The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1905-10-06
MAGNIFICENT SIGHT
Was the Outbreak Of a New Vol
cano on Savaii
Island.
tsan Fra ncisco ChranIcle.l

moan group, and the terror that 1t
caused among the people in the part
of the South Seas. were witnessed
byI. +. Brim, an elder of the Nor
mon church, who arrived on the
the steamer Sierra from Pago-
Page. The volcano broke out on
August q, more than month ago
the confined forces from bowels Of
the earth using the little mountain
standing back of Matautu as their
means of escape. This comparative
w small hill had stood for centuries
with no sign of having such giant
forces hidden beneath its cone.
1t was 3 o'clock on the morning
of August 81 the Matantu opened
up. The shock of the eruption was
felt for distance of 80 miles and
the force of the earth quake follow
ing the shock shattered church build
ings of the London Missionar Society
10 miles away. But only one person
lost his life. This was higher chief
who attempted to investigated the
source the explosion and temblor, and
who mounted cooled-oif stream OF
lava on his way to the source of the
trouble. The Lava was flooded with
fresh outpouring while he walked
along, and he sank beneath its resist
less body. literally buried alive and
cremated.
Mr.. Brim, with others who were
residing on the Island of SaNan at
the time. set out to eAploN the dis
turbed section as soon a. they
thought travelling was safe. They
mad already seen from afar the erup-
ton of Matautu. which is described
US particularly magnificent. lava
and hugh powders being hurled to
a great shower that AT distance Of
10 miles appeared like fall of stars
on a gigantic scale. The whole sky
was lighted by the display.
A feature that will be remember
ed by Brim and his companions was
the tremendous laundering and
which continued for many hours.
But IL was noted rs remarkable that
the roaring occurred only when
the tide was at the ebb. 10 away from
the volcano. When the tide Tapped
the upper reaches of the beach on
Savaii the belching of Matautu could
not be heard. 1t seemed that some
mysterious connection must have eX-
isted been the sea and the interior
mountain.
The lava flow from Matautu was
half mile wide at last accounts and
was slowly creeping towards the sea
coast at the rate of a mile a day. On
August %. when Brim and his COM
panions last saw it the lava was deep
"A damaging. 1t was predicated
that all the soil and the beautiful
beach that interviewed between the
volcano and the sea would be turn
into an ironbound coast cold rock
and desolation where had existed the
palm ad cocoanut and tropical vegi-
tation for centuries before. 1t was
feared, too, that some of the best
German plantations would be over
whelming by the floor of lava and
that the German settlement might
be wiped out. 1t appered certain
that Safotu. village with 400 in
habitants. would be utterly destroy
ed. though, Of course, the inhabl-
tants would be able to save them
selves.
Brim and his companions were I'M
able to get closer than half mile
to the cone of Matautu on account of
the flowing lava. But this was close
enough to enable them to witness the
eruption and appreciate the awful
laundering and roaring that shook
the earth. Twenty miles away ar
old volcano that has for decades
between smoldering broke out afresh
when Matautu came into life, but
had caused no damage when Brim,
left the Island. Savaii is 80 miles
from American island of Tutuila
and has length of 100 miles and
breadth of about-15 miles. Cocanut
plantations cover a good portion OF
island and the preparation of coprs
forms its chief industry. The ma
tives of Savaii, says Brim, are not