The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-30
EARTHQUAKE WAVES.
Tremendous Violence of the Sea-
Over Submarine Disturbances.


Kingston. Jamaica. Jan. 29.-In the great
hurricane that swept the southern islands
of the Lesser Antilles in September last
many ships were torn from their anchor
ages in the roadsteads and dashed by the
wind and waves against the shore. where
they were completely wrecked. The waves
resulting from great hurricanes are some
times very high, but are hardly compare
BILE with the tremendous waves that occa-
sionally result from submarine earth
quakes.
The people of Kingston, Jamaica. never
grow weary OF telling tourists OF the terri.
BILE disaster that overwhelmed the settle-
ment near there three centuries ago. This
place was called Port Royal. and stood on
a sandy spit south OF where Kingston now
stands. An earthquake shock raised waves
mountain high. and every house in the set
Element was buried to its roof. All the
shipping in the roadstead was carried on
the top of the waves and hurled against
the town, helping to make the destruction
more terrible. Nearly all the persons who
escaped were saved by cliDging to the
wreckage. and as the water subsidized they
were taken on board frigate that had
been carried ashore and deposited on the
ruins of lot of houses that had stood
close together.
Only sixteen years ago a side-wheel
steamboat was borne three miles inland
on the coast of Sumatra by a wave over
100 feet in height that resulted from the
terrible eruption which destroyed most Of
the island and mountain of krakatau. in
Sunda Strait. The vessel had on board
about twenty excursionists from Batavia
who were bound for the neighborhOod of
the Krakatau Volcano. which had been in
mild eruption for number Of weeks
They landed on the little island, little
inc hat fu-n lat fxvO rflz
OF it would be blown into the air as though
shot from n gun. After spending couple
of hours around the island the party
steamed up the deep and narrow bay of
Lampong, and it Is supposed that they
anchored for the night in front OF the big
town of Telokh- Betong, which is one of
the largest settlements on the south coast
of Sumatra. The Inflated party
never heard of again, nor were any OF
their bodies recovered.
II is supposed that when the great crash
and the resulting wave came the boat
was turned over and over like an egg
shell as it was swept inland through for
ests and Jungle and deposited upright on
its keel three miles from, the coast. IL
had every appearance OF such rough usage
when it was found some months later.
The machinery and furniture were badly
broken and were strewn about in the
greatest confusion. Not a vestige re-
InalHeu Oh tue villages tHdI liilsu tne water
edge. a while ago the hulk OF the little
steamer was still standing, battered and
broken, though as erect as when she
plowed the channel. She was still one
OF the most curious and interesting relics
of the greatest volcanic eruption of mod
ern times.
considerable number OF vessels have
been borne inland along the coasts OF
Ecuador and Peru by earthquake waves
some of which have undoubtedly travelled
thousands of miles before reaching the
coast In the deep open ocean these
earthquake waves are so long and low
that their passage beneath a vessel Is
sometimes almost imperceptIble; but
when they reach shoal water as land is
approached the waves become shorter and
higher. and their arrival at the shore is
indicated by an abnormal rise of the water
above the usual level. which has OCCASION
ally reached a height OF 200 feet or more