The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-30
Many Volcanoes Sending Forth Stones and
Ashes-ThOusands of Lives Lost, and
Much Property Destroyed.
Terms of an Alleged Treaty Between
France and AMMAN.
The Croatian Revolt-Search for a Missing
Arctic Vessel-The King of Spain's
Visit to Germany.
TERRIBLE VOLCANIC ERUPTION.


Java Towns Destroyed and Thousands OF
Lives Supposed To Be Lost.
| LONDON, Aug. 29.-The latest adyices from
Batavia, the capital of Java, show that the
| volcanic eruptons in that island are much
| more serious than at first indicated The
disturbances began on the island of Kraka-
| toa in the strait of Sunda, about fifteen
miles off the coast of Java. The deep
rumblings were distinctly audible at Sauk-
erta and Batavia, about forty-five and twenty
two miles off respectively. Little alarm
was felt at first, but within a few hours
showers of stones began to fall at Jogykerta
Sourabaya and Samaran. All through the
night showers of red-hot rocks and ashes
fell, making complete darkness in all these
towns. In Batavia there was an occasional
fall, and it was difficult to keep the street.
| lights burning in the European quarter. By
the next morning all communication with
Anjira was cut off, all the bridges having
been destroyed by the descending rocks ana
ashes, and the road rendered impossible
The first eruptions were on Saturday night.
On Sunday morning the disturbances had
extended beneath the waters of the strait
and they were soon boiling and kissing vio-
leItly. This eruption soon spread to the
| Cunning, the crater OF which is the largest
in the world, being nearly four miles in di-
ameter. The Cunning, Cuntur, and many
other minor mountains belched forth until
more than third of the forty-fve craters of
Java were either in active eruption or seri-
ously threatening it.
Just before dusk great luminous cloud
~. q
ter of that volcano began to vomit up enor-
nous streams of mulcted acid, sulphurous
mud, and quantities of lava. These were
rapidly succeeded by explosions followed
by tremendous showers of cinders and enor-
nous fragments, which were hurled high
into the air in all directions, to fall, after
their force was spent, upon the valleys be-
low, carrying death and destruction. With
these terrible eruptions came sympathetic
demonstrations from the sea. The overhang-
ing clouds were so surcharged with cleo
tricity that at one time more than fifteen
huge waterspouts were sent 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
houses fell, and were buried beneath the
great masses of rocks and mud which were
piled up where few hours before all had
been peace, happiness, and fanced security.
Much of the northern portion of the
| island which was covered with tracts of for
| ests, was soon in one great blaze. The red
| hot vomitings from the craters had set the
| trees on fire, and the giants OF the woods
| fell one after another like so 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 they rushed
with terrific force up the steep, rocky incline,
breaking upon the overhanging crags and re-
ceding rapidly leaving a lava flow cooled
! just at the moment when it was about to fall
over a precipice, and, there remaining
| quickly hardened by contact with the waters
and forming distinct strata of black and
bright red purple and brown, all thrown
about the coast in eccentric masses, while
| huge peaks of basalt rose at frequent inter-
walls. There the waves came whelming over
Il marshy plain along the Shore suddenly
engulfng hamlet of fishermen 5 rude houses,
and turning suddenly back, swept away al
most every vestige of what moment before
had been scene of bustling activity. What
few hours before were fertile valleys COW
cred with fourishing plantations of coffee
rice, sugar, indigo or tobacco, the staples OF
the island, were now but mud, stone and
lava. Probably not 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 entirely swept away, and of
| the 25, 600 Chinese who lived on this swampy
| plain it is hardly probable that more than
| 5000 saved their lives. They stuck to their
homes till the waters came that washed
them away, fearing the torrents of flame and
| lava of the interior more than the torrent.
Of the 8, 500 Europeans and Americans in
Batavia perhaps eight hundred perished. 1t
| is impossible to make any estimate of the
in the higher part of the city we're demol-
! ished. The exchange and the military
hospitals sutf cred great damage.
At Anjira 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 caus-
ing the loss of somewhere in the neighbor-
hood of two hundred lives of inhabitants and
those who tried to find refuge there Ban
tam, once a prosperous native city, but
practically abandoned by Europeans many
years ago, was entirely covered by water,
and there must have been from twelve hun
dred to fifteen hundred people drowned.
Then the Island of of Serang, just off the
coast was completely inundated and not a
soul remains on it to tell the tale of disas-
ter and death. At Cheeribon there was no
great flood of waters, but the loss of life and
property by the falling of rocks and the
flow of lava must have been considerable.
Buitenzorg suffered very seriously, as did
Samarang, Jogykerta Sourakerta and Soura-
baya, while the meager reports from the
lesser towns indicate that their loss was as
great in proportion The thousand temples
.Aa,,, oh, Il raI