Evening star., 1925-11-17
ISLAND IN AEGEAN
VOLCANIC CENTER
Greek PopuIace Live Amid
Continual RumbIings of
Underground Forces.

There is at least one place in the
world where a large and dangerous
boiler factory would not be unwel-
come. On the Greek island called.
in recent news dispatches, Santo-
rini. but now officially designated
Thira, a visiting observer reports the
natives have become so accustomed
to being rocked TO sleep by the heavy
| rumblinss and rife-crackings OF a
newly active volcano they fear they
will suffer from insomnia when it
qufets down again. The volcano
started its eruption August /. and
will continue, 1t has been predicted,
until next August
"Thira has been for thousa nds
Of years a theater Of volca mic activ-
fly" says a bulletin from the head
quarters here of the National Geo
graphic Society. THE waters Of it's
great bay have boiled and famed
for days, and island of red-hot matter
have risen and disappeared as if cor
trolled by stage machinery.
Shaped Like Crescent.
AT one time Thira, was the tor
| Of a huge active volcano. 1t prob
| ably owes its present peculiar cres
cent shape to tremendous eruption
| some 3o centuries ago, when great
/ gaps were blown in its sides. An
! other theory is that the mountain
| mass on which the volcano rested
has sunk, leaving only the highest
| portions of the crater's rim above the
| surface of the water
| volcanic activity In this part OF
| the Aegean is practically a continu.
Gus performance, although nothing
| short of a catastrophe seems to be re-
corded as an eruption. B. c. 1877 Is
| given by some authorities as the
| date of the first great recorded erup-
! ton. There have since been seyeral
major outbreaks. causing the appear
! ance and disappearance of certain
| small islands mot the present ones.
| however, in the center of the era
| ter.
! The number = figures largely in
| the dates chosen by the volcano to be
active. Records show eruptions dur.
| ing B. {. 1877. and A. D. 726. 1870.
1873. 1907. 1711. 1857 and 1870. Dur.
ing the latter eruption an island arose
IN tho center of the basin to height
/ of 42O feet. 1t was named George
Crater. for King George of Greece.
New Island Added.
To-day the remainder of the once
great rim can be traced only by the
| islands which help TO inclose the
water-filled crater In the. center of
representing the peaks of new vol
canic uphea walls within historic times.
! According to reports new island
! has been added to this group by the
current disturbances.
1 The Islands. which are on the di
! rect steamer route between Athens
and Egypt. are not proposSessing
! of water there arc no trees. The
| inner walls of the crater descend to
/ the central basin in sheer cliffs. from
! 500 to 1000 feet in height The ex.
| ternal slope. however. is more gradual
and the thick LAYER of pumice stone.
| which covers II. is favorable TO the
! growth Of the vine
| In close proximity on this slope
are the two principal sources of
wealth. The mining and shipping of
Santorini earth. a composition of
pumice stone valuable as A hydra ulic
cement, and the production of wine
furnish employment to most of the
l5.u0D Inhabitants of these islands.
| whose combined area is only half that
! of the District of Columbia.
Capital on Hilltop.
'Phira, the capital, nestles on the
| spur of a hill at the edge of the
! inner basin. A zigzag road winds
| up TO it from its port, Skala, directly
| below, and its white houses and GU
! polas enliven the brown crater walls
! in the bright Mediterranean sun.
| shine.
Approaching Thira by steamer
| from the northwest the gentle, vine
| clad outer slopes formed by the
| crater suddenly open and disclose an
| enormous basin, seemingly inclosed on
! all sides, the deep brown rock walls
/ of which are stratitied like marble
! cake. with deposits of lishter-colored
! pumice stone. Clinging TO the crater
! rim are several small villas ges and
J numerous many-sailed windmills. sim
| liar to those on the Isle of Samos,
! nearby.
! The ancient capital, Thira. seven
| hours away by horseback on the
eastern shore, perches on a ridge or
| plateau dropping on three sides. It
must have been easy to defend in the
! days when the island was in turn A
| Phoenician, Spartan, an Egyptian.
q Roman. a Frank and Turkish
colony. For. like its sister islands
in the Aegean, Thira has known
/ many masters. The first settlers are
| but the principal ruins uncovered date
| from Roman times.
| Excavations reveal long cen
| tral street, or road, intersected by
/ numerous irregular side streets. Sev-
| eral temples, baths, large theater.
! shrines, markets and dwelling houses
! have been found. Underneath the
! stage of the Roman theater traces of
a Ptolemaic proscenium, on which the
! arc of the orchestra abutted. have
been found. There are also num-
| ber of sanctuaries, hewn from solid
rock. to the Egyptian gods Isis.
| Scraps and Anubis.'
AIN 81 0Rlnh R0hNc