Salt Lake Tribune | 1913-12-22 | Page 1 | Craters Enter into Activity at Same Time

GRATERS ENTER INTO ACTIVITY AT SAME TIME Volcanic Eruptions on Island of Ambrim Wipe Out Villages Vil-lages and Bring Death to Hundreds. GREAT STREAMS OB LAVA POUR INTO BAY Ocean Fairly Boils and Water in the River Is Hot; Scenes at Night Terrible and Awe-inspirinig. SYDNEY, New South Wales, Dec. 21. Incoming steamers bring icrriblc details of the recent volcanic eruptions on the island of Ambrim, in thc New HerbrJdes group, in which 500 natives lost their lives. Witnesses of thc disturbance dis-turbance describe it as having been so suddeu and violent that they oxpectod to see the whole western side of thc island disappear. With a terrific roar, which was followed fol-lowed by a rapid succession of artillery-like detonations, all tho craters of tho volcano entered into full activity, spouting flames and lava, and throwing throw-ing out huge boulders. Great streams of lava soon were rushing down the slopes, cutting off the villngcrs from escape, in one instanco two torrents of the molten mass ."joined and mado an island of one entire section of a village.. vil-lage.. Here fifty or sixty persons perished. per-ished. The scenes at night were awe-inspiring. Flnmes shot into iho air to a height of a thousand feet; illuminating j thc wholo scene of destruction. The ocean seemed to boil as huge superheated super-heated masses of stone fell into the sea and streams of lava poured into tho bay. Dust from tho craters gradually grad-ually formed a black cloud which blotted out the light of tho stars. Tho bay after tho eruption was filled with doad fish and large numbers of dead turtles. Tho water in tho river was hot. The British hospital buildings were wiped out of existence, but previous to their destruction the doctors pluckily removed all tho patients to a launch and escaped with thorn.