The record-union., 1896-01-13
WONDERFUL PHENOMENON.
The Partial Disappearance of Large
Lake in JaliscO Mexico.
1t Created Great whirlpool That
Sucked Vessels and Crews Into
Mysterious Hole.

DAN Il Ik<A4N11OAO, dill ia SpCGlcil
to the Cali from San Diego says:
Particulars were received to-day of a
terrible convulsion of nature at Lake
Chapala, in the State of Jalisco, Mex,
which occurred last Wednesday. 1t is
an isolated place and has no telegraphic
communication.
The lake is fifty miles long and ten
wide, and on the morning of the Sth
inst. it was subjected to some volcanic
disturbance which evidently made an
immense cavity in it's bottom, as the wa
ters of the lake reeeded several feet and
created a whirlpool in going down
through the hole, which sucked several
small vessels and drowned about twen-
ty people.
The region is peculiarly subject to
subterranean disturbances, being not
far from the volcano of Colima, which is
in eruption almost constantly.
On the forenoon Of the Sth residents
in one of the small settlements near
| the western end of the lake were ter
rified to see a gigantic whirlpool rag
ing far out on the water, the cause of
which was a complete mystery The
waters swirled and rose in great SER
tions rushed toward a common center,
where stupendous cavity seemed TO
exist. The weather was clear and calm
a. the time. and the terrified people on
shore could hear a cavernous rumbling
far out in the lake and beneath their
feet in the bowels of the earth.
The mighty action of the waters of
the lake was exactly such as would be
+t,1
of water into a funnel The whirlpool
resulting from the sinking of the lakes
bottom was of wide extent, and pleas
ure boats and fishing craft were sucked
into the awful abyss.
The natives on shore could plainly
see the boats, none of which were near
the center OF the whirlpool at first, but
as the rush of waters continued the ir-
resistible force could not be overcome
by the men in the boats, and their her
culean efforts to escape the death that
reached out for them was most appall-
ing to the friends on shore.
Now and then some boat would ap-
pear to waver and stand still, but the
Niagara of waters would swell upon it
and hurl it quickly into the chasm.
There was not one boat within reach of
that current that escaped and the score
of persons in the boats all lost their
lives.
The whirlpool continued for nearly
twenty minutes, mad when the inhab-
itants of the surrounding territory
turned their eyes from the overwhelm-
ing sight they saw that the lake had re-
ceded several feet from its former shore
line. AS the lake is about fifty miles in
length, with a width of ten miles, the
enormous amount of water that was
swallowed up by the earth may be
family imagined.
After the whirlpool subsided the sur
face of the lake resumed its placid as
pect. and the subterranean rumblings
ceased The greatest excitement arose
among the people for miles in the vi
cinity of the western end of the lake,
the more ignorant and superstitious
native being beside themselves with
fear. Years of familiarity with volcanic
eruptions did not serve to reassure them
during this dreadful experience.
The news was received by Professor
Edward H. Coffey, who formerly lived
near Lake ChapaIa. He is we'll ac-
quainted with its surroundings, having
explored much of its coast line in the
year 1883. At that time he found
petroleum and coal in quantities that
proved the existence of vast wealth in
that region
| Since the strange occurrence on the
lake last Wednesday petroleum has been
found running in small streams above
the surface on the southern shore The
Lerms River empties into Lake Chap
ala on the western side and flows out
in a west northwesterly direction under
the name Of the Colatalan River