VOLCANOES' TOLL

Evening Post, Issue 145, 22 December 1928, Page 17

VOLCANOES' TOLL

::iHisTo^^.;.fc : TH|TRAGEDY b^ST^pteRRE ::I r);l-;v' ■"■■"n;[:-: ;v.'::i ■■■.■ - :^i!Thev.recen't eruption of-Etna"3n Sicily, ; ihatiislaiid's ancient.enemy,.,, hat 'called a'ttbiition-Id'the volcanic disturb- ' a£(ies'itliiit'''have g.ivon^ralarni:iu past ,y;ear;s.;'' i: Ai |;!int.pre'sffi .Borne': of .thesOidisastqv.S/is'igive^jiiy Chicles P. Tklman in;t'ho •'.'■Wew'YbrkfTimes." ■■.' , .'.^.No/VearVpasaes.'^witpiui^oiflle' *of the ."yplcanp ?s. Vwjani'iestation's^;, Prom ; .Januaryj''.to^ March '.this., year jSrakatoa ■ was, r,op,trrted ; 'to be shooting'columns of steam/and r dust'jiundreds of! feet into the ir'airfroma;submai'iiie vent. .; Volcano; . ■ exper±s.jiM»v:3ak^ ' : keeping ,watcir"of: "eyenfi-;wilEl-issuing .; radio bulletins,,-.Panic^prevailed on.the surroundingicba.st...";''';"..'Vi'.- -.: -.. - , Ometepe, onebf Mcaragua's veteran „ .spputers/^brpkp.loose in. January. The ■saniovWiith,''. auct. ftgairi,:,iii;/''March,, the' ,^editerranea^ erupt'c'i;!':;Janu'a^'''Ußß>vißofbrpttg'^t^the : earHes't'new'so'f. b.ixe' of V'tlio^previous' year's „ upheavals ' Islaiid,'-, • i! a; ■•lir;olcani« . Jack-in-tho'-box''neaf;Toinga, | ' had reap- ■ :'pea,'red- a.boyc,»tho'wa,ter. 'api^iiippg sub-1 naergence/jlierailfling:.1 its ?i-et^iyi'..'to' tho >iil.ap;:b"y i.earthquakesj.' jAirf^uprounding •isles', and ..byiii 'great; putpouring -.of . sniokc. :-'^fl. A'-i-Ei'j'l /-'i^A-samayana, in:Japaii,'.w,ijth;:a;4PPg list :.o.f..'e.ruptipus td'-'itsc discredit, L including 'oriOibf •-the»ino st> rfc er tibld >iit:. histbry,, wai the sc.ejie! of_a modijrateJbutbreaS an Fob'^uUj'yV^'i!;:.:^' J ''-'X^ i.->,^?v-V;''-^^--: , ' :In '(Snnc,y.Wulc&',kurni^.lm'- attoli'-'. 'tT6n;^':.^o; ;:-PtiUpp'iWs.tii-Maydn,. the •; graceful., volcanic',.coiic..;:.' in Southern Luzon1, suddenly 'awblce'1 from a sleep of . .twenty-eight'' yoais/J . r--:A:--'". spectacular s eruption lasted, there for a fortnight. v.. v Jmlb,-brought'".iic'wSi'iofr.-arnjild . out.iu'.eak, at 'Akutanj;in' : ;:;, Aleutian • 'Islands^1. In Augusti.occ'urre.d /the:-only ■ deadly''eruption'.of'.tile year so fan It toolc place' in that: hotbdd :q&; volcanic activityi'the"Dutchr;iEastr/Indies;/.?b'ut at .. a'-.sppt .apt>previously : known as the site of; a; liye,. volcano. A mountain'named ' Rokatinda,, ion >the islet of Paloe, off "the north- coast' of Flores/'blew"up iii thblvrakatoan; manner on 4th and sth. August.i.vSevefaljMllatea':were anni-; . hilated, iOOp.)na.ti^esi)er.ished, and many.: finprc'..Sve?fQiinjiired;/ irriVi'w'ifr ;■?!