Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1883-09-07
Thrilling description of the Greatest
Disaster KNOWN to History.

The New York Suns special cable more
than corroborates the terrible story of loss
and destruction of life and property in Ba.
tavia. OF whole districts, it is said that
nothing was left, and not even the land
When the original outbursts in Bantam sub
sided, temporary relief was felt, but at 1C
O'Clock on Monday night there was a new
and more disastrous outburst. BY IL O'Clock
the Papandayang, which is 1904 feet high,
was in very active state of paroxysmai
eruption. 1t was accompanied by detona.
tons, said to have been heard many miles
away in Sumatra.
Three distinct columns of flame were seen
TO rise from the mountain TO vast height
ana us whole surface soon appeared as il
covered with fiery lava streams, which spread
TO great distance on all sides. Stones fell
for miles around and the black fragmentary
matter carried into the air caused total dark.
ness. whirlwir d accompanied this erup.
ton, by which houses, roofs, trees, men and
horses were carried into the air. The guam.
tity of ashes elected was such as to cover
the ground and roofs of houses at Denamo
to the depth Of several inches. OFF Point
Coay, the floating pumice ON the sea formed
layer two feet thick through which vessels
forced their way with great difficulty.
The rise OF vapor produced the appear.
OF column several thousand feet high based
on the edge OF the crater 1t appeared, from
distance, TO consist of mass of innumera.
BILE globular clouds of extreme whteness
resembling vast balls of cotton, rolling one
over the other as they assembled, impelled
by the pressure of fresh supplies necessarily
urged upward by the continued explosion
AT great height the column dilated hori
zontally and spread into dark and turbid
circular cloud shaped like an immense UNI.
brella.
Forked lightning Of great vivdness and
beauty continually darted from different parts
of the clouds. Suddenly the scene was
changed. The mountain was split into sew.
en- parts without a moments warning, and
where Papandayang has stood alone there
were now seven distant peaks looming
up TO great height. In the seams opened
could be seen great balls Of molten matter
From the assures poured clouds of steam
and the elected black lapillo flowed in
steady streams, and ran slowly down the
mountain sides, forming beds 200 or 300
feet in extent.
Exhaations Of corbonic acid gas were SC
abundant that birds and animals in larg,
numbers were killed by it, and few human
beings lost their lives in the same way
This proved To be the turning point in The
eruption, for the great assures opened seem
ed to act as saltY-valvcs, through which Tn,
streams OF lava gently flowed down into the
valley.
The volcanic fires, though still burning
at last advices, had lost their iierceness, anC
the steam generated found vent without be
ing forced through the comparatively mar
row mouths Of the old craters. One of tn,
I queer incidents was the sudden rising du
ring Tuesday forenoon of fourteen new vol
canic mountains in the strait of Sunda
forming complete chain in almost a straigh
line between Point st. Nicholas, on III,
Javanese coast and Hoza Point, ON III,
coast of Sumatra, almost on the highes
tops Of which had boen the Merak and Mid
die Islands, which sank into the sea ol
| Monday.
In thecity Of Bantam, where 1900 peopl,
were at first supposed to have persisted, tht
bodies OF $500 have already been recovered
SEINE 300 inhabitants of the interior tow
OF Waronge are now known to have beer
killed, and at Taatra, on the coast, 30t
bodies have been found From all over thu
island come reports OF loss of life and prop
erty, and II is thought at Batavia that tn,
estimate of 10000 killed will not prove ex
oessive.
In the lowlands of Batavia, where III,
waters have receded and quoted down
hundreds OF bruised and mangled bodies ar,
lying exposed. A sanitary corps has beer
formed and the corpses are being removed
and buried as fast as possible in order tc
prevent the breeding and spread of con
tagion. While there is some cause for anx
iety on this score, II is thought the greater
number Of bodies in the interior were Sc
dried and scorched by the hot lava ant
stones that they will not putrefy, and tn,
bodies Of those drowned by the tidal wave
can be taken care of with reasonable ia
ciity by the coast sanitary corps, now get
ting rapidly TO work.