The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-09-27
Volcanic Surprises.


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Volcanic Surprises.
For volcano once supposed to be in
active, Vesuvius has prepared som,
lively surprises for the jewellers in it
neighbOrhoOd. Its latest surprise ha
been to shake up railroad and DESTROY
several houses. The people of Hercu
laneum and Pompeii thought Vesuviu.
extinct until one day it proved in a very
thorough manner that it could still b.
reused to activity. Since then no one
has been deceived by its quietude.
Other volcanoes besides Vesuviu;
have from time to time INDUCED il
what seems to be the general volcanic
propensity of creating surprises. Thu;
no one would expect to have {
mass of rock of some three thou.
sand cubic feet suddenly descend
upon them from the sky. But
people living nine miles from Cotopax
were on one occasion treated to such 6
surprise. The Carthaginians. when they
set out against Syracuse, were not pre-
pared to cross the fiery river which, tC
their surprise, intercepted their march
at Mount Etna. They had no boats
with which to cross it.
The great eruption of Tomboro sur
prised people for some $40 miles
around, the distance at which the force
of the explosion was heard. They won
dered what was the matter until they
learned of the eruption from one of the
twenty-SiX persons who were saved out
of population of 10000.
Surprises of another kind, fearful del
uges, are the first indications in many
South American districts that volcanoes
whose peaks are in perpetual snow
have suddenly become active, the del
uges being caused by the melting of
great masses of snow.
1t must also be a surprise of beauti-
full, though fearful kind, to see q fiery
fountain play to q height of seven
hundred feet from the side of mount
ain. Such 4 fountain on Mauna Loa
in 1852 was magnificent illustration
of volcanic fissure, the pressure of lava
at the crater being relieved by this new
outlet. The cracks often seen on vOlca-
noes, which form bikes radiating from
the center, are created in this manner.
Small extra craters, volcanoes on vOlca-
noes, which gradually become cone
shaped, are found along these assures.
Another surprise. There is no flame
in volcanic eruptiOns, as is generally
represented most graphically in chro-
mos. The suppOsititious flames are
simply reflection of the lava on the
clouds of ashes and cinders. How
great volume of the latter is elected
can be well understood when it is stated
that enough ashes and cinders were
elected during the Tomhoro eruption
to cover the whole of Germany two feet
deep.
The islands which have occasionally
surprised the inhabitants along the
coast of the Mediterranean by appear
ing suddenly under their very eyes are
the results of volcanic action. But
probably the greatest surprise connect
ed with this subject is the formation OF
volcanoes. A volcanoe is originally
nothing but hole in the ground,
formed often at no elevation by the
swelling and breaking of an earth
bubble. The mountain which springs
up around this opening is formed by
accumulations of successive eruptions.
The great age of volcanoes which, like
Mauna LOa and Mt. Etna, are 14,0OC
and 11,000 feet high, can be readily
appreciated from this fact, and from
the further fact that Etna had attained
almost its present height when it was
observed by Greek writers $500 years
ago.
A volcano is a furnace on q magnif-
cent scale, the lava which it elects be-
INC molten rock. This rock is so thor
oughly fused by some,yOlcanoes that the
lava is as thin as honey, and flows with
a velocity of fifteen miles an hour.
Sometimes it is spun out in long,
CLASSY threads by the action of burst
ing gas bubbles.
While there are two kinds of erup-
tons, the quiet and the explosive, there
are many theories regarding the heat
which fuses the rocks into lava. Many
think that the interior of the earth is
in liquid condition, but the better
opinion seems to be that the lava oc-
ours in subterranean lakes. But the
theorists agree that the proXimate
cause of volcanic eruption is the con-
vact of water with molten rock
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