Show A VOLCANO IN ACTION the great eruption at Band aisan hot springs japan eight years ago which was almost unprecedented in volcanic outbursts has just been paralleled by a similar disaster in the same district of japan though fortunately this time the pleasure resorts near the volcanic mountain were deserted because the season had not begun had the eruption taken place later in the summer the loss of life would probably have run into hundreds as it did at Band aisan when the disaster brought mourning to so many house holds on the morning of march ath the residents of fukushima prefecture japan were startled a noise the sullen roar continued for thirteen hours and the earth was shaken violently flames issued from five visible cracks in the mountain sides and dense smoke obscured the sky for miles around the water of the river and its tributaries tributa ries became turbid and the people were panic stricken the eruption occurred about midway between the high peaks of higashi azue ma and azuma fugi the rumbling noises commenced at 1140 a m and did not cease until ten minutes after midnight on the aoth a second eruption took place in the neighborhood of the first and the 11 sky k above the mountain was covered with dense smoke at the time the first eruption was accompanied by a landslip extending feet in length 7 or 8 feet in width and or feet in depth happily no lives were lost not because the phenomenon did not develop injurious power but because the district in the vicinity of azuma fuji is entirely uninhabited one building a native house was submerged to the eaves the injury to crops was very great and the river Abu kuma upon which many farmers depend became impregnated with the mineral emission from the mountain thousands of acres of fertile land are covered with mud at a distance of two ri from the foot of the volcano two hot spring bath houses are situated and these were uninjured the inspectors who visited the scene as soon as possible alter after the eruption state that one large crater and several small ones were visible and noises as of loud thunder were were cons antly being emitted along with dense black sulphurous fumes which obscured the sky lava and lumps of earth were showered on the neighboring districts and the sceble scene was an awful one and seemed to portend other serious eruptions the hills and valleys near the volcano were almost completely covered with lava and ashes to the southeast of the eru eruption P tion geysers had spurted forth and the snow being ing melted by the heat had formed muddy streams an inspection ot of the craters was rendered futile by the showers of ashes and they could not be approached within thirty feet from the Is side there could be seen two large craters and seven or eight smaller ones one of the former being round in shape and of an area of about square feet feet while the other was about feet in in width the journey thence to the azuma hot springs was rendered unpleasant by the melted snow and showers of stones and on reaching the place the solitary house of the district was found to be flooded and the only furniture a basket and lid of an iron pot the house appeared to have been unoccupied for a long time for miles about the ground was honeycombed with the dents of falling stones which with numberless sparks were thrown up hundreds of feet at the second eruption with a tremendous noise it was in fukushima prefecture eight years ears ago that the terri terrible blo eruption of andrisan Band and aisan oc cured destroying several hundred lives and burying miles of fertile f er country under a deluge of mud and rocks the extraordinary feature of this eruption was that the whole moun tain side slid down into the valley and thus changed the entire aspect of the country after the disaster there was enuch trouble in locating property as all the boundaries were moved |