The Breckenridge news., 1906-05-16
ERUPTION OF KRAKATOA.
Volcanic Explosions in East In
dies the Most Terrific in
History.
Vast Volumes of Ashes Blown Twenty
Miles Above Earth - Detonations
Heard Three Thousand Miles Dis
tant.
By Sir Robert Ball.

Dy OH INODtII Dull.
The folloom6 description By Sir
Robert Bah OF the eruption of Krdkd-
tOd l0iH be read lCith special interest
at the present time. 10 is taken from
his book, THE EGrth'S Beginning re-
Gently published by ID. Appleton & Co.
| Until the year 1888 few had ever
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 canoes
up on it's beach while they roamed
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 it
had hitherto seemed, the little island
was soon to compel by its tones of
thunder the whole world to pay it in
stant attention. 1t was to become the
scene of volcanic outbreak so appall-
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
a steamer and went forth for pleas
ant picnic to the island. Many of us,
[ am sure, would have been delighted
to have been able to join the party
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 its summit. There
they beheld a vast column of steam
pouring forth with terrific noise from
profound opening about thirty yards
in width
As the summer of this dread year
advanced, the vigor of KraEatoa 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 convulsion a
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 at midday. Then the awful
tragedy of Krakatoa took place. Many
thousands of the unfortunate inhab-
itants of the adjacent shores of Su-
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
rounding Krakatoa were agitated.
The development of the volcanic en-
ergy proceeded, and gradually the ter
ror of the inhabitants of the surround
ing coasts rose to a climax. July had
ended before the manifestations of
Krakatoa had attained their full vio-
lence. BY the middle of August the
panic was widespread, for the supreme
catastrophe was at hand.
On the night of Sunday, August 26,
1888, the blackness of the dust clouds,
now much thicker than ever in the
Straits of Sunda and adjacent parts of
Sumatra and Java, was only OCCASION
ally illumined by lurid flashes from
the volcano. The Krakatoa thunders
were on the point of attaining their
complete development. At the town of
Batavia, a hundred miles distant, there
was no quiet that night. The houses
trembled with the subterranean vio-l
lence, and the windows ratified as if
heavy artillery were being discharged
in the streets, and still these efforts
seemed to be only rehearsing for the
supreme display. On the morning of
Monday, August 27, 1888, the rehears-
ais were over and the performance be-
gan. An overture, consisting of two
or three Introductory explosions, was
succeeded by a frightful convulsion
which tore away a large part of the
Island of Krakatoa and scattered it to
the winds of heaven.
This supreme effort it was which
produced the mightiest noise that, so
far as we can ascertain. has ever been
heard on this globe. 1t must have been
indeed loud noise which could travel
from Krakatoa to Batavia and pre-
serve its vehemence over so great
distance; but we should form a very
inadequate conception of the energy
of the eruption of Krakatoa If we
thought that its sounds were heard by
those merely hundred miles off. This
would be little indeed compared with
what is recorded. on testimony which
it is impossible to doubt.
Westward from Krakatoa stretches
the wide e1panse of the Indian Ocean.
On the opposite side from the Straits
of Sunda lies the Island of Rodriguez,
the distance from Krakatoa being al
most 1900 miles. 1t has been proved
by evidence which cannot be doubted
that the thunder of the great volcano
attracted the attention OF an intelli-
gent coastguard on Rodriguez, who
carefully noted the eharacter 81 the
sounds ezd - tku>e e theis eeees.