Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-08-29
IN FULL ERUPTION.
ON rnE ISLAND OF JAVA

In FULL EkUPIlUN.
DISASTER ON THE ISLAND oF java.
Volcanoes Spreading Destruction Around
Thousands Of People Swallowed Up
Furious Waves and Great
The latest advices from Batavia, the
capital of the island of Java, show that
the volcanic eruptions in that island are
much more serious than at first indicated.
The disturbances began on the island of
Krakatoa, in the Strait of Sunda, about
fifteen miles of the coast of Java. The
deep rumblings were dissiucly audable at
Surakerta and Batavia, about fOrty-fve
and twenty two miles of respectively.
Little alarm was felt at first, but within .
few hours showers of stones began to fall
at Jokjokerta, Surabaya and Serapg. All
through the night showers of red hot rocks
and ashes fell, making complete darkness
in all these towns. In Batavia there was
an occasional fall, and it was difficult to
keep the street lights burning in the Euro.
pean quarter. By the next morning all
communication with Anjier was cut of,
all the bridges having been destroyed by
the descending rocks and ashes and the
road rendered impassable.
The first eruptions were on Saturday
night. On Sunday morning the disturb
ances had extended beneath the waters of
the strait, and they were soon boiling and
Kissing violently, while great waves dashed
upon the Japanese shores and the temper.
ature of the sea went up nearly twenty de-
grees. Even as far away from the Origi-
nal point of disturbance as Madura the
furious waves we're lashed into mountains
of ioam as they came rolling in. The
threatening rumblings gradually became
more and more distinct, and by noon the
Maha Meru, the largest of the volcanoes
of Java, was belching forth flames at
very alarming rate. This eruption soon
spread to the Cunning Tengger, the crater
of which is the largest in the world, beng
nearly four miles in diameter the
Cunning Gunter and many other minor
mountains, until more than q third of the
forty. five craters of Java were either in
active eruption or seriously threatening it.
Just before dusk great luminous cloud
formed over the Cunning Gunter and the
crater of that volcano began to vomit up
enormous streams of white, acid, sulphur
GUS mud, besides smaller quantities of
lava. There were rapidly successive ex-
plosions, followed by tremendous showers
of cinders and enormous Fragments, which
were hurled high into the air and scat
tered in all dii ectiOns. to fall, after the
force was spent, upon the valleys below,
carrying death and destruction. With
these terrible eruptions came sympathetic
demonstrations from the sea. The over
hanging clouds were SO surcharged with
electricity that at one time over fifteen
huge waterspOuts were seen. These have
continued at somewhat long intervals ever
since.
Men, women aud children rushed in
terror from the tottering dwelling places,
filed the air with their shrieks of horror.
Hundreds were unable to get out before
the houses fell, and were buried beneath
the great masses of rocks and mud which
were piled up where a few hours before
all was peace, happiness and facied secu-
rity. The Cunning Tengger has not had
an eruption before since the year 1900,
when an extent of land seventeen miles
long and seven broad was completely Gov
cred with the white sulphurOus mud so
peculiar to the eruptiOns of Java. The
peak of Gunung Tengger is 5000 feet
high and the monument of flame on top of
this made scene of very impressive gran
deur. Every moment a huge boulder, at
a red or white heat, would be hurled from
Tengger's crater with terrific force, and
after going hundreds of feet into the air,
would fall back with whirr, perhaps
crashing through the thatched roof of
some Chinese hsherman's hut or crush
beneath its huge mass the form of some
native peasant. Fissure after fssure ap.
peared in the sides of the mountains and
here and there in tho valleys there came a
great, yawning chasm. On the elevated
plains Of Kediri and Bangdon, the show
ers OF stones, mud and lava were not 50
frequent as in the lower portions of the
island, but were still quite destructive.
Much of the northern portion of the
island, which was covered with tracts of
forests, was soon in one great blaze of
flame. The red hot vOmitings from the
crater had set the trees on fire, and as the
giants of the woods fell one after another,
like 50 many sheaves of wheat before a
gale, the scene was one Of awful grandeur.
As the eruptiOns increased in frequency
surrounding the barren coast became
rushed in terrific force up the steep, rocky
incline, breaking upon the over hanging
crags and recediDg rapidly, leaving q lava
flow cooled just at the moment when it
about to fall over a precipice and there
remaining. quickly harder ed by con-
tact with the waters and form
ing distinct strata of black and
bright red, purple and brown lava, all
thrown about in the most eccentric masses
while huge peaks of basalt rose at fre-
quent intervals. There the waves come
whelming over a marshy plain along the
shore, suddenly engulfDg q hamlet of
fsherma1's rude houses, and turning sud-
denly back, swept away almost every
vestige of what had a moment before been |
a scene of bustling activity, where family
after family had been rushing around in |
the vain endeavor to save their efforts and |
get away with their lives from the awful |
combination of elements threatening them.
What few hours before were fertile |
valleys, covered with fourishing planta. |
tions of coffee, rice, sugar, indigo or tobac- |
CO, the staples of the Island, were soon but |
mud-stone and lava, covered fields of |
destruction and ruin. Probably not q
single crop of Java will ne saved.
At the entrance to Batavia was a largo
group of bouses, extending along the shore
and occupied by Cinnamon. This portion
of the city was entirely swept away, and
of the %, 900 Chinese who lived on this
swampy plain it is hardly probable that
that more than 1000 managed to save
their lives. They stuck to their homes
till the waves that washed them away
came, fearing the torrents Of flame and
lava from the interior more than the tor.
rents of water from the exterior. The
nop,1ofiOu of onI A ;r |