Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-09
SAvAs CANOPY Of FusK.
4 Deadly Rain fFo0 Tws.ThiPds Of
eP RoVtv,H1ve v>l~~~

JAvA's CANOPY Of FIxE.
4 Deadly Rain frso Tws.Thirds sf
ner Rsrty.Five Volcanoes
LONDON, Aug. 2.-The latest advices
from Batavia, the capital Of Java, show
that the volcanic eruptions in that
island are much more serious than at
nrst indicated. The disturbances be-
gan on the Island of Krakatoa, in the
strait OF Sunda, about fifteen miles OF
the coast of Java. The deep rumblines
we're distinctly audible at Sarakerta and
Batavia, about forty-fve and twenty
two miles of respectively. Little alarm
was felt at first, but within few hours
showers of stones began to fall at jog
lakerta, Sourabaya, and Samarang. All
through the night showers of red hot
rocks and ashes fell, making complete
darkness in all these towns In Batavia
| there vas an occasional fall. and il was
difncult to keep the street lights burn
ing IN the European quarter. BY the
next morning all communication with
AMER was cut of, all the bridges having
been destroyed by the descending rocks
and ashes, and the road rendered i'm
passable.
The first eruptions we're on Saturday
| night. On Sunday morning the dis
turbances had extended beneath the
waters of the strait, and they we're soon
boiling and kissing violently, while
great waves dashed upon the Javanese
| shores, and the temperature of the sea
vent up nearly twenty degrees. Even
AZ far away from the original point of
disturbance As Madura, more than 800
miles, the furious waves were dashed
into mountains of foam as they came
IN. The threatened rumblings gradu-
ally became more and more distinct,
| and by noon the Maha Moru, the larg-
est of the volcanoes of Java, was belch-
ing forth flames at an alarming rate
This eruption soon spread to the Gun
ing, the crater of which is the largest
IN the world, being nearly four miles in
| diameter, the Cunning Guntur. and
| more than third of the forty five cra-
ters Of Java were either in active erup-
ton or seriously threateninQit.
Just before dusk a great luminous
cloud formed over the Cunning Gunter,
and the crater of that volcano began TO
vonit up enormous streams of white,
acid, sulphurous mud, and smaller
quantities of lava. There were rapidly
succeeding explosions, followed by tire
mendous showers of cinders and enor-
nous fragments of which we're hurled |
high into the air and scattered in all |
directions to fall after their force was
spent upon the valleys below, carrying |
death and destruction. With these ter |
rible eruptions came Sympathetic de- |
monstratiens from the sea, The over
hanging clouds were so surcharged with |
electricity that at one time more than
fifteen huge waterspouts we're seen. |
These have continued at somewhat long
intervals ever since. Men, women and
children rushed in terror from their
tottering dwelling places, filling the air
with their shrieks of horror. Hundreds
we're unable to get out before the houses
fell. and were buried beneath the great
masses of rocks and mud which were
piled up where a few hours before all
had been peace, happiness and fancied
security.
The Cunning Tengger has not had an
eruption before since the year 1900,
when an extent of land IL miles long
and seven broad was completely Gov
cred with the white sulphurous mud so
peculiar to the eruptions of Java. The
peak of Canning TenRger is 5000 feet
above the saa, and the monument of
flame on top of this made scene of
wonderful grandeur. Every moment a
huge bowlder at a red or white heat
would be hurled from Teugger's crater
with terrific force, and, after going hun
dreds OF feet into the air, would fall
back with a whirr, crashing through the
matched roof Of some Chinese fisher
mans hat, or crushing beneath its huge
mass the body of some native peasant.
Fissure after assure appeared in the
sides of the mountains, and here and
there in the valleys there came great
yawning chasms. On the elevated plains
stones, mud and lava we're not 80 fire.
quent as In the lower portions of TIE
island, but were more destructive.
Much of the northern portion of the
island, which was covered with tracts of
forests, was soon in one great blaze
Tho red hot vomitings from the Orators
had net the trees on fire, and the giants
of the woods fell one after another, like
30 many sheaves of wheat before a gale.
As the eruptiOns increased in frequency
and violence the disturbance Of the
waters surrounding the barren coast
became more and more violent. Here
the waves rushed in terrific force up the
steep, rocky incline, breaking up on the
Overhanging crags and receding rapid
ly, leaving a lava flow cooled just at the
moment when il was about to fall over
precipice, and there remaining, quick
~ hardened by contact with the waters,
and forming distinct strata of black and
bright red, purple and brown, all thrown
about in the most eccentric masses,
while hage peaks Of basllt rose at fre-
quent intervals. There the waves came
whelming over a marshy plain along
the shore, suddenly enguling hamlet
Of fishermeu's rude houses, aud,
turning suddenly back, swept away
almost every vestige of what
moment before had been scene
of busting activity. What few hours
before were fertile valleys, covered with
Furnishing plantations of coffee, rice,
sugar, indigo or tobacco, tho staples Of
the island, were now but mud, stones
and laya-cOvered fields of destruction
and ruin. Probably not a single crop
in Java will be saved.
At the entrance to Batavia was a large
group of houses extending along the
shore and occupied by Cinnamon. This
portion of the city was entirelJ swept
away, and of the 5000 Chinese who
lived on this swampy plain. it ia hardly
probable that more than Zoo managed
TO save their lives. They stuck to their
homes till the waves came that washed
them away, fearing she torrents of the
fame and lava of the interior more
than the torrents of water. OF the
$500 Europeans and Americans in Ba-
tayia perhaps 800 persisted. 1t 10 i'm
possible to make any estimate of the
great pecuniary loss. Many of the ba-
zars in the higher parts of the city we're
demolished. The exchange aud the
military hospitals suffered great dam
age.
At AMER the European and American
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 in
habitants, and those who had tried to
| find a refuge there.