Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-08

winch notnlns subsequent can ever enace, ana
with which no previous experiences OF LIE AFFORD
the slightest comparison.
HOW IT HAPPlNKD.
We were the first foreigners to make thus
rough but fairly complete examination OF the
scene OF the eruption, and when we started for
an 70
crater, and had attempted without much success
to secure views OF the precipice and the sea OF
dence just what had happened. These conclu-
sionS. may say here, were confirmed and cor
rected by the narratives OF the survivors whom we
Interviewed the next day among the ruins OF the
villages at the foot OF the mountain on the side
opposite to that we had assembled The main facts
manifestation Of volcanic aoIivity the mountain
range consists OF three peaks which are often
Of as @ oSs
smaller mountain known as Sho-Bandai-san, and
q third one. larger again, called Nskomata-
central one OF the three, and ShO-Bandai-san has
disappeared from the face OF the earth The ex-
mon was caused y See Mas neither
more nor less than colossal boiler explosion:
The whole top and one side OF Sho-Bandai-san had
the earth OF the mountain was converted, BY the
escaping steam at the moment OF the explosion,
into boiling mud part OF which was projected into
the air to fail long distance and then take the
form OF an OVERLOOKING river, and part OF which
rushed down with incOnceivable speed and resist
square miles OF country were thus devastated and
practically buried by this eruption, fact which
record.
SCENES OF THE DESTRUCTION.
Our first day was thus devoted to Investigating
the physical aspect Of the eruption. The second
was spent In the scenes OF the destruction OF hui
man life and property, and among the survivors
all the money advanced to them and therefore re-
lapsed OF necessity into state OF sObriety, ran
wi ma rv.fla ha ufIv Of n
the edge Of the mud sea, exactly at the opposite
end OF the volcanic energy 70 that we had visited
aay before C exactly was the 6oun
saw on alighting from our Jinrikisha3 was house
unroofed by the hurricane, to the wall OF which
the sea had flowed and stopped. The wall was bent
but not Overthrown. whereas II the momentum
had not ceased precisely at that spot, the whole
house would have gone down like piece Of paper
in the track OF an express train. We were now at
the edge OF the concealed sea whose source
we had previously explored, and its solid pillows,
before US as far as we could see. over them we
clambered TO a spot a few yardS farther ON where
force OF men were digging around the roof OF an
their friends whom they knew to be within. Just
beyond this lay one OF the smaller specimens Of
the boulders have described. asked some OF the
men to go and stand near while photographed It,
in order to AFFORD an idea OF Its size and In mo-
ment a score OF them had climbed up on 1t and
been shot down like hailStoneS there were some
| ten times as big as this. or our days tramp over
The mud it Is not necessary to speak in detail
We could see several hundred men and women
digging hard on the outskirts OF half de-
stroyed village. At first we thought they
were searching for bodies, but afterward we
discovered that they had neither time nor
inciinatlon-nor was there indeed any need-for
this, and that they were working so hard to save
their rice-neldS. without water they would be
ruined In day or two, and the ruin OF these would
Nagase, upon which they were dependent for
water, nad been buried, and they were making a
trench 10 some small lakes newly-fOrmed by the
eruption. Later on we learned that several lights
had occurred for these miserable water-SupplieS
between the Inhabitants OF the different villages
and that each set guard night and day over Its
own desperate attempts at irrigation. Could any,
thing be more pathetic than the spectacle OF these
poor wretches, barely escaped from the jaws Of a
horrible death Dy being buried alive, taking one
another by the throat to save themselves from
starvation?
Personal NARRATION OF THE CATASTROPHE.
Two hours steady walking brought us to our
goal in the little village Of Nagasaka, where oc.
Cured the most heartrending scene OF all that we
here and from three OF the half dozen Survivors,
by name Watanabe Fusahei Watanabe Seikicni
Watanabe Buhachi, Igathered ptecemeal, through
my interpreter, the following personal narrative
OF the catastrophe. few minutes past O'Clock
In the morning there was suddenly the most awful
noise Then In minute. "before man could run
cho "a chO Is 100 yardS), darkness darker than
midnight, and binding hot ashes and sand, as you
see them here on the roofs" fell upon them. And
terrible
that many OF them were thrown TO the ground and
crawled on all fours like animals, while the earth
undulated like the surface OF the sea. Explosion
after explosion came In rapid succession. the
last one being the greatest, and indeed so great
and appalling that after that, they all said
Mha %as men or think
events SO much Is certain, however, that all
who could move quickly left their houses instantly
and ran for their lives across the village, to ford
the shallow stream fifty yards wide and seek
refuge on the slope OF the hill opposite. Not a
thi1king is the most appalling fact of all Bandai
san Is four ri or ten miles from Nagasaka, as the
crow files. Half OF the mountain side which was
blown up Was shot Into the air and 1mpinged upon
the ground ri and q half, or nearly four miles
away, and from that point 1t flowed along in the
stream which overwhelmed these people. But the
farthest OF them was not two hundred yards from
the remotest part OF the village. Surprising, now.
that because OF the darkness and confusion and
life ye minutes to cover Two hundred dSr niS
ample allOwance-it follows that the mud
must have passed six miles through the air and
minutes. That Is, millions OF tons OF tenacious
boiling mud were hurled over the doomed country
at the rate Of two miles a minutes, Or double the
speed OF the fastest express tratnl The thought
paralyzes ones imagination.
DEATH AND ESCAPE.
ASH have said, OF the ninety people who ran.
men, women and children, all persisted; the only
survivors were few old people too infirm to run.
and one man, Yabe sankichi, who had gone over
half way up when the eruption occurred Watan-
abe Fusahei, an old man, was In q house with his
son aged thrty-twO, ana his sons Child aged six
He begged them to run and save themselves and
leave MIN TO his fate; they ran and were engulfed
he stayed and was saved Many more thrilling
stories are told by survivors at other places One
woman was running with her child on her back
when o red-hOt stone new by and smashed the
child. In her terror she did not notice it. however,
and ran into o neighbor's house with her red bur.
den upon her back. Another was fleeing and drag
gtng child by the hand when a boulder struck
the child and tore away leaving the from the
shoulder. And the mother was found afterwards
alive still clutching the dead hand OF her child.
But II Is useless TO repeat sucn horrors One man
but he had disappeared. This was the peasant
VINO was cutting grass upon mountain opposite
when ne heard the noise and saw the ground be-
lore MIN begin to bob up and down. But he had
met a fox that morning and now he knew that he
had been bewitched by ia common superstition
OF the Japanese peaSant-and that he must above
all things keep cool so he seated himself upon a
eruption with perfect equanimity, knowing 1t to
Dc only subjective phenomenon. When 1t was
all over this willy kitsune-tsuki-TOx- be witched-
resumed his work, well pleased to have outwitJed
the evil one His narratve,if we could have found
him, would have been interesting. The aspect of
Nagasaka was extraordinary. AS the mud stream
had passed 1t BY, the houses and their contents
cept few that were flooded by the detected
stream but there was not soul to live In them
or claim them. A force OF police were occupyinV
the village and their red and white flag dOated
above the roof OF the principal house. but IL will
De delicate task to install the homeless refugees
from other villages there. I may say here that
steps were taken Instantly for the relief of tmme
-