sisms