The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-09
VOLCANIC ERUPTION.
THOUGHTS ABOUT KRAKATOA AND
THE UPHEAVAL OF 1883.

feet of the Disturbance on All Parts
of the E&rth-Much Time Has Been
Consumed in Gathering Results.
Although tAe gSsat eruption at Kraka-
toa, in 1883, took place some ten thousand
miles away from these islands, we were
the glories that followed the outbreak. In
this sense can say that I myself was a
spectator Doubtless there were many
thousands OF millions of people who OBJ
served the phenomena close at hand, but it
does not seem likely that those in the vi
cinity were favorably placed for observa-
ton. Indeed 5000 of those unfortunate
creatures were drowned by the mighty sea
waves which swept the coasts Of Sumatra
and Java.
Though the great volcanic eruption took
place seven years ago, yet the materials for
discussing it have only recently been
brought together. The consequences of
Krakatoa were world wide, and informa-
tion had to be collected from every quar-
ter of the globe. The records of meteoro-
logical instruments in Europe, Asia, AZ
rica, America and Australia all bore their
testimony to the vehemence of the erup-
ton. These had to be fully discussed; then,
too, the logs Of ships that arrived in many
q port in many an ocean had to be ran
sacked. All this knowledge had to be di-
gested and arranged before the full signifi-
canoe of Krakatoa could be appreciated
So great task cannot be the work of a
day; it has occupied the energies of a COM
mittee of the Royal society for some years,
but at last their work has been done and an
astonishing volume has been produced.
THE VICINITY DEVASTATED
On looking at a map of the Indian ocean
you will see the little island which was the
seat Of the explosion lying between Su-
matra and Java. KFakatoa is only few
miles in extent, perhaps about as large as
the Hill of Howth, near Dublin. Volcanoes
and earthquakes are familiar phenomena
in those eastern seas, in which many of the
Oceanic islands owe their origin to out
breaks from below. In quiet times the
proximity of the devastating forces is dis
guised by the lovely tropical vegetation
with which such islands are so often
clothed. For 200 years Krakatoa had slum-
bered, the little island was covered with q
luXuriant forest, which was occasionally
visited by natives from the adjacent shores,
who came TO gather such tropical fruits as
the trees afforded. But the island was not
regularly inhabited.
In the early part of 1888 the outbreak be-
gan. At first its manifestations were
comparatively mild, so much so that an
excursion party went from Batavia in a
steamer landed on Krakatoa aid had
pleasant time. 1t was in the autumn that
the volcano began to put forth its might.
On Sunday, Aug. 26, terrific thunders were
heard hundreds of miles distant vast col
umns of smoke and ashes were poured
forth and hung suspended IN clouds which
darkened the seas and islands over an area
as large as Great Britain or France. All
through that Sunday night the explosions
increased both in frequency and vehe-
mence. The inhabitants of Batavia, about
a hundred miles away, describe how their
houses shook as if artillery was being dis
charged close to their doors, and the phe-
nomena eliminated at 10 o'clock on Mon
day morning.
CAUSE AND EFFECT.
A large part of the island of Krakatoa
was entirely blown away in three or four
frightful paroxysms, with thunders that
were heard over an area as great as a con-
tinent. AS to the cause of the eruption,
there seems no reason to suppose that it
did not originate in the same way as other
volcanic outbreaks have done. Krakatoa
was near the sea, and there is natural
antipathy between fire and water. In the
earth, at a distance of few miles beneath
our feet, the materials are red hot, white
hot, and even molten. 1t sometimes hap
pens that the water of the sea gets down
through assures TO this red hot matter,
and then frightful hubbub occurs, so that
if there is fire enough and water enough
the explosion may be even on as grand
scale as that which we saw in Krakatoa.
Just as a pebble dropped into pond
originates a series Of ripples which gradu-
ally diverge from the center of the disturb
ance, so at the moment of the mighty par
Oxysm of Krakatoa at 10 a. N. on Aug. q,
1885, air waves began to spread From the
little island in the Straits of Sunda they
encompaSsed the earth, conyerging to the
Antipodes; thence they diverged and re-
turned to the volcano; again they started
and again returned. Every delicate self
recording barometer in the world showed
these mighty air waves, and we learned
that the period Of their journey from one
pole of the earth to the opposite pole was
about eighteen hours. 1t was only after
seven oscillations had been made that the
energy of the great air waves subsidized and
the atmosphere regained its normal state.
HEARD THOUSANDS OF MILES.
Astonishing is the map which shows the
regions of the earth over which the thun-
ders of Krakatoa were audible. Those who
heard these explosions had no knowledge
as 10 how they originated; they were gen.
orally thought to be signals from some
vessel in distress the whereabouts of which
could not be ascertained. SO loud were
these noises that even in the island of Cele-
bes, a thousand miles distant, steamers
were actually sent out to search for the
supposed ship. At the very center of Au-
stralia loud noises were heard which were
conjectured TO be produced by artillery,
and the unwonted occurrence was carefully
recorded. The artillery, however, proved
to be from Krakatoa. Even at the island
of Rodriguez, almost three thousand miles
distant, the booming c. heavy guns was re-
corded. which the circumstances show to
have been the thunders OF hrakatos.-Rob-
ert Ball in Montreal Star.
Stale Bread.
tits generally supposed that the fact thst