The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1906-05-18
ERUPTION OF KRAKATOA.
Volcanic Explosions in East In
dies the Most Terrific in
History.
Vast Volumes of Ashes Blown Twenty
Miles Above Earth = Decorations
Heard Three Thousand Miles Dis
By Sir Robert BAH.

4
BY Sir Robert Ball.
The follotUisag description by 81
Robert Ban Of the eruption of KrdkO
tOd lDtH be read l0ith special intereS
at the present time, 1t is taken from
his book, ''Tbe EdrthS Beginning" re
Gently published 6g d. appleton & Co
n Until the year 1883 few had eve
heard of Krakatoa. 1t was not in
habited, but the natives from the sur
rounding shores of Sumatra and java
used occasionally to draw their canoe:
up on its beach while they roamet
through the jungle in search of the
wild fruits. The island seemed to owe
its existence to some frightful eruption
of bygone days, but for a couple OF
centuries there had been no fresh out
break.
In 1883 Krakatoa suddenly sprang
into notoriety. insignificant though il
had hitherto seemed, the little island
was soon to compel by its tones of
! thunder the whole world to pay it in
slant attention. 1t was to become the
| scene of volcanic outbreak so appall-
1 ing that it is destined to be remem-
/ bered throughout the ages.
At first the eruption did not threaten
to be of any serious type. In fact, the
good people of Batavia, so far from be-
ing terrified at what was in progress
in Krakatoa, thought the display was
such an attraction that they chartered
steamer and went forth for a pleas
ant picnic to the island Many of us,
am sure, would have been delighted
baWn hnnn ahla n fair he nth
who were to witness SO interesting a
spectacle. With cautious steps the
more venturesome of the excursion
party clambered up the sides of the
volcano, guided by the sounds which
were issuing from it's summit There
they beheld a vast column of steam
pouring forth with terrific noise from
a profound opening about thirty yards
in width.
AS the summer of this dread year
advanced, the vigor of Krakatoa stead
lily increased. The noises became more
and more vehement. These were pres
emily audible on shores ten miles dis
tant, and then twenty miles distant,
until the great thunders of the vol
cano, now so rapidly developing, as
tonished the inhabitants that dwelt
over an area at least as large as Great
Britain, and there were other symp-
toms of the approaching catastrophe.
With each successive CONFUSION
quantity Of fine dust was projected
aloft into the clouds The wind could
not carry this dust away as rapidly as
it was hurled upward by Krakatoa, and
accordingly the atmosphere became
heavily charged with suspended parti- |
cles. A pail of darkness thus hung
over the adjoining seas and islands. |
Such was the thickness and the density |
of these atmospheric volumes of |
Krakatoa dust that for a hundred |
miles around the darkness of midnight |
prevailed ut midday. Then the awful |
tragedy Of Krakatoa toolvplace. Many |
thousands of the unfortunate inhab- |
itants of the adjacent shores of SUI
matra and Java were destined never to
behold the sun again. They were pres
emily swept away to destruction in an
invasion of the shore by the tremen-
dOus waves with which the seas sur
Krakatoa were agitated.
The development of the volcanic en-
orgy proceeded, and gradually the ter
ror of the inhabitants of the surround
ng coasts rose to climax. July had
ended before the manifestations of
Fkrakatoa had attaiRed their full vio-
ence. BY the middle of August the
)anic was widespread, for the supreme
catastrophe was at hand.
On the night of Sunday, August 26,
1888, the blackness of the dust clouds,
low much thicker than ever in the
straits of Sunda and adjacent parts of
Sumatra and Java, was only occasion
lily illumined by lurid flashes from
he volcano. The Krakatoa thunders
we're on the point of attaining their
complete development. AT the town of
Batavia, hundred miles distant, there
vas no quiet that night. The houses
rembled with the subterranean VIC
ence, and the windows ratified as ii
Ieavy artillery were being discharged
q the streets, and still these efforts
eemed to be only rehearsing for the
upreme display. On the morning of
fonday, August ~, 1883, the rehearsr
Is were over and the performance be-
an. An overture, consisting of two
r three Introductory explosions. was
ucceeded by a frightful CONFUSION
rhich tore away large part of the
sland of Krakatoa and scattered it to !
he winds of heaven. IL
This supreme effort 1t was which 5
reduced the mightiest noise that, so
ar as we can ascertain, has ever been I
card on this globe. 1t must have been 3
ldeed a loud noise which could travel :
-om KralSatoa to Batavia and pre- 4
srve its vehemence over so great a :
but we should form very Z
conception of the energy +
{ the eruption of Krakatoa if we !
fought that its sounds were heard by /
lose merely a hundred miles of. This q
ould be little indeed compared with !
hat Is recorded, on testimony which /
is impossible TO doubt Ia
Westward from Krakatoa stretches \
le wide e1panse of the Indian Ocean. r
n the opposite side from the Straits {
Sunda lies the Island of Rodriguez, \
le distance fronS Krakatoa being al
ost 5000 miles. 1t has been proved 4
! evidence which cannot be doubted /
laE the thunder of-the great volcano n
.tracted the attention OF an intelli- 4
mt coastguard on Rodriguez, who
.rpfIfIIv noted the ehAracfnn ii tho