A TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2004, 21 July 1892, Page 34

A TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE.

SUPPOSED DISAPPEARANCE OF AN ISLAND. (Per Press Association.) [By Electric Telkoii.u'h. — Copyright.] Sydney, July 18. The steamer Catterthun, from China, brings news of a terrible earthquake, which is supposed to have occurred at Sangir Island, in Celebes Sea. The Dutch mail steamer left Saugir for Timur, in the Malay Archipelago, and this captain reported that shortly after leaving a terrible explosion occurred. The sky was darkened with ashes aud smoke, and the vessel was covered with ashes. When the atmosphere cleared there was no trace of the island visible. The population is estimated at 12,000. Several sailing vessels were at Sangir at the time, and it is almost certain they were destroyed. The shock was felc at Timur. The Catterthun, while steaming through Celebes Sea, passed for miles through debris and wreckage of all kiuds. Sangir Islands, a group of islands in the Indian Archipelago, so called from the name of the largest island, which is nearly equidistant from the north-east extremity of Celebes and the south extremity of the Philippine isle Mindanao. The group consists of three larger and a great number of smaller islands, most of them inhabited, and covered with whole forests of cocoa -palms. Where the ground is cleared the natives, who are very industrious, raise good crops of pisang, rice, and other useful plants. The islands are generally mountainous, and betray their volcanic origin not only by their geological formation, but also by actual display of volcanic agency. On Doewang, the loftiest island of the group, an eruption took place in 180S, and destroyed all the buildings and cultivated ground for a considerable distance. It has since continued to smoke at intervals. On the island of Siaoe the volcano of Api manifests its activity by volumes of smoke and occasional showers of ashes. On Great Sangir, the largest and most northerly of the islands, the volcano of Aboe, which rise-, to the height of 4000 ft above the sea, burst forth in 1812, and emitted streams of lava which poured down on all sides, destroyed many human beings, and converted the northern part of the island, previously covered with cocoa plantations and well-cultivated fields, into a desert waste. After nearly half a century of quiescence it burst out anew in 1856 and repeated its former devastation, pouring down seven broad streams of lava, and covering the whole district with stones and ashes. Most of the people being engaged at the time in the fields, many were enclosed within the lava streams, and having no means of escape peiished to the number of 2800. The piincipal articles of culture and trade are rice, pisang, sago, and cocoanut oil. Ihe last, which is the great staple, is sent chiefly to the Termite group. Two of the smaller islands abound in swallow.,' orlible nests, which yield no small revenue. The number of inhabitants in the group, part of whom are slaves, is estimated at about 30,000. The natives of these islands belong to the Malay race. They embraced Mohammedanism ia the latter part of the fifteenth century, but were afterwards converted to Christianity by the Portuguese. Tlie islands now form a dependency of the Netherlands, and a number of .schools and churches have been erected by missionary and native effort. — Only one man in 203 ib over 6ft in height.