Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-06
RECALLS kRAKAToA
Features of the Earth's Greatest Throe
d" - in Historic Times.

h6SSILo NhSENHtS"
Features Of the Earth's Greatest Throe
i = in Historic Times.
Besides recalling the phenomenal
disruption Of Pelee comparatively re-
Gently, the eruption Of volcano: Saku-
rashima is a reminder of the Krakotoa
volcanic upheaval in August, 1883,
which was by far the earth's most tre-
mendous throe within historic times
Men of science made study Of its
manifestations and effects and their
conclusions gave it the place Of the
greatest physical disturbance Of which
the history of the earth tells.
Krakatoa was a volcano in the Sun
da Strait, between Java and Sumatra
1t was a peak thrown up by an even
greater eruption in prehistoric times.
It's apex was about $500 feet above
sea level. The island was not inhabit-
ed.
After warning manifestations for
several days, the outburst came on
August 27, 1883. The whole OF the
northern part of the island was blown
away, and where 1t had been there
was a depth Of water Of more than l.
900 feet. A nearby volcanic mountain,
Rakata, was split asunder, revealing
a vertical cliff that showed a section
of the interior structure Of that volca-
no.
It was estimated by scientific men
that the column of stones, dust and
ashes thrown up by Krakatoa shot up
to a height Of seventeen miles. Nearby
islands were buried in the ashes 80
deeply that their forests were hidden.
The dust particles in the upper strata
spread through a large part Of the at
mosphere enveloping the earth. They
travelled the fastest in the equatorial
zone between latitude 80 north and 40
south, and in this belt they encircled
the globe within about seventy-five
days. The dust spread later north and
south, until it covered the eastern
hemisphere from northern scandina-
via to the Cape Of Good Hope.
In this western hemisphere the pres
ence of the dust from Krakatoa was
noted by scientists some four or five
months after the upheayal. From
about the latitude of northern Florida
to several hundred miles south OF the
equator there was deep, red glow In
the sky after sunset. It resembled
somewhat the zodiacal light, but 1t eX-
tended much further, almost across
the western horizon.
The dust that Immediately arose
from the explosion darkened the sky
at Batavia, 100 miles away. so that
lamps were lighted at midday. The
pumice that fioated on the sea cover
ed it's surface for hundreds Of miles,
The atmospheric disturbance was
worldwide.
The upheaval started the biggest
spread of sea waves Of which there Is
any account. They were OF two KINDS
long waves Of which the periods be-
tween them were more than an hour,
and short but high waves that rose in
some places to a height OF fifty feet or
more. The longer waves were noted
when they reached Cape Horn, nearly
5000 miles distant, and the scientists
who made a study OF the matter
thought these waves were perceptipie
in the English Channel, more than IL, =
900 miles away.
Though Krakatoa was uninhabited
the waves produced by the upheaval
caused great damage on neighboring
shores to shipping and buildings and
great loss of life. 1t was estimated
that $4,000 persons perished in the
cataclysm.
But the most astonishing feature OF
the Krakatoa blowup was the noise II
made. II the investigators were not
mistaken it was the loudest noise ever
heard on this planet. The scientists
figured that the sound waves, spread
ing both ways from Krakatoa, met at
the Antipodes Of the island, rebound
ed after the impact and came back to
Krakatoa after the manner OF an echo
from both sides in a way that instru-
ments could have detected them If in
struments had been there.
After investigation it was believed
that actual sounds were heard-noc
detected as sound waves by instru-
ments. but heard by the human ear
as far away as the PHILIPPINES, about
1,4OO miles; at Bangkokp, about the
same distance; in Ceylon, more than
1000 miles distant, and in South Aus
tralia, some 1900 miles away.