Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-29

CACccQs A,VVO~ E6ur6uu0lL, AoAsAA
hurting to the heavens fiery, chaotic masses
Continuous explosions upheave the masse
| again and again into the sir, pounding ant
grinding them against one another Thu
they leap and fall, battering and battered
in Titanic, vertiginous dance, scattering. q
from a monstrous engine of destruction,
storm rain of rocks, sand and ashes. Now
imagine this inferno caught in its maddest
widest activity and held fast, the knife
edge excrescences bristling all over 1t Ek'
savage teeth gnawing the air, the awful pill
ing up on its heaving sides of the very
vitals of the volcano, and you will have an
idea of this lava which for II days of the
spring of 1886 furrowed and desolated L. 00(
acres of the country above Nicolosi.
A population of 800, 600 persons dwells or
the mountain slopes round about Etna
There are two cities, Catanis and Aci Reale
and 63 towns or villages The whole district
is more thickly populated than any othel
part of Sicily or Italy, for, while the popu
lation of Italy per square kilometer is 80
and of Sicily, SO, that of the habitable
zone around Etna is $50.
The fertility of the soil, caused by the
discomposed lava, attracts this excess Of
population. The vine fourishes and the
soil gives abundance of corn, olives, pista-
chic nuts, mulberries, oranges, lemons, figs
and other fruit trees.
Around the Base Of the Mountain.
This cultivated zone may be described as
the outer one around the base of the
mountain. An inner zone is the wooded
belt, which extends to height of {, 900
feet, the height of the crater cone itself be-
ing over 10000. There are IA separate
forests in the Etna region, some abounding
with oak, beech, pine, and poplar, and
others with chestnut, ileI and cork trees.
The celebrated chestnut-Castagno di
est trees in the world, is in the forest of
Carpinetto, FIVE miles above Giarre, on the
east side of the mountain. The region be-
yond is a complete desert of black sand,
scoriae, ashes and masses of elected lava,
and extends for about mile and half
around the central crater. In autumn,
summer and spring this portion is covered
with snow, some of which in the deep ra-
vines is eternal
The reports of destruction of life and
property coming from the Island of Sanguir
are not so we'll authenticated as the reports
we are daily receiving from Europe con-
cerning Mount Etna, but there is little
room to doubt that great disaster has be-
fallen that unhappy island, and no room at
all to doubt that great eruption has taken
place there.
From the report of the master of the sail
ing vessel who saw the eruption it would
appear that Sanguir has met the fate which
befell Krakatoa, an island in the Indian
Ocean, nine years ago. Krakatoa lies not
far from Sanguir, as distances are measured
in the Pacific Ocean. That was the most
destructive outburst of volcanic energy that
has been known in modern times, and
was accompanied by widespread disturb
ances and physical phenomena Not only
was the island in the Strait of Sunda des-
troyed with its population of 30, 600, but
tidal wave was caused which reached San
Francisco day after the eruption, and for
months thereafter a most remarkable series
of sunsets was witnessed all over the globe,
which were explained by the presence of
particles of volcanic dust in the xthmos-
phere. The recurrence of similar eruption
in the group lying south of the Philippines
will open another and closely connected
chapter of scientific discussion which may
prove OF equal interest and Importance.
In the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
1t does not seem possible that phenom-
epon of equal magnitude with that of Kra-
katoa has occurred. In that instance new
islands were flung up out of the sea, dozen
volcanoes were brought into action, and
there seemed to be a movement of the
whole bed of the Indian Ocean.
Great Sanguir is one of the largest of
group of Dutch Islands which are mountain.
Gus and contain several volcanoes. One of
these volcanoes has been frequently in
during the century, and about 40
years ago caused great destruction of life
and property. The volcanic circuit which
runs from Kamschatka and japan to Aus
tralia passes through the Indian Archipel-
ago and forms there great nexus or center,
1t is in that quarter that earthquakes, vol
canic eruptions and seismic disturbances on
a great scale have occurred more frequently
than in any other area OF the ocean.
Sangir or Sanguir, is an island of the
Malay or Indian Archipelago, midway be-
tween Celebes and Mindanas 1t lies in
latitude 8 deg. % min. north and longitude
l25 deg. A min. east. It is 30 miles long,
with an average width of 10 miles
Great Sangir is the largest and center of
a cluster of 30 islands. In the center of the
Great Sangir is the huge volcano, Mount
Abu, which has been in what may be called
a constant state of eruption since its exist
ence became known. The last violent erup-
ton recorded took place in 1856, when the
entire population was wiped out Over
:, 600 lives were lost on the island at that
time. The lava foated to the other islands
and caused fires which resulted in the loss
Of about 1000 lives more. In the recent
years the volcano has simply been smolder-
ing, and terrible accident has frequently
been predicted.
In the Island of Luzon, the largest and
most populous of the Philippine group,
there are four active volcanoes, the MaYon
Or Albay, which rises to an altitude of 800
teet above the level of the sea; the Cagua
which has an altitude Of 2, 489 feet; the Taal,
scarcely $40 ieet in height; and the Balu-
sian.
Science at a SeandstiIl
On November %, 1881, the Mayon or
Albay volcano was the scene of great
eruption. Another eruption occurred in
July, 1888, which was undoubtedly con-
nected with the terrible eruption of the
Volcano Bandaisau, in Japan, on the 18th Of
she same month. That volcano had been
Inactive for 900 years, and had long been
regarded as extinct; but it su idenly burst
into activity, and overwhelmed region ex-
ending to a distance of five miles all
around the mountain with volcanic mud,
'coria, rocks and hot water, while the loss
If life reached 476 persons, and PAL others
we're injured. The eruption in Luzon at
hat time destroyed over 100 lives
. The inquiry concerning the nature and
,auses of volcanic action is far from
being complete one. 1t is true that many
lypotheses upon the subject have been
ramed, but in too many instances these
nave not been based on accurate observa-
ions and careful cancellations, and eau be
'egarded as little better than mere guesses.
indeed the state of the inquiry at the pre-
ene time would seem to be that while
much remains to be done in the direction
10Th of observation and experience. the
main facts of the case have been established
lpon irrefragable evidence. The classif-
,ation and comparison of these facts have
ed tn the recnpnitinn of cerfain laws " hinh