The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-09-12

wood work, in fishing and the shipping trade,
the immense population find employment.
The last and most fearful eruption which has
wrought such destruction occurred on the ex-
IRENE western end Of the island, where the
strait of Sunda rolls sixty miles in width be-
tween Java and Sumatra. The location
of the volcanoes which have worked such
awful havoc Is the province of Bantam,
which Is away up in the west corner. The
southern portion OF the coast which borders
the strait, Is high and rocky, ascending through
the forests of the interior, toward the loftiest
submits where the fires OF the great volcanoes
Papandayang and Cunning Karang burn con-
tinually Toward the north there are wide
plains terminating in extensive marshes which
are washed by the waters of the strait. On
these plains are many villages, and here was
the city OF Bantam, formerly the capital of the
province, populous and thriving, but some
years ago deserted for the safer and healthier
location of Serang, where large trade is
carried on. 1t Is the low land OF the prov
ince Of Bantam which has been covered
many feet deep by the ashes from the vol
canoes, and 1t was along its coast that
rivers OF boiling lava flowed into the strait
In the widest part 1t is only ninety miles
across the strait, and 1t is only about sixty
miles between the two islands. The depth
OF water was nowhere greater than forty faith
oms, and the small islands and rocky islets
were numerous. In the strait volcanic erup-
lions took place, and the water boiled and
surged as the rocky bottom was rent and torn
by their forces The route from England and
the United States to Canton, Hong Kong, and
Japan was through the Strait OF Sunda and,
now that the islands which were there have
disappeared. and new ones have arisen from
the sea, while the depth OF water Is no longer
know at any point the trade will have to go
over the old route around Sumatra and through
the Straits OF Malaeca. All the trade between
| this country and the various ports among the
PHILIPPINE and Spice Islands, as well as the
| great China trade, will be diverted from the
old course until the Strait of Sunda, trans
formed by the recent commissions, can be
sounded and the charts corrected The Dutch
government will not delay this work, and the
new charts will soon be In readiness. There il
reason to believe that the loss Of life will be
over rather than under 40, 900, though of COURSE
the exact number can never be known. The
Batavian province and the capital lie north Of
Bantam, and are separated therefrom by q
range of mountains which runs the whole
! length Of the island. These mountains have
been shaken, and some portions OF them have
disappeared. In part at least, OF the Bsta
Wan resdency there has been widespread de
struction; and while the Bantam district Is mo-
80 densely populated nevertheless 1t contained
many villages of from 5000 to 10, COO inhabi
tants which have been completely wiped out o.
existence There were days and nights of aw
full terror and confusion, when thousands weri
trying in vain to hide from the rain of fire anC
the lava streams. The earth opened and swal
lowed them up, great waves OF the sea over
whelmed them, the suphurous air was thicl
with fiery ashes, and the thick darkness wa
rent by lightning, while thunder rolled and thu
mountains groaned and rumbled, and frightfu
explosions made deafening reports. We ma,
try to picture how hundreds of thousands o
people, panic stricken, ran to and fro, an,
prayed and cried for help-parents seeking t.
save their children, husbands their wives, chill
dren their parents. But imagination could no
picture the horrors Of such a dreadful scene a
that which was witnessed on the eastern shore
of the Sunda Strait, when tens Of thousands O
men, women, and children we're destroyed
and many million tons of ashes and lava wer
thrown from the mountains upon the plain
and into the sea-