The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-06-12
Destructive Volcanoes.
COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF THE WORST
CATASTROPHES RECORDED.

COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF THE WORST
CATASTROPHES RECORDED.
Woefu! Waste of Life and Property
in Various Parts of the WorId-Ac-
count of the Greatest Disasters of
Recorded Time-A Little World
Blo,ted Off the Map-The DestruC-
ZION of st. Pierre as Compared With
Like Occurrences Elsewhere of
Which We Have knowledge.
Molten lava can rush down a noun
tain side at "A faster rate than mile
an hour.
After it stops flowing crust will
form over the top of the bed, which
becomes hard ard cool, while the
body of it will long retain a fiery heat.
When Mauna LOa. the terror-creat
iun volcano Of Hawaii, had its awful
eruption in 1852, it belched forth a
solid fountain of lava which was 900
feet wide and spouted 900 feet into
the air.
country have been known to perform
similar feats and have continued to
do 50 uninterruptedly for several
weeks.
The output from one of them travel
cd fifteen miles in two hours and
continued to creep along for months,
destroying everything in its path.
Lava is as variable in its moods
after settling down on top Of the
earth as it is in getting there. Some
times it quickly becomes good soil,
while on other occasions it always re-
mains barren.
As rule, volcanoes are located on
mountain ranges in the neigh bOr
hood Of the sea. Most Of the oceanic
islands are volcanic. Very seldom
is "A volcano found far inland, and
hen it is so situated it is generally
in the vicinity of a lake or where
body of water has at some time
existed
The largest ones are on the Ha-
! waiian Islands. In ages past their
terrible upheavels must have cOnyul-
>ed the world.
Besides them. Nesuvius. W hich has
/ a base circumference of thirty miles,
is a pigmy.
The largest volcano in America is
! popocatapeIt, in MeNico. 1t rises to
height of 1868 Spanish feet above
! the sea level and the circumference of
the crater is 10000 feet. For many
wears it was dormant, but in 1894 it
! spit little fire and created a great
deal Of fear. Since that time it has
been quiet.
In the United States the most i'm
mensc volcano is MI. Rainier, near
! Tacoma, Wash. 1t is more than 10,
900 feet high and is supposed to be
extinct.
Volcanoes on the American conti-
nent and contiguous islands have
never caused any enormous sacrifice
Of life through eruptions since white
men settled the country until the st.
Pierre occurrence.
There are large number that have
ALWAYS caused more or less uneasl-
ness. however, through their ten
dency to break out, and not few in
!
have caused the deaths Of consider
able numbers of people.
On islands in the Pacific. China
Japan and many Asiatic and European
countries the loss from this cause has
reached an enormous aggregate.
The most violent disturbance eve1
known to have resulted from al
eruption was that which destroyed
Krokatoa. an island in the Straits o
Sunda, on August y, 1888.
1t was also the most disastrous IL
the destruction of life since Pompei
was buried until st. Pierre was de
stroyed.
The explosion buried the island an,
about %, 900 inhabitants at the bottom
of the sea in the course OF a few min
utcs.
The yibratory effects were fel
around the world.
1t caused a tidal wave which reach
ed San Francisco and wiped out man
villages on the Island Of Sumatra
, while it was on the way.
The noise of the explosion wa
heard in India, it was heard in Aus
tralia. and it was heard in the islam
Of Roderiquez, 2,96S miles distant.
The seismic wave OF the sea wa
seen at Cape Horn, 7.aOO mile
from the scene of the calamity. an
at a point in Sumatra it carried tn
, Dutch Man-of-War Benow, two mile
inland and left the vessel high an
= drv thirty feet above the level OF tn
sea.
An air wave was created by the e'
plosion which travelled three time
around the world before it becanl
disSipated.
While eruptions Of volcanoes a
wavs cause the most dread, the eartt
quakes cause the greater loss of IN
and property by an overNhelmln
amount.
1t is estimated that the destrucuC
of human beings through this mediu
is greater than any other agency o'
disease.
IRON first to last during huma
occupancy of this planet II has bee
figured that 100000 people hay
become moribund as a result of cart
quake disasters.
On this continent they have bee
} most disastrous on the Pacific coas
IL in Mexico and the countries South
g it.
st Below is list of the great disaste
from this cause during period cove
re ed bv medieval and subsequent hl
nd tory.