VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 225, 16 June 1908, Page 8

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

$ THE OUTBREAK AT SAYAI!. GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION. (BT TELEGRAM.—SFECIAr, COItUESrOS DEXT.) i Alioklr.r.dj June 15. The "Herald's" Apia correspondent sends a graphic description of the volcanic outbreak. He says:— News has just arrived in Apia that tho outflow of lava from the volcano on Savaii has been immensely accelerated., and probably just now amounts to 200,000 or 300,000 tons per minute. It is said on good authority that the stream is no less than six inches in dentil, and in many places six feet or more deep, and as it covers the whole coastline in ono almost continuous sheet, some eight miles wide, flowing over the cliffs at from two to four miles an hour in speed, it will not be a very difficult matter to figure out approximately tho enormous output, something probably far greater than civilisation has ever' before been enabled to record. Whether or not this molten basalt contains any valuable ingredient is so far unknovvn in Apia.

Mr. Jack Loudon, the American writer, left this port for Savaii about two days beforo thisßmtbreak was reported, and doubtless ho was iust in tho nick of time to see it in its full fury. As the avalanche slowly descended on the town of Matauto and the adjacent villages, most .of the native, people have cleared out or are on tho move. As the wide, fiery river drops its molten stone into. tho ocean, immense clouds of steam arise to. astonishing heights, and vast columns of sea-water are raised by the falling of the lava into the sea, and this salt water, in the shape of a fine rain, is blown by the strong trades westward along the coast, destroying vegetation as it proceeds and badly injuring much property far away to westward of the activities themselves. Even the roofs of houses covered with galvanised iron are being corroded. This volcano commenced business nearly threo years, ago, and has not been ciuiescent i'p ra single moment since. In fact, it seems to grow and grow, and long ago it certainly exceeded in magnitude any volcano now active anywhero on the face of the earth, Veniviu3 lieing a mere spoonful as compared with this monster. A previous eruption had taken place in 1001 ont_ of an old crater some 15 miles distant, doing no harm, and emitting but a small field_ of lava, and dying out gradually after operating somo six or sc-ven months in a very lazy manner. This present outburst was preceded .by numorous lively earthquake disturbances extending chiefly along the north side of Snvaii, though some of tho soverest wero felt in Apia. Fires were seen reflected in tho skies after ono of the heaviest shocks, and investigation showed that in a deep ravine, 1500 ft. abovo tho sea level, . and eight miles inland, ' several openings _ were omitting steam and smoko, and that incandoscont rocks wero being expelled from threo separate small craters. These wero building up a cone which soon filled tho ravine, overtopped it, and assumed the well-known form of a true volcano crater after the various openings had fallen into ono another. . During tho first six or eight months rocks weighing up to several tons were thrown skyward, falling in all directions, and sometimes oil the top of the immonso lava stream which was flowing out of tho sido of tho conical mountain now in existence. A number of streams started seaward, but ono in the direction of Safuno becamo chilled, and' ultimately stofmed when it was about half-way towards that charming village.. Several streams coalesced to eastward, and joining in one vast output they proceeded to fill up valleys and.ravines and overtop tho hills. In somo places their filling must ha upwards of 600 feet in depth. Of course, all depressions of tho surfacowero followed just as a stream of water would have done. Tho sea was reached, and fiyo thriving native townships wero obliterated altogether. Tho town of Molo boasted a lofty Catholic Church. It's gable reached quito 50 feet above the ground, and at this moment a fragment, tho mere peak of tho gable, may bo observed abovo tho cooled lava which surrounded and filled tho church. In tho courso of timo tho lava field oxtendod east and west, until now over ten miles of the surface have been covered, and tho sea lino oxtended about throe-quarters of amilo into water, which was from 200 feet to 300 feet in depth, and to-day tho outpour is far and away greater than at any previous time. Fifty-four square miles havo been covered for a depth of from 6 foot to COO feet. Occasionally tho lava stream would not run "more than perhaps 100 yards wide, and then perhaps would bo found - two or threo such streams, but to-day' tho stream.: seems almost, continuous, _ and is said to bo some eight miles across. Your correspondent passed' this flow about 'ten days ago in one of tho Union, Company's steamers, and he judged that it .was then fully four miles wide. He could barely note a single break in the falling cascade, but from his position ho could not estimate tho speed of tho current. The lava now exuding resembles molten iron in every respcct, and oven at tho sea some eight miles away from the crater is quito as thin as good hot furnace iron, and could doubtless be run into moulds just as iron is run. When this thin white hot molten matter falls into tho sea it' instantly turns into black sand. Often where the flowing stream is several feet deep it is covered with floating rocks of _ greater or less dimensions. These being almost in ail incandescent state explode with violence when they tumble over tho cliffs into the sea, and their fragments aro frequently thrown back again on to the lava field. Tho deep salt water is in a steaming state and at a milo the water is too hoti for tho hand to stay longer than to note its. temperature. At a distance of two. miles from shore, and where the great ocean is 100 fathoms deep the heat is very noticeablo. Thero seems to be no sign of this monster getting any smaller. In fact it seems to bo constantly onlarging, and thero is .no telling to what • enormous extent it may proceed. • \ .