River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-09-06
FORTY THOUSAND DEAD.
Victims OF the Terrible Volcanic
Eruption and Tidal Waves of the
Island of Java,

began on the Island OF hTakatoa, IN the
| strait of sunds, about fifteen miles off the
| coast of Java.
The first eruptions were on Saturday
night. On Sunday morning tbs disturb
| ances had extended beneath the waters oil
! The strait, and these were soon boiling and
! Kissing violently, while great waves dashed
| upon the Javanese shores, and the temper
allure of the sea went up nearly 20 deg,
even as far away from the original point OF
i disturbance as Madura. The furious waves
were dashed into mountains o foam az they
eanse rolling in. Ths threatening fdmb-
| lings gradually became more and more dis
| tinct, and soon the Malta Meru the
| largest of the volcanoes of Java, was
| belching forth flames at very alarming
| rate. Men, women and children rushed ia
| terror from their tottering dwelling places,
filling the air with their shrieks OF horror.
| Hundreds were unable to get ont before the
| houses fell and we're buried beneath great
mass IS OF rocks and mud which were piled
up where few hours before all had been
peace. happiness and fancied security.
| With these terrible eruptions came gym
| pathetic demonstrations from The sea. The
| ovefhAnginR clouds we're so sur
| charged with electricity that at one time
| over fifteen huge waterspoJitE were seen. As
| the eruptions increased in frequency and
| violence, the disturbance of the waters sur
| rounding the barren coast became more and
more violent Here the waves rushed in
with terrific force up the steep, rocky in
cline, breaking upon the oyeFhanging crags,
and receding rapidly, leaving lava flow
| cooled just at the moment when it was about
| to fall oven the precipice, and there remain
! ing quickly hardened by contact with the
| waters. The European and American
| quarter was first overwhelmed by rocks,
mud and lava fro the cratsrs and then
| the waters came up and swallowed the
| ruins, leaving nothing to mark the site, and
causing the LOGS of somewhere in the neigh
| borhood of 10000 inhabitants and those
| who had tried to find refuge there. Ran-
| TAM once prosperous and dourishing ma
| tive city, but practically abandoned many
| years ago, was entirely covered several
| times by the waters, and there must have
| been from 200 to 500 people drowned
| at the last advices the eruptions were still
| continuing, although their violence had
| abated somewhat, and it is feared that the
end of the disaster will show ii to have
been one of the most frightful ever known
| in the history of volcanic eruptions.
Java is an island in the Malayan archi-
pelago, the principal seat ofDutch power In
the East, and after Sumatra and Borneo, the
largest ia the Sunda group. Ii is between
the Java sea and the Indian ocean. The
island is $50 miles long by 80 to 50 miles
broad, and has an area of 40, $50 square
miles. The island is traversed throueh bout Its
whole length by two chains of mountains,
Tricky set with volcanoes, active and et-
tinct, varying from 5000 to 1900 feet in
height.
MORE DISASTROUS THAN Al FIRST REPORTED.
LONDON, Special Oablegram, Aug. 29.-Fur-
Their particulars of the great volcanic eruption
in Java, which have just reached London from
Batavia show the disaster to have been even
more widespread and more disastrous than re-
ported in Yesterdays advices. At noon Sunday
the eruptiohs and shocks were supposed to
have reached their greatest height Bnt late
| In the afternoon and evening the violence
of the disturbances suddenly increased, and
the island seemed TO be about to be completely
buried in a mass OF fire and snlphnrous ashes.
At the same time enormous waves began to
dash with great force upon the shores, COM
| ing in some places far up into the interior, and
great chasms opened into the earth and threat
ened to engulf large portion OF the islands,
people and buildings About midnight the
most frightfui scene OF the whole disturbance
| took place, Suddenly an enormous luminous
cloud, similar to that which was seen on the
Cunning Guntur, but much greater in extent,
formed over the kandang range of mountains
which skirt the southeast coast OF the island
until it formed a canopy of lurid red aud
whitish gray over wide extent OF territory.
