The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-05-25

Eruption OF odkuTdJifId,s SdPdH.
rise. The earthquakes now became in.
creasingly alarming. Growing noises
preceded some and roaring, as of
escaping gas under pressure, fol-
lowed Others
People Flee From Eruption.
Four hundred seventeen earthquakes
were recorded at Kagoshima between
a a. m, January IL, and 10 a. M,
January u, after which the main
eruption of Sakurajima began. Count
ing the shocks of the 10th, which had
begun about / p. M, there was imme-
diate forewarning in noises and
shakes for 10 hours prior to the ex-
plosion. ~
These warnings were needed. Every
available sampan sculled with frantic
speed back and forth across the chan
mel all day Sunday, January IL, NOV
ing the natives of the island, their
bedding, mats, rice bays, and canary
birds, to the mainland BY Monday
the army, navy and other government
departments, railways and steamship
lines were all helping. Sunday after
noon, about two o'clock, during pc
riod of violent quaking, report came
from Tarumi, southeast of Sakurajima.
that white smoke was seen rising from
the middle of the volcano. The Mon
day period of seismic activity was
strikingly terminated and relieved by
the volcanic outbreak of ten o'clock.
Sakurajima in the early morning
had been yelled by cloud, but the
incessant din of rumbling diminished
after a. m. There may have been
summit landslip Continual quick
explosions were heard from nine
O'clock on, and small puff of white
vapor was reported at that time; but
it was not until ten o'clock, when all
the fog clouds were dissipated, that
the great volcanic drama unfolded I'M
der splendid Photographic illumination.
The climax came at 10 :05, when,
in the middle of the side of the noun
tain toward Kagoshima, the awe
stricken people saw the hard profile
of a swelling balloon of black smoke
rise majestically from the ground
where, an hour before, were orange
orchards, terraced fields of sugar
cane, and gardens of radishes. Ter
minutes after the first outbreak a SIM
liar caulif1ower column rose from the
east flank of the volcano, but this was
dwarfed by the towering western shaft
with which it eventually merged.
With occasional lulls, but with ever
increasing violence, the booming con-
cussiOns of the eruption grew more
and more terrible. Flashes of light
ming danced through the great pillows
of smoke and dust, and, in the lower
portion of the great, black column,
vertical lines of upward streaming
rocks, bombs. sand. and smoke, curl
ing as high as the mountain itself,
could be seen from time to time
The fall of ash over the city of Ka.
goshima began an hour and ten min
utes after the eruption started. and
continued internationally until the fol.
lowing evening. At five O'Clock in the
afternoon the eruption waxed in fury.
EXtra-heavy earthquakes in the vicin-
ity of Arimura, on the southeast coast
of Sakurajima island were felt, and
ships in the bay reported that the max.
imum heights of election of material
was reached an hour later
Fatalities in kagoshima.
The crisis, which resulted in the
only loss of life during the disaster,
occurred at 6 30. when terrific earth
quake threw down walls and buildings
at Kagoshima, dislodged powders
from cliffs, and interrupted railway
and telegraph services. Fugitives were
trapped in landslides, and tidal
wave, with a ten-fOOt swing, caused
serious damage to small boats in the
harbor. Thirty-five persons were
crushed to death and 112 were injured.
This quake is to be classed as a
world shaker" for it was recorded
on seismographs in Europe.
The lava flows from the volcano
had begun and the gas explosions had
relieved the under earth of millions of
tons of matter, so that this quake
was probably the evidence of deep
movement, or settling, that had begun
along the great chain Of Ryu-Kyu vol
canoes, extending from Kyushu to Tai
wan (Formosa) in string Of islets
900 miles to the southwest.
simultaneously with the occurrence
of the big quake sudden lava glow
was observed on the smoke coming
from the volcano. This continued for
some time.
The outbreak of January IL was fol-
lowed by months of intense activity.
The lava oyerfiowed new craters,
poured into the sea, and created new
islands