The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-04-24
A VOLCANOES NEW LEASE OF LIFE

A VOLCANOES NEW LEASE OF LIFE.
One of the lesser mountains Of
Chill, whose summit is nearly
thousand feet lower than that Of
our Mount Washington, has been
the talk of that country for year
past. Without note of warning
it developed into a very lively vol
cano, and its eruptions have dis
troyed much property, including
the humble homes of many farmers
living near its base.
The sudden out-burst was all the
more surprising because no one had
ever suspected that Mount Calbuco
was capable of such behavior.
Many people denied that Calbuco
was a volcano. The "Diccionario
Geografco de Chilli said that
neither i'll its structure nor i'll its
appearance did the mountain show
any evidence of volcanic origin.
1t was necessary, however, torevise
the popular idea when, in 1872,
Downton and Christie found at the
summit large and much delapi-
dated crater. No one in historic
times ever saw the slightest evidence
of volcanic activity, and so Calbuco
was, in recent years, regarded as a
volcano that centuries ago had lost
every spark of vitality.
On Feb. "a, 1893, DR.. Hans Stef-
fen, while about twenty miles north
of Puerto Mont, little south OF
Al Q S. lat, observed white clouds
on the eastern slope of Calbuco.
He thought of it until the next day
when he saw conclusive proof that
those clouds were a part of pheno-
mena showing beyond doubt that
the long-lost activity of the volcano
had been regained.
From tina time until Oct. 20, tie
date of the latest advices receive
from that isolated part OF the world
Calbuco sh owed considerable ard
almost inc ess ent activity, with
OCCASIONAL outbursts of fury. On
that day a rain of ashes fell upon
Osorno, six y niles away, obscur-
ing the sun so that at midday lamps
were bnrni lg in all the houses 81
the town. Tie detonations that
marked the more violent outburs, Is
were plainly heard. On the sane
day the far nes on the south shore
of Lake Ii; no uihue, little north
of the volca 10, barely escaped with
their lives, ND saw all their prop
erty destroyed. Their harvest was
ruined, their land made WORTHLESS:
by the volcanic sand that covered
it, and their cattle were killed.
Even long before October the
/, region of which the little mountain
} was the centre had been rendered
almost uninhabitable. For mile.
, around, the forests had been dis
troyed by showers of hot ashes
One day there was rain of red-ho
stones about the size of all egg tina
, did considerable damage. The
! rich meadows in the river valley!
> were covered with sand and ashes
Early i'll the series of eruptions tn,
snow on one side of Calbuco wa.
melted in few hours by the heated
J material scattered over it. Th,
result was a flood in one of tn,
rivers that destroyed much property
! At no time have any fire or Law;
] flows been observed, but sever,
f earthquakes, which frequent
j. accompany volcanic outbursts, hav,
z not been lacking.
a 1t is rare that volcano, which i
e known to have been perfect,
! quiescent for centuries, bursts int
e new life. Calbuco has been max
= ing up for lost time, and the settler
who, in fancied security, built thei
2 homes around its base, have bee,
; bereft OF all their possessions. A
last accounts it was probable tina
) the Government would place then
on new lands with sufficient outfi
: to enable them, under favorabl
circumstances, to make fires
. start in life. Sun.