National Republican., 1883-03-13
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GREAT DISTURBANCES.
Things That Have Shaken Up the World
In Former Years.
Cleveland Leader,

Cleveland Leader.
While considering the various disasters that
have visited portions of tho civilized world
during the past two months, and while look
ing out for similar visitations which are pre-
dictcd, it will bo interesting, if not exactly
reassuring, to review tho trightfu convul-
sions and eruptions that have now and then
occurred, engulfing in ruin all who came in
their way. Should the predictions of Virgins
be realized, il would be no worse than what
has occurred many times in the past. With
out speaking of the cyclones which swept
with destructive violence over sections of this
country last year, or the other disasters of
recent date on land and sea, earthquakes
and various convulsions of nature have taken
place in the past, and may be repeated when
least expected.
In 1888 Iceland was visited by convulsions
which destroyed nearly one-fifth of the popu-
lation. Twenty villages We're consumed by
fire or inundated by water, and one eruption
on the mainland threw up "a mass of lava
greater than the bulk of Mont Blame" Anew
island was thrown up in the sea, but within q
year 1t sunk, leaving reef of rocks thirty
fathoms under water. In 1922 an earthquake
occurred ON the island of Java. The earth
shook and immense columns of hot water
and boiling mud, mixed with burning brim-
stone, ashes, and lapllli, of the size of nuts
were projected from the mountain like water
spout with such prodigious violence that largo
quantities fell beyond the river Tandoi, which
is forty miles distant" The eruption lasted
fourhours, destroying 11iv villages, killngover
1000 human beings, converting "a noun
tain ridge into an enormous gull" and chang
ing the face of the country for miles around.
On the first of September, 1870, the earth split
in Lancerota, one of the Canary Islands. In n
few days " a considerable hill of elected mat
ter was thrown up, a vent opened sending
forth stream of lava that overran several vii
lagos, and flowed into the sea-" These terri
BILE connections lasted five years, filing the
air with putrid vapors in the midst of which
hundreds of human beings and animals
dropped dead. In 1919 the fort and village of
Sindree, on the eastern arm of the Indies
sunk and tract of country 1000 square miles
in extent was submerged. In 1915 an erup-
tion took place in the province of TOmboro
and only twenty-siX persons survived out of
population of 10000 An account of the
fearful visitation says that "viOlent whirl-
winds carried up men, horses, and cattle
into the air, tore up the largest
trees by the roots, and covered the
whole sea with floating timber" Another
account says "the floating cinders to the west
ward of Sumatra formed, ON the twelfth of
April, mass two feet thick and several miles
in extent, through which the ships with diff
Guilty forced their way" The town of Tom
boro, on the west side of Sumbawa, was over
flowed by the sea SO that the water remained
permanently eighteen feet in places where it
was dry land before. Tho area covered by
this convulsion was 900 miles in circumfcr-
ence. On the first of November, 1875, at Lis
bon, sound of thunder was heard, and in six
minutes 10000 persons pershed. "A great
concourse of people collected for safety upon
Il new quay, built entirely of marble, but it
sunk with all upon IL, and not one body ever
appeared upon the surface" A number of
small boats went down, and no fragments of
their wrecks We're ever discovered HUM
boldt says that "a portion of the carths sur
face four times as great us the size of Europe
was shaken by this earthquake"
We refer to but few of these terrific mani
testations of the uncomfortable forces of ma
ture, without going back to the eruptions by
which whole cities were buried for centuries
from human view, and without discussing tho
theory advanced by some thinkers that vast
continent, peopled by highly civilized aud
pOpulOus race was once swallowed up in tho
region where now rolls the Atlantic ocean.
incidents might be quoted from
history TO prove how uncertain is the thread
by which all the affairs OF this world hang
There are no reasons 10 fear any such Cata-
nlysms as have at various times visited man
kind or to doubt that the earth will continue
for centuries to come TO teem with its mani
fold blessings. Yet it Is not impossible that
1t some day all we see
"May be melted into air into thin air;
And, like the bdSGlCss fabric Of a vision
The clnud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, /
me solemn temples, me great globe itself
Yea, AL which II inherit shall dissolve, /
And like an unsubstantial pageant faded
Leave not rack behind"
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