New Britain herald., 1928-03-30
SANT0RIN FARMERS
 ARE NOT WORRIED
Frequent Volcano Eruptions
 Mean Nothing There

Washington. Mar. 30. R-A vol cano recently erupted F times in five minutes, emitting a column of smoke five times as high as the Washington monument: corn and cotton fields were eprinkled with cinders. and the island farmers of Santorin, southermost of the Greek Cyclades, shrugged their shoulders and went back to work.
 One more volcanic eruption on Santorin. the National Geographic society says, creates little more ex- citement among the Santorinans than does an April shower among Americans. Craters have been rum bling and earth tremors have been prevalent since those Yankees of the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians brought the island within the pale of recorded history. The last was the second major upheaval this year.
 A guide book to Santorin would have to be revised every few years, tilo SOSICAS SIS hlllilll IllStOI IL times the volcanoes and earth quakes have kneaded and moulded the island from circular form to it's present shape which, on the map. looks like a. sketch of squat ting kangaroo without ears or fore paws, with it's quizzical head turned toward the southern cape of Greece. The better known and more visited Crete lies 70 miles 10 the south.
 Sail into the deep waters of the island landing places, on the west ern side where most of the l 1,400 island people live, and one beholds a series of cliff villages, partly carved out Of porous rock Fisher men. especially, inhahit these rock dwellings, making their village quarters miniature rock cities Of Petra, with the livening grace of groups gathered there and there on he rocky housetops. Wood is al- most as scarce as water and even when houses arc wood built they are apt 10 be in rock excavations so hat only their chimneys pierce the low sky line.
 Early travel writers, contempor- ary with St Paul and other letter writers of New Testament times, tell of flames that rose from the water on the west side Of the island for four days, The Phocni- clans. who had an eye for art as we'll as for price lists of Moditcr- ranean markets, called it 'Bcautiful lslc' and planted a colony thcre.
 Atop the successive layers Of lava and ash that nature has laid down since those times the frugal farm CTS of the "Beautiful Isle" today plant vineyards so they may export B famous Santorin wine and they grow cotton and corn for their own simple fare and homo spun cloth ing. If family is fairly well to do, meat is served three or four times year. On fostal occasions an entire lamb cooked over an open fire is the fctc most nearly suggcs- tive of Americas s turkey roasts Of thanksgiving day.
 Perhaps some of the sturdy char acter of the islanders and their nonchalance in the face of repeated volcanic eruptions are an inheri- lance from the colonial adventures there of the Spartans who followed the Phoenicians. One also may see the footprints Of a still later civli- zation in the ruins of the old Ncnc- rian fort.
 Thira is the capital town and nestles in the center of the curve Epanormeria is at the mort hwestern horn, and Meroyuli is d character is'ic cliff town. The island is only hlne miles long and nowh here is more than three miles wide,