•','"■ •'•: : ■ :.: .Bisifles'jfaUKrttes^Ja'eti.teybutbreaks--. :■ and.vprpbq.blyv; many that,p9.ssed;|-unre-•eorded-^th'ei'e'"haVe.>'ib'ee']i, during the same period; v tli6''usual tokens of, less violent /activity "at .scores ;pf ■, ypleauic . •Vents'\invyd,rions;* i parts-\pi<;l;Vo-,V'>rld; • ;E_xhaiatipn's,of |^^,s- t^mj".'s'mQ£e,;aJha.iuines, 'n^inor^explpsibftSj-lphpjv.ej'^ . Jing-.springs^aii'^jiilijci^^t^praljpli.conf . pnued";rtp:!p'lay iHghtho.iise^tQv.the ;Med- .:. .'iteiu'anSan;.''/!:KUau'oa:kegtjit's:rJi ;;bui'iiiJJ.g!'f pf : ' ftHo"'O'ji3ightennient'i bf" sci-1 .cii.cc jiiid'ihe' .is'eVer'busy.';. :!:' :.'>••''.; t '■'.%l ■ f.';'' ■''■ ' '..''.. .Vesuviusj before"I"the-.outbreaK. r de- ;; ■scribed^ by Pliny, had: been: a'peaceful, iVOTdure:clad.niouutaiii>from:'the1 :begin- ."" jiing. of: Recorded' history. ;.,Nii'n'e.-of its . •jiuman.neiglibqursylmow:-!that,it,:was;:a v .volcano1.:'.. Krakatoaj';thOf-AsJandV-rVoleano■• * 1 in, the i.Straitrof.-sSunda,'-had ib'een dor'niant ;for i!300-'years -t'eforffflts 'erup'tipiij'in,.lßß,3 £&&&'&'' th'e"<th"pusandß . ,o'f^nla'rifiets^aird'. trilyflliers c;iyi'R passed . jcl'osei'to.-.it.fiey'ery- ■,y.eai';: i sarjiii'g, .through ..- th'o- stiiaity/uot'^^pn&;cqumi-,Mve:'suspoet- ' . cd..; the, terriblo.'.powers.Vpf i.dostruetipn ■ pent '.up in its -bosom. .:^;;.:; '• '■■'.'-.■'-. '■ ■ ■■' .:' "•■'•Oil-;the mofnxng. of :20th'May, 1883, bbbming'sounds'-like: the ."flriiig. of artillery 'were at'Batavia ■> a^id' BuitenzorgT—towM.^Tjiiiiii'1100"mile's; f rom I,s^^^ 'was .:ia'-ra.mx}ig! :>6fi i dbdrinan^windows •at .theso plactjwliiTnb nexfj'-dajr ashes;fell on both ■sides'Tof-sth''e;Tstraitv'J''j^'l'•- ---■ .■■!'• awe 'mspmi^v^aEA^Api ,V '•-. All- this was -a 'prelu'deito -the :real\'■ catastrophe..- Onthe .afternoon/of 26th August ..■ a series '"Of ; frightful'explo-. sioiis'beganV- ''.Euornipus-'-blacK clouds 1 illuminated b^l^d,^flashes c^ere seen from vessels in surrounding waters • :tp rise -abovcrtlrc" yoiearit)-to r" ar—"height' variously; estimated at^. from seventeen. ,to twenty-two miles. ' The;strait1 and. tho, adjacent parts of Java' and Su-. . matra were soon plunged, in- impenetrable1, .darkness, lit'by^JfeqUentl flashes ; of : lightning,; while.-.pn^jth,©'! masts .arid \ .spars of vessels for-'t'a^scbr'el.'of ' miles ' around there were remarkable displays :--of St.' Elmo's■ fire,, due to 'the ■ ;highly 'electrified state t of': the •'. diist-ia'aen-'atmdsphefer'''^'?' •.s'<-?v''3];i ' . .'. V.- >In>:oneKfinal'-jefiEdft!f;fal?.Oje*cords:of. ; .