THE ERUPTION OF BANDAI-SAN. 



135 



The distant view of Bandai as seen from certain directions has 

 been altered by the destruction of Kobandai. When viewed from its 

 south side, however, e.g., from the town of Wakamatsu, the mountain 

 apparently does not show any sign of great change ; the prominent 

 peak of Obandai entirely screening from view the place of devastation. 

 Before the time of the explosion, the top of Kobandai, when seen 

 from this side, was presented as a small prominence on the left 

 side of Öbandai. Fis:. 3, PI. XXI, is a sketch taken soon after the 

 catastrophe. The dotted outline in this figure is the original form of 

 Kobandai, which has now entirely vanished, and in its place columns 

 of steam are seen rising. 



The most magnificent sight is presented to view when the moun- 

 tain is seen from the northern side, where the full force of the ex- 

 plosion may be best realized. The newly opened explosion -crater 

 (Fig. 1, PL XVI, Fig. 1, PL XXI) is fully disclosed; the wreath of 

 steam rising from its central linear fissures like a cumulus cloud. 

 The sound of the evolving steam is distinctly heard from the village 

 of Hibara fully 9 kilometres distant, evidently due to the fact that 

 the crater opens unobstructed on this side, and is backed by perpen- 

 dicular walls. On the right side we see a jagged rocky precipice, 

 the remains of Yugeta-yama which formed a small prominence on the 

 flank of Kobandai. The extensive waste of mud and rocks, gradual- 

 ly sloping from the crater toward the plain below with its curious 

 conical rock-hills and bared mountain sides, gives a most vivid 

 and awful impression to the mind of the vastness of the devasta- 

 tion. 



It would have been very interesting to compare the original form 

 of the mountain as seen from the north with its present form. But 

 as we have already stated this part of Bandai was very scantily 

 peopled, and hardly ever visited by scientists so that there seems to 



