THE VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN JAPAN.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 230, 29 September 1888, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE VOLCANIC ERUPTION IN JAPAN.

Gnastly Scene s and Sad Incidents— Qyer fwq Tiipusaaci Homeless.

I The i Japan Mail' of July 7th gays; The vernacular press contains fqrther infprma. tion as to the disaster at Bandaizan. The previous news is confirmed, in so far as concerns, ii^e burial pf a region haying a rfidiusiof two ri round the ceatre of volcanic diflturbance, and the partial devastation of a region having a riadius of six ri. T^e numb.er of persons buried is a till put at upward of 400 and the number of those injured at' 900, i^niong tl»e former were ISO visitors to hot springs.'on the slope of tho mountain. iP|iere are three of these hot springs, called respectively the upper, lower and middle sprip"g!|. 'These' are not, however, much frequented by visitors from the great towns, as, despite the recantly-conatructed railway to Sendal, B,andai-zan is still very inaccessible. The. spas are therefore patronised chiefly by farmers from the neighbourhood, who go. tfwe after the rice has been planted out or the silkworms reared.; Jwaee-mura, a village in the vicinity of the volcano, appears to have, buffered most, Thirty-six houses-were buried, there and fifty-six injured. There was no warning, or at lea^t nothing thai^ ciouid be called a warning. Abpvit 713Q o'clpflk ■in th,9 m'jriiingr of the disastrous day (15th inst.) tlia Inhabitants of Horimjya", a village near the mountaiij, suddenly heard a roaring" sound, which in general they supposed to ■be distant thunder, though sonic guspected ft to be, tfie ruiahling that often precedes an e^rfeliv quaked A few minutes later they observed g, ptrarige-lboking b|ack pillar bf cloud or smqke ascenifipg frgnj B.ftn/Jai-^an, (Jr^^qaily, the cfoud expandeo! and spread over the grounding district, raining ashes whereever it jgassed, though not in very large quantities'.* Not till 10 o'clock did the |eacK Hpi^miya. , It t|ien presented the alpectof thick grey miat. At 1130 o'clock the ashes, ceased falling and the sky cleared. The ashes resembled disintegrated rock, * hut had $ peculiar., bluish £ihlf. £>istricts lyffig the north pf Honmlya,.did npt receive as muph ashes as districts to the soicth. At another but more distant village called Jliharu the sky sudqeqiy"Sarkehecl as though heavy rains wer« about to fall, but in about an h6ur this appearancfj cease^. T|ie roaring ppisja wa| audible at many other hamlets, and people working in the fields hastened home tefri. fied. '"* \(' ~ ,,:. „■,-.. - :, .v. ' .;. T?he volcano which has thus brpkeq into fatal activity is situated about four and a half miles (EnglishJ frqra tj^e te^etur^tet^ lake of Iffawftshirb, 7 and its elevation is about 5,0.p0 feet above the sea. It has been quiescent, fq far a? |s kqp\?n, fqr abput % thousand" years, arid as the old1 ciator must tiafe been affectually blocked up, its reopening oughf:' to hayg |Beeri; a,ttendpd by greateE.distiirpaijce th'ai^'the apcciurjts thijs f¥rjreqe|v§d indicate. Iftprfojrfr.J thp', eruptipji $ppeajviaik) have taken place irpm the smaller of thg t>fo Bandai; peaks (^pq : Bapdaj-zan.) ' 'l* is" tlierefo're conjecfiijrea that ttie p'uiburst foun'jpl a vent thrbile:h pne of phe spriiigs. The Wakamatsu district, which. lies SSav.fin and a half miles ta the southwest of :^b©. Y9l^B9> '!§ S%l^ be compatatiYely free from dana&ga, *ha diameter of. the crater now formed is said tol)e abouj; miles (English}, b^ this is, evidently mere " conjecture.l In addition ■fe the direct effects of the eruption, dis- . aster was caused b,y. the damming •of tjh? Ok^a r|ver, d#& ; t|# 'consequent inundation ofi a•' village called Hibara, situatfi^ on its bank. Wg read . further thit atS.2d o-clock on th,e same d§y=^that is iq |B*j sb!o,ut "an hour anil a half Q,fter the eJfflteQn'^B^daj^ij—a severe shock of '; elthqiiake wag; felt at Asama-yams, distanjOe pver a hunclrei^ n^ilps fjrom ; zan, accompanied h.y an appalling noise. The emk trembjef ■"yiolefttl^ ; «i#iin % circle of fifteen miles radius" from the ! mqui||;ain '—"% on the ' soqt^, Uaui^e on the 'north, md Mikuni-to^ j on' the. .west—and the inhjrtjitaiifcs believed that *th§ir l'asj (Jay had Gqme. Unt?l 4.50 o'clock?ljiti t^ Mtbrnooh of .tlje same day roaring, and snooks' 'were repealed,,, but on a .constantly decreasing scajft. A sub-. Bciip|{|tarf(i'as al^a^y- been g| ; ffr|g4 JJjM|(j, iiq thei relief of ih'e't!lffi?eps,:! HiirAlftjea^ | the Emperor has contributed 3,000 yen; and sent Viscount Higasbizono to repor^ uj|oh the c,qpdioon ojt W$ P§°P^ c*e*