During this time the eruptlous increased and
streams of lava poured necessarily down Tue
sides of the mountains into the valleys, sweep
| ing everything before them, Here aud there
a stream of lava would enter an arm of the
| sea or come in contact with the waters OF a
| river then the nearest incandescent lava as II
| protruded from the great stream would sud
| denly produce
| BOILING HEAT AND sICKENING vAPoRs,
but the superficial consolidation that almost IN
stantly ensued would prevent any further con-
| tact The assures that opened IN this thln
| crust as it solidiied would emit torrents OF
vapor, extending high into the air and making
I a tremendous kissing and seething sound as II
| ously letting off steam. Here anc
| there i'll the lava streams were
innumerable thin plate-like crystals Of
| feldspar, arranged in trains one behind the
| other in the direction of the flow of the cur
rent aud feldspathic spbericIes were rapidly
| formed in the vitreous matter, resembling
| those which form in the Flag of glass
| furnace One of the most singular freaks
of the eruption was the carrying IN the
\ midst of the molten lava of bee
of solid ice of enormous size, which
1 had been emitted from one of the craters, car
| ried along bv the current, and landed on tht
| extremity on Point ST. Nicholas on the north
| east corner of the island. I HE bed of ice wa'
4 surrounded by q thick envelope Of sand anC
| scoria which are such -noneouductors OF hea
| that u red hot stream of lava running over l
| will not melt snow. 1t is supposed this ice
had formed the crust of some vast subter
ranean lake. About 2 o'clock Monday morn
| ing the great cloud suddenly broke into sma4
| sections and quickly vanished. At the sam,
| time the most ffightful rumbiings were heard
and the columns of fro and smoke on th'
southeast corner of the island ceased
| to ascend, while the cratera IN th'
| other parts of Java seemed to open their fiery
throats still wider to let out the greatest guam
titles Of lava, rocks, pumice and ashes ye
| yomited out The kissing of these became 81
loud as to be almost deafening, and the wave
| washed up on the shores to an unprecedented
height When daylight came it was seei
/ that an
| ENORMOUS TRACT OF LAND HAD DISAPPEARED
| extending from Point Capreccin, on tho south
| to Negery Psfsoreang, on the north, and Yves
to a low point covering an extent of terrtor,
| about fifty miles square. In this were situated
the villages of Negery and Negery Babawang
| OF the people inhRbiting these places and TIL
natives scattered sparsely through the forest
| aud on the plains none escaped a frightrn
death. This section of the island was not s.
densely populated as the other portions, an
the loss of life wac comparatively small, al
| though it must have aggregated fully 49, Oi
| souls, The entire Candang range of mount
| aims extending along the coast in semi circi
for about sixty-tive miles, had gone out o
| sight The waters o. Sslcome bay, the Sund
| straits and Pepper Day on the east
| aud of the Indian ocean on the soutl
had rushed in and formed great sea of tur
| buent waters Here and there the peak of
| high crater was exposed for moment by tn
| receding of a great wave, and OCCASIONAL,
| 4 puff Of brownish-gray smoke or a Sigh
| shower of rocks showed that the volcanoes still
| continued in active sub aqueous eruption Thu
| debris Of the submerged aud destroyed build
| ings was tossed hither and thither over the tn
multuous waters-the ouly sign left that Their,
| had once been inhabited land where ell wa;
| now q waste of water.
| THE TOWN OF TANERANG,
| within twenty five miles OF The city of Batavia
| was swept away by the lava streams, and fully
! half the popul alton, mos ly Javaness, number
ing about ], 500, persisted At speeayk, neal
Point salcis, the red hot rocks Sc
all the thlckly settled portions of tht
| town Abou5 ten bazaars. belonging
to Europeans were destroyed The destruc
| ton of property is very large, but no lives arr
known 10 have been lost. The river Jacotra
on the banks of which Batavia is situated, wa
so completely damned by the lava and debris
thst its course was changed, and from FrancJ
| Bastion 1t flowed down through Tigers strai
| and joined the waters Of the rivel
Emerades, swelling that stream 10 suef
| ala extent to rise high on the
| Casters Feielenking, which was almost totally
| destroyed, aud large number OF lives were
| lost The island of 0neius, five miles of the
| mouth of the Tangeran river, and twenty miles
| east of Batavia, was completely inundated
| and the floating dock there was totally
| destroyed. Cataic Chaps aud Tronueuz, islands
OF the coast of Java which disappeared, are
out of sight, and not 8 vestige of them 10 left
Baby aud Cheriba islands, OF the north coas
but small in extent, lost the few houses and in
NJ hits MIA IN thom