subter-
ranean lake. About 2 o'clock Monday morn
ing the great cloud suddenly broke into small
sections and quickly vanished. At the same
time the most frightful rumblings were heard,
and the columns Of fire and smoke on the
southeast corner of the island ceased
to ascend, while the craters in the
other parts OF Java seemed to open their fiery
throats still wider to let out the greatest guam
vomited out The kissing of these became go
loud AZ to be almost doafening, and the waves
washed up On the shores to an unprecedented
height When daylight came it was seen
That an
ENoRMous TRACT OF LAND HAD DISAPPEARED,
to Ne8ery Pafsoreang, on the north, and west
to . low point covering an extent OF territory
about fifty miles square. Iu this were situated
the villages Of Negery and Negery Babawang.
VI the people lnhAbltlnR these places and the
natives scattered sparsely through the forests
and on the plains none escaped frightful
death. This section Of the island was not 80
densely populated ~ the other portions, and
the loss Of life was comparatively small, al
though it must have aggregated fully 15, 900
souls. The entire Candang range Of mount
aims, extending along the coast in a semi-circle
for about sixty-dve miles, had gone ont OF
eight The waters of Welcome bay, the Sunda
straits and Pepper bay on the east
and Of the Indian ocean on the south
had rushed in and formed great sea of tur-
bulent waters. Here and there tho peak of q
high crater was exposed for q moment by the
receding of great wave, and occasionally
. puff Of brownish-gray smoke or y slight
shower Of rocks showed that the volcanoes still
continued in active sub aqueous eruption. The
debris Of the submerged and destroyed bniid-
ings wa tossed hither and thither over the tn
muItu6us wavers-tne only sign left that there
had once been inhabited land where ell was
now q WAete of water.
THE TOWN OF TANEBAN0.
within twenty five miles of the city Of Batavia,
was swept away by the lava streams, and fully
half the population, mostly Javanese, number
ing about !, 800 persisted. At Speelavk. near