The Dickinson press., 1883-09-01

A TERRIBLE HORROR.
10000 People Perish by an Earth.
quake OH the Island OF
TNvn

'"'" isNS losI Iiltll lives 10y Il leifl-
BILE earthquake which occurred there
last Sunday. a large portion of Ba-
tavla, the capital of the island. was
destroyed. The towns of Anglers.
Tyirengine and Teleokbelong were
entirely destroyed. All the light
houses i'll the Sunda straits have dis
appeared and where the mountain of
krumatin stood the sea now rolls.
The disturbances began on the island
OF kramatoa in the strait of Slnda.
about fifteen miles off the coast of
Java. In a few hours showers of red
hot rocks and ashes began to fall on
the island of Java and continued all
night. The disturbances extended
beneath the waters of the strait. and
these were soon boiling and kissing
violently. while great waves dashed
on the Javamese shores. The Mali
Meru. belched forth flames at an
alarming rate, and the Cunning Gun
tur crater. the largest in the world.
being four miles in diameter. and
many others. until a third of the for
ty-iive craters of Java, were in active
eruption. White acid. snlphurous
mud and lava was thrown from them
IN streams. Great yawning chasms
opened in the valleys. and buildings
fell swallowing up and burying thous-
ands in the ruins. The ocean waves
rolled over plain sweeping away
what was few moments before Il
bnstling town and family after fam
lily found a watery grave. What a
few hours before were fertile valleys
covered with tlourishing plantations
OF coffee. rice, sugar. indigo or tobac-
co, the staples of that island. were
soon but mud, stone and lava covered
fields of ruin. Apout twenty thous-
and lives We're lost in Batavia, only a
portion Of the city being DESTROYED.
Banton was several times covered by
water and fifteen hundred people in
that town drowned. The island had
l0,M0O,000 population and it is feared
the loss of life is still greater than is
estimated. The disaster is one of the
most fearful known in the history of
volcanic ernptions.
DICKINSON AND TIE BLACK HEELS.
10 be Connected by Stage and Freight
Line.
The following editorial appears i'm
the Pioneer Press of last Saturday:
"A Deadwood correspondent calls the
attention of st. Paul business men to
a matter that is certainly worth Sc
rious attention. 1t is claimed that
with slight trouble almost the entire
trade of the Black Hills could be
turned over to the Northern Pacific,
and so into st. Paul. Men claiming
to know say that the distance be-
tween Deadwood and Dickinson is
but 1870 miles; that the expense of a
good wagon road between these
points would be but small, and that a
railway could be constructed at an
outlay of not more than half the cost
OF construction from either the Mis-
souri, OF the Union Pacific. Consider
| ing that l5.000.000 pounds of stores
were shipped to the Hills last year
to say nothing of the industries that
are constantly demanding an outlet
to the worlds markets, there is cer-
tainly enough in the suggestion to
merit careful consideration.
1t is we'll known to those acqnaint-
ed with this route that it is the best
and shortest one to the Black Hills.
Some time ago two gentlemen from
Deadwood traversed this route with
Il view to ascertaining its advantages
and were we'll satisfied with it. Don
Stevenson, one of the largest freight
ers in Dakota came over the route in
a buggy and photographed his men at
Deadwood to bring their teams by
way of Dickinson to Bismarck pre-
ferring it to the old Bismarck route.
The business men of Deadwood and
st. Paul will have much to gain by
| the new route, and the Northern
Pacific should not let the matter pass
without due consideration. as by
they would secure about l5.O0O.U0O
pounds of freight for transportation
each year, which now goes to Pierre
over the Chicago & Northwestern.
This ronte would secure to the b,lsi-
ness men of st. Paul most of the
| Black Hills trade. AS will be seen
by a report elsewhere in these col
umns our citizens have already taken
action III the matter and it only re.
mains for those of Deadwood and
st. Paul to do likewise and all make
Il united effort 20 secure this line.
The entertainment held at the
Eegle Hotel last evening, compli-
mentary to the Rev. Nittum was /,
grand success, having surpassed the