The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-05-04
Worlds Newest Volcano Appears In
Former Tranquil Mexican Cornfield

The Blufton News presents
another in the series of interest
ing sidehghts on South Amer
ica.-EDIToR.
The awakening of old volcanoes
that have apparently been asleep for
some time is a relatively common
occurrence.
However, the fiaring up, from out
of nowhere, of a brand new cone of
fire is indeed an unusual phenome-
non, and in February 1943, the news
of the sudden and unexpected ap-
pearance of a volcano in an erst-
while tranquil Mexican cornfeld,
stirred and interested the readers
of the whole continent.
Paricutin "the baby volcano of
the Western world" is undoubtedly
connected geologically and geograph-
ically with the chain of mountains
of volcanic activity called the Belt
of Fire of the Pacific.
1t is the latest manifestation Of
volcanicity in this area and definitely
part of the arc of volcanoes ex-
tending along the Pacific's shores
from the Andes to Alaska, the Aleu-
tians, Kamchatka, Japan, and Java"
"Of all this, however, the Mexican
peasant Dionisio Pulido had no idea
as, blowing his land, in the valley
of Cuyizirio, province of Michoacan,
one good morning in February 1943,
he came across small opening in
the ground from which emerged a
spiral of smoke.
The fact that the smoke was ac-
companied by low rumbling under
the ground added to the terror of
poor Dionisio who fled with his OK
and his small son, running the two
miles to the nearest village.
By that night the entire village
knew about the strange happenings,
not only through Dionisio, but be-
cause they too had seen from afar
a luminous column of smoke, they
too had heard the thunder of explo-
sions.
The news about the new phenome-
non Travelled fast but the awaken
ing monster grew faster. A week
after it had first appeared, the cone
had grown to 500 feet and ten weeks
later it was LOO feet high.
The lava that come out of its
crater spread over the valley blank.
citing eventually over ten square
miles and covering the lands and
homes of many of it's inhabitants
while the ashes that accompanied the
eruption settled thickly over the re
naming vegetation.
| These manifestations were con
comitant with great masses of vapol
and boulders and rocks bursting
forth from the crater. The peasants
living in that area fled, naturally
before the invading monster and the
Government took steps to provide
them with adequate homes in Other
locations.
But as they moved out perforce
tourists and scientists Travelled to
ward Paricutin, to see the new vol
cano from respectful distance.
The natives whose homes had no
been touched set forth to cater tt
the sightseers; they drove truckfulli
OF visitors to and from the neighbor
ing towns, put up lean-tos from
which - country-fair-like - they solt
their wares to those who had com,
to see the awe-inspiring spectacle.
When night fell they joined tn,
tourists in admiring the incandescen
cone from which red-hot lava flow
among firing of volcanic fireworks
Up to now, the eruption of tn,
volcano has brought both misery ant
fortune to the inhabitants of Micho
acan. Those whose homes it ha,
ruined, whose fields it has buried il
ashes, whose clear skies it has dark
ened with ire cloudc and vanorS