■pireyipus/expidsionsi..;.pn't.this?jeart.li: :; were .: 'epinpieteljrr. ibipken.; £',>. i^This. -. supreme effort it was 'which 'pfodii.cVdi^p^ mightiest iiioise. that, so .far: as we'cait-ascer-'' tain, has' ever been heard on this globe;. '. ..Nearly six square miles of the , Island of .Krakatpa-were blown away, leaying;;a;;chasm;:-farj^below/. sea,-, level. ' dntd;;,wliieh\ .thei.i.TVf,tersii.ruslie4j};;:"i The . •i:bsuittn'g''Vdisturb'as»fc^ surface, combined with the impact of enormous: 'masses, of; falling, material, set up gigantic , waves,'■'which swept over the, low-lying . shores ■ on /both "sides \*6'f "-Sunda" Strait; "^r-Tdwns ' and ■ villages were. engulfed,' and more than 30,000' people :.were drowned. iV'. % ■/, - ;;■•'■■■;•■ \'/'';!^wiiiEl|)^o'irrr [ "!, ''■"-.'■'-. have often- taken ■ heavy, 1 tplliof/human.life, butsfp^other ,erup-.. tidit.TeV-er crowded 'so. mij(;h>Tnurder into . !a'-i3rief.(.mdment.;'Bf tiifleTSs": did. the . pile 'that befell .the Island of Martinique. -iji! tliat yeai- 1902.- The volcano .tiiat,;.b>\ ai'siiiglbhjun:..i,pf... its .fiery, :brpa.th/Jinio'd'.'m'brO;' ,th)ui -3p,p'oO jpeople, 'as;:ealiodoia r \.;'Montagnp('.:P.el'e'o^.'p.^..Mont^ . ;fe'ie' : :(^V|Jal&^p'^t?in^i).-j i -i'!'''-,:!'.••''',.' '.' :. When. •th.e.V.sunoixqseV on* th© 'mefning: .pf.the Stli tho air. of the city of St.,. . •Pibrr.o was "nearly 'clear,-as'-the wind .was'-'blowing'^he-cloud of'^a'shes from..• the crater in another, direction.1 There was : nothing to', betoken an imminent ; catastrophe. ■■.■rAt two.7;minutes. 'past eight'the volcano suddenly exploded. Two .tiinmenso; blasts of- steam and. hot ashes shot, out -of th'o mountain; one straight .upward, .the; other down thai slope 'directly- upon/the-hapless - city,- --. Every ;humaK,b.ciiig- |J ,iiu.t^iO; vplace ex- . ceptoho negro priso'her ."in1 an. underground.dungeon"was killed., Seared and choked., with;:fier : y. dust, scalded witli' steam,: or.'xoastod in the-.fires,-.that immediately broke out in- all. parts .of tho town, those',who did not: meet instant death must..have died within/a few'min-'. iit'cs.V '\The'victimsV-iminbe'red1' between ;30J000;:Wiid . JX' r';-'- U •'•• ■'■■ ■ ' "'.On ''J th'p:"suib'rnin'gll^bf :el! "disaster. eighteen vessels- of 'various nationali- : ties fr ky.-;at aiiclipr,:iuy't;he > p Roadstead. ■ ■Oiiiy'biib/'pf theni'i.thp,"British'''steamer : RoddauV,';" escaped,!' iDMiy.:. 'shattered, fTOrii.tlic''jolastj^Hl^aiilarg&ipaVt.of the .■'• ship's-cbinpany dead-'-pi-'il^ng. . A few men survived-oiu.the'other-vessels.. A' handful of people-'witnessecLtho annihi- ; ilatioii'.of;Str.^Jcr'reitrp'nr^'e'vafe'd'poihts . outside"tlvcteity^tmd- liv.cd. to tell the. . tale. ' ''« ■•••'•:'• :'. . -•■'■■-■■■■ '. ■. '" ■■ •,,.' Histpry records;'nq.;,,pther,::d£.im.a' so 'tragic,' no." Othci-itr'agßclyJ so,dramatic.