Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1883-09-05
APPALLING DISASTER.
The Great Island of Java a Mass
Of Ruins.

LONDON, Aug. 28.-The latest ad-
vices from Batavia, the capitol of Java
show that the volcanic eruptions in that
island are much more serious than at
first indicated The disturbances be-
gun on the island of Krakatsa, in the
strait of Sunda, about fifteen miles off
the coast of Java The deep rumblings
were distinctly audible at Surakerta
and Batavia, about As and p miles re-
spectively. Little alarm was felt at
first, but within a few hours showers
of stones began to fall at Jonkjokerta,
Surabaga and Zerang. All through
the night showers of red-hot rocks and
ashes fell, making complete darkness
in these towns In Batavia there was
an occasional fall, and it was difficult
to keep the street lamps burning in the
European quarter. BY the next morn
ing all communications with AMER was
cut off, all the bridges having been de-
stroyed by the descending rocks and
ashes, and road rendered impossible.
The first eruptions were on Saturday
night. On Sunday morning the dis
turbances had extended beneath the
waters of the Strait, and they were
soon boiling and kissing violently,
while great waves dashed upon the
Javanese shores, and the temperature
of the sea went up nearly 90 degrees.
Even as far away from the original
point of disturbances as Madura the
furious waves were lashed into noun
tains of foam as they came rolling in.
The threatening rumblings gradually
became more and more distinct. and by
noon the Maha Meru, the largest of the
volcanoes of Java, was belcbing forth
flames at a very alarming rate. This
eruption soon spread to the Cunning
Tengger, (the crater of which is the
largest in the world, being nearly four
miles in diameter); the Cunning Gun
tur, and many other minor mountains
until more than third Of the forty-fve
craters of Java We're either in active
eruption or seriously threatening it.
Just before dusk great luminous
cloud formed over the Cunning Guntur,
and the crater of that volcano began
to vomit up enormous streams of white
acid and sulphurous mud, besides
smaller quantities of lava. There were
rapidly successive explosions, followed
by tremendous showers of cinders and
enormous fragments, which were hurled
high into the air and scattered in all
directions, to fall, after the force was
spent, upon the valleys below, carrying
death and destruction.
With these terrible eruptions came
sympathetic demonstration from the sea.
The overhanging clouds were so sur
charged with electricity that at one
time over fifteen huge water-spouts
were 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 were unable to
get out before the houses fell and were
buried beneath the great mass of rocks
and mud which were piled up where
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 seventeen miles
long and seven broad was completely
covered white sulphurous mud so pecu-
liar to the eruptions of Java. The
peak of Cunning Tengger is 5000 feet
high, and the monument of flame on
top of this made a scene of very i'm
pressive grandeur. Every moment
huge bowlder at red or white heat
would be hurled from Tengger's crater
with terrific force and after going hum
dreds of feet into the air would fall
back with whirl, perhaps crushing
through the heated roof of some
Chinese fsherman's hut, or crush be-
meath its huge mass the form of some
native peasant. Fissure after fssure
appeared in the sides of the mountains,
and here and there in the valleys there
came a great yawning chasm.
On the elevated plains of kediri and
Bandong the showers of stones, mud
and lava were not so frequent as in the
lower portions Of the island. but were
still quite destructive Much of the
northern portion of the island, which
was covered with tracts of forests, was
soon in one great blaze of fame. The
red-hot vomitings from the craters had
set the trees on fire, and as the giants
of the woods fell one after another like
so many sheaves of wheat before gale,
the scene was one of awful grandeur.
AS the eruptions increased in fire.
quency end 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 upon the
overhanging crags and receding rapidly
leaving a lava-how cooled just at the
| moment when it was about to fall over
a precipice, and then remaining, quick
ly hardened by contact with the waters
and forming distinct strata of black
and bright red, purple and brown lava,
all thrown about in the most eccentric
masses, while huge peaks of basalt rose
at frequent intervals. There the waves
came rolling over marshy rlain along
the shore, suddenly engulping ham,
let of fisherman's rude houses, and
turning suddenly back swept away al
most every vestige of what had mo-
ment before been scene of hustling
activity where family after family had
been rushing around in vain endeavor
to save their effects and get away with
their lives from the awful combination
of elements threatening them. What
few hours before were fertile valleys,
covered with hourishing plantations of
coffee, rice, sugar, indigo or tobacco,
the staples of the island, were soon but
mud, stone and lava-covered fields of
destruction and ruin. Probably not
single crop of Java will be saved At
| the entrance to Batavia was large