Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-09-05

the torrents OF Jne name anu ldVu vi
the interior more than the torrents OF
water. OF the 5000 Europeans and
Americans in Batavia perhaps 800
persisted.
At AMER the European and Ameri'
can quarter was first overwhelmed by
rocks, mud, and lava from the crater,
and then the waters came up and
swallowed the ruins, leaving nothing
to mark the site, and causing the loss
of somewhere in the neighborhood OF
200 lives of the inhabitants and those
who had tried to find a refuge there.
Bantam, once prosperous native
city was entirely covered by the water.
The island of Serang, just off the
coast, was completely inundated, and
not soul remains on it to tell the
tale of disaster and death.
LONDON, Aug. 30.-After the sud
den subsistence of the disturbances in
the kingdom of Bantam OH Monday,
the eruptions seemed to lose their
force for time, and the people OF
Batavia experienced a feeling of re-
lief in the hope that the worst had
been passed. The quieter conditions
continued until about 10 o'clock, when
the crater once more began to send
up great masses of destructive matter,
although without the force of the
former actions. The eruptions seem
to be more violent at night than dur
ing the day. BY II o'clock the Pa
pandayang, which is 1904 feet high,
was in very active state of paroxys-
nal eruption. 1t was accompanied
by detonations said to have been
heard many miles away in Sumatra.
Three distinct columns of flame were
seen to rise from the mountain to a
vast height, and its whole surface soon
appeared as if covered with fiery lava
streams, which spread to great dis
tances on all sides. Stones fell for
miles around, and the black, fragmen-
tary matter carried into the air caused
total darkness.
A whirlwind accompanied this erup-
ton, by which house roofs, trees, and
men and horses were carried into the
air. The quantity of ashes elected
was such as to cover the ground and
roofs of houses at Denamo to the
depth of several inches. Off Point
Caay the floating pomice on the sea
formed a layer two feet thick, through
which vessels forced their way with
great difficulty. The rise of vapor
produced the appearance of column
several thousand feet high, based on
the edge of the crater. 1t appeared
from a distance to consist of mass
of innumerable globular clouds of
extreme whiteness, resembling vast
balls of cotton, rolling one over the
other as they assembled, impelled by
the pressure of fresh supplies incessant-
ly urged upward by the continued ex-
plosions. At a great height the col
umn dilated horizontally, and spread
into dark and turpid circular cloud,
shaped like an immense umhgella.
Forked Lightning of great vividness
and beauty continually darted from
different parts of the cloud.
Suddenly the scene was changed.
The mountain was split into seven
parts without a moments warning,
and where Papandayang had stood
alone there were now seven distinct
peaks looming up to Il great height.
In the seams opened could be seen
great balls of molten matter. From
the assures poured clouds Of steam,
and the black elected lapillo flowed in
steady streams and ran slowly down
the mountain sides, forming beds 200
or 800 feet in extent Exhalations OF
carbonic acid gas were so abundant
that birds and animals in large num-
bers were killed by it, and few hui
man beings lost their lives in the same
way.
This proved to be the turning point
in the eruption, for the great assures
opened seemed to act as safety valves,
through which the streams Of lava
gently flowed down into the valleys
The volcanic fires, though still burn
ing at last advices, had lost most Of
their fierceness, and the stream gener'
ated found vent without being forced
through the comparatively narrow
mouths of the old craters.
One Of the queer incidents was the
sudden rising during Tuesday fore
noon of fourteen new volcanic mount
aims in the Straits of Sunda, forming
a complete chain in almost straight
line between Point st. Nicholas, on
the Javanese coast, and Hoga Point
ON the coast of Sumatra, almost OF
the tops of what had been the Merak
and Middle Islands, which sank into
the sea on Monday.
So serious are the changes i'm th,