THE GREAT ERUPTION OF SAKURA-JIMA IN 1914". 79 



ing back lie saw ^Yhile on deck that finally they exploded, at 

 5.15 p.m., with boommg, throwing up intensely black ash-clouds. 

 In anticipation of a greater outbreak, the writer rode back 14 miles 

 northwards by train at 10 p.m. from the city to Kokubu Station. 

 Jan. 17th About midnight and during the early morning, the 



writer heard strong detonations fi'om a distance. Finally, at 4 a.m., 

 there was an explosion on a grand scale at the new spot above 

 mentioned on the western slope,^^ and the dense ash clouds were 

 blown by a southeast wind toward the city which became so dark, 

 that, as stated in newspapers, it was necessary to use candles on 

 the 17th forenoon. As pumice and triturated rocks are opaque 

 bodies iu the ordinary sense, the gloomy city enwrapped in ash 

 clouds must have been to such a degree destitute of Hght that it 

 is difficult to imagine. See PI. VII. Fig. 2. It was the 



Second " o 



AsHFALL second ash/all in the city and the thickest one (883 grams 

 per sq. m. and 7 cm. thick). The writer, having left the city, for- 

 tunately escaped from breathing in the rock dust, which was 

 extremely irritant both to eyes and throat. During the night we 

 saw from Kokubu Station the red glares of lava on both sides, the 

 eastern being more prominent than the western (Text-fig. 14 c). 



The writer started from Kokubu Station toward Fukuyama 

 on the northeast shore'^ of Kagoshima Bay with the intention of 

 seeing the activity on the east side — the Nabé-yama ventholes, 

 which was entirely neglected by the visitors of the Sakura-jima 

 eruption, excepting those who had the special advantage of being 

 on board the steam-launches of the Navy to get a cursory glance 

 of the east side. 



1) Probably the blast-hole nhove No. 1, (Text-fig. 19), and in Geologic Map. 



2) All the country around was gray like a cement yard, and stems and branches of trese 

 were bent by the weight of ash, of the 12th. 



