New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-08

san Francisco. Feb. The first de-
( tailed account or the terrible eruption OF
Satura lma or the southern coast OF
I pan. as received here to-day by mail
from the Toxic correspondent Of The AS
ISOLATED Press places the loss OF life
I conseryatively estimated, at several nun
dred'
/ not only gas the island Of Sakuraiima
itself with It's dozen villages flooded by
torrent Of flaming lava and buried
under a hail Of incandescent rocks but
4 the beautiful city OF Kagoshina. over
: looking the Golden Gate ~ japan. was
I partially destroyed several towns and
. villages on the mainland TO the east were
sorely hit and the villages OF Akamldzu'
Yokoyama and Koike were literally swal-
lowed up b. the molten lava. Unul they
are dug out no specifc count OF lives lost
VIII be possible. The account follows:
! While a Toxic audience Of japanese
was assembled at the Imperial Theatre,
viewing moving pictures OF the last days
/ ~ Pompeii. the subterranean fires Of their
own empire. imprisoned for more than
century. were surging upward beneath
B
most part OF the realm. Soon be-
gan an eruption so fierce and terrible Al
/ to take It's place at once with the his
toric demonstrations OF VesuviUs.
Man and Beast in Like Despair.
"The 22o0 inhabitants OF Sakurajima
fed wildly in all directions. in a pitiful
/ quest for food and shelter. Shrieks OF
/ terror filled the air from one end Of the
/ island 10 the other. From thickly settled
villages and from houses cmbosomed IN
! groves Of oranges, peaches and plums he
/ farmers ran to TIE shores OF the BAY.
/ Horses neighed and snorted in terror.
/ and ALI manner or domestic cattle bel
/ lowed and cried to be let loose. Many
freed themselves and began a wild SIAM
pede through and over their human COM
panions
! Many old men refused 10 try to save
themselves and had literally TO be
dragged along by the younger Women
and children were sent off first the
women carrying their infants slung Japs-
nese fashion across their backs, their
| hands filled with portable housenoid
goods. Some shielded themselves with
! mattresses: others wore metal ana
earthen pots for helmets. 1t was Wild
bugger-mugger, pell nell rush' nlsnt
| Of indescribable panic and confusion
/ For all that the fearful catastrophe
was so overwhelming in its sudden de-
scent. there had been preliminary warn
/ ings. Two months before Traveller re-
clining leisurey on the summit or the
| long mountain ridge Of Yoshinogahaia'
which p!unges abruptly down into the
water of Kagoshima Gulf, was surprised
10 see smoke drifting from new sullies IN
the sides OF the open peak Of intake on
sakurajima.
Thick Smoke as Warning
"1t was a thick, black smoke, but from
Kagoshima would scarcely be noticed. II
at all. except as a fringe OF haze Inc
traveller returned to Kagoshma ana toid
a friend what he had seen. We DIS
cussed. rather fippantly, perhaps ne
said afterward. what would be likely u
happen il Sakurajima were actually 20
20 off. Now, ! know a good deal more
Of that than 7 ever wished 10 learn
1.-The next warning came Sunday Janu-
AIRY II. in the form Of severe ear hquahe''
ACCOMPANIED by resonant deep canohaoinS
from the heights of Sakurajima win III
creasing violence came shock after shoch'
Houses toppled, brick walls crunoieo'
and from far beneath. seemingly as from
some vast cave of echoes, rose horrioie
sound Of grinding and roaring. up through
the auaking crust OF the earth.
"By Monday morning the midnight go"
that had spread like scarlet canopy over
the vent II the volcano changed TO an
inmeasurably lofty column OF t"istinS
smoke laced with flames and shot WIN
the trail Of fiery missiles.
Dawn changed TO twilight. \ great
sbou,er Of ashes rained on the panic
stricken population The ashes became
Glowing cinders and the cinders flaming
rocks. Sparkling lava, gushing from 'he
nouths OF the several craters. leaped
down from cliff TO cliff and ledge TO ledge
Dormant Volcanoes Resume.
"volc,noes long supposed extinct IN
other portions OF the realm leaped INTO
svmpathetic action. and ashes fell IKE
snow as far north as the cities or Asaka
and Kobe. as far south as the Bonn
Islands and as far west as Dairen' whlie
the air was weighted with sulphurous
fumes and distant Toxic itself was man
tied in a sinister. yellow cloud, carrying
terror 10 the masses and producing among
even tho most intelligent and courageous
an inescapable sense Of impending DOOM
by this time the Cascades or lava anu
the ceaseless merciless rain OF meteors
had set fire to TIE sugar cane and BAN
boo forests Houses burst into fire, as II
from spontaneous combustion. at every
step.
Arrived at the shore. the villagers and
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