Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-09-03
OUR NEW BIG VOLCANO.
ton in 1897 of Mayon in the Philippines.

The most famous volcano in the Phil. ppines is MaFon and one of its most tremendous and destructive outbursts occurred in 1S97 Father Jose Coronas, desiring to preserve a record of the principal phenomena connected with this eruption, secured all the accounts of eyewftnesses that he was able to collect and has recently brought them together in a pamphlet published by the Manila Observatory.
 This volcano is in the southeast part of Luzon, 200 miles from Manila. 1t is one of the most symmetrical noun tains in the world, rising in regular, conical form to a height of S,274 feet above the sea- The view of the i'm mense mass is very imposing, for it's surroundings are comparatively low and flat. There are no secondary cones on it's Hanks and all the lavas that form if seem to have been poured from the solitary chimney at it's top. The fluid eiecta that built it up was spread quite evenly over it's sides, and it's base now has circuit of about so miles.
 When Jagor and Yon Drasehe, with great difficulty. reached the summit in 1876 they could find no trace of a crater properly so-called. For many years be- fore 1897 the volcano had ejected very little lava in it's frequent eruptions, but had covered the surrounding dis tricts, far and wide, with quantities of ashes.
 Before describing the recent eatastro- phe, Father Coronas briefly reviews all the eruptions previously recorded, giy- ing special attention to those that have occurred since 1884, when the office for the observation of meteorological and seismic phenomena was established at Manila The first record of an erup- ton is that of 1616, which Spilbergen mentioned, but few details are known of it. The most memorable eruption, both on account of it's magnitude and it's destructive effects, is that of 1874, when the town of Daraga was buried deep under ashes and the streets and buildings of Manila were covered with eiected matter waited thither by the wind. The outburst of 18S1-s2 was re markable for it's duration, but since 1S14 no single eruption has equaled in magnitude that which forms the sub iect of Father Coronas' pamphlet.
 Several of the outbursts of Mayon have been preceded by earth tremors, and this was the ease in 1897. There were rather severe shocks with oseil- lating movements throughout the prov ince of Albay, in which the volcano is situated, and the center of action was in the island of Masbate, south of that province. This was on the night of May 13, but no signs of unusual activity in the volcano were observed until June p, and then the phenomena gradually increased in violence until June 25.
 On that day, and especially after noon, the mountain presented terrible aspect. It was unceasingly sending into the air dense columns of smoke and ashes, and a large part of the sky was turned to inly blackness. The most violent period of the eruption lasted IT hours, and during this time an enor- nous quantity of lava and volcanic JULIUS were pOuI6u Oul Ol tue SuIuDlIt. 1t was during this period that the greatest destruction was wrought Lava streams poured down the steep slopes of the mountain, particularly on the east and southeast sides, and it was in these directions that the largest dam age was done. With great swiftness, they overtlowed the whole or parts of seven villages, and hundreds of people lost their lives in the red-hot currents. The large town of Libog was only part ly destroyed.
 While most. of the lava spread to the east and southeast, the lapilli, or small stones, and the ashes and dust fell principally to the northwest of the vol cano. The quantity of them discharged was remarkable. The ashes oyerspread an area of southeast Luzon measuring about 200 by over 100 miles.-N. !. Sun.