The Iola register., 1883-09-07
yEsuvIus, RIVAL.

Terrific Volcanic EruptiCns In JSvA-An
Area Of Fifty Miles Square Swallowed Up
| several Large Towns and Seventy-five
Thousand Lives Destroyed-Graphic De-
scription of the Awful Calamity.
NEW YORK, Aug. g.
A special cablegram from London gives
he details of the volcanic eruptions in
lava. The first eruptions were on Satur-
lay night on the island of Kraokateo. At
loon on Sunday the Maha Meru Mountain
began to belch forth fire and lava, and the
Eruption soon spread to the Cunning Teng-
| ger, the crater of which is the largest in
he world, being nearly four miles in diam
.ter, the Cunning Guntun and other minor
Mountains, until by Monday morning near
y third of the forty-five craters of Java
we're in state of activity.
While these terrible elementary forces
we're at work on the land the sea became
iympathetically boisterous. The air was
20 surcharged with electricity that at one
lime fifteen water-spouts We're seen. Hun.
ireds of the unfortunate people, unable to
escape from their dwellings before they
we're crushed beneath the mass of falling
stones and lava perished. On the top Of
ihe Cunning Tengger, a mountain of flame
made a scene of terrific grandeur. Fissure
after fssure appeared on the mountains
side, and here and there in the valley a
yawning chasm opened. The tracts of for.
,sts in the northern portion of Kraokatec
we're soon in a blaze of flame, and immense
Tees, some of them centuries old, toppled
over before the advancing sea of fire like
wheat before gale. As the eruption in.
creased in violence and frequency the dis
iurbance of the waters surrounding the
coast became more and more violent. The
waves rushed with terrific force up the
steep, rocky incline, and meeting the burn
ng lava cooled and fashioned it into the
most eccentric shapes. The receding wa
;ers carried away many q fisherman's hut.
Along the shore are mostly plains which
;he sea overwhelmed, running growing crops
,f coffee, rice, sugar, indigo or tobacco, and
t is probable that not single crop will be
saved.
Late Sunday afternoon and in the evening
;he volume of the disturbances suddenly
increased and the island seemed to be about
20 be completely buried in a mass of fire
and sulphurouS ashes. At the same time
The enormous waves began to burst with
greater force upon the shores, coming III
some places far up into the interior. Great
chasms opened in the earth and threatened
20 engulf large proportion of the islands
people and buildings. About midnight the
most frightful scene Of the whole distur.
Dances took place. Suddenly an enormous
luminous cloud, similar to that which was
seen over the Cunning Guntur, but much
greater in extent, formed over the Kanda.
ga range of mountains, which skirt the
south coast of the island. This cloud grad
lally increased in size until it formed u
canopy of lurid red and whitish gray over
a wide extent of territory. During this
time the eruptions increased, and streams
Of lava poured necessarily down the sides
Of the mountain into the valleys, sweep
ing everything before them. Here and
there stream of lava would enter an arm
Of the sea or come in contact with the waters
Of river. Then the nearest incan.
descent lava as it protruded from the great
stream would suddenly produce boiling
heat and rapid vaporiZation. But the SUI
perfine consolidation that almost instantly
pnsued would prevent any further contact
The assures that opened in this thin crust
as it solidified would emit torrents of vapor
extending high into the air and making a
tremendous kissing and seething sound,
as if a thousand locomotives were simulta-
neously letting off steam. Here and there
in the lava streams were innumerable thin,
plate-like crystals of feldspar, arranged in
trains, one behind the other, in the direc.
sparic spherolites were rapidly formed in
the vitreous matter, resembling those which
form in the Stag of a glass furnace, One of
The most singular freaks of the eruption
was the carrying in the midst of molten lava
Of bed of solid ice of enormous ze,which
had been emitted from one of the craters,
carried along by the current and landed on
the extremity OF Point st. Nicholas on the
northeast corne. of the island. This bed OF
ice was surrounded bv thick envelope of
sand end scorie, which are such non-con.
iuctors of heat that a red-hot stream of
lava running over it will not melt the snow.
II is sunposed this ice had formed the crust
Of some vast subterranean lake.
About two O'Clock Monday morning the
great cloud suddenly broke into small sec.
lions and ouicIly vanished, At the same
time the most friChtful 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
throats still wider to let out the greatest
quantity of rocks, lava, pumice and ashes
vet you6ited ont.
The kissing of the sea became so loud as
to be almost deafening, and the waves
rushed upon the shores to an unprecedent.
ed height. When daylight came it was
seen that an enormous tract of land had
disappeared. extending from Point Capucin
on the south, to Negery Pafsoerrang on the
north. and west to a low point, covering an
extent of territory fifty miles square. In
this were situated the villages of Negery
and Negery Babawang. OF the people in.
hahiting these places and the natives scat.
tered snarselv through the forests and on
the plains. none escaped frightful death.
This section of the island was not so dense.
ly populated as the other portions, and the
loss of life was comparatively small.
aItbonob II muSt have apgrepafed fully
Low souls. The entire kandans range OF
mounSalns, extendlng along the coasv III a
seml-clrcle lor aooTG slAIy-n'e nl,1eS, W nau
gone out OF siSht; Inc waters Oh Meiconie @
pay, the ounda otraics ana IePper Day on
tne eaSI anu ol tne ihu,ari "a oeeuh I vi s.i.
Guth had rushed III ana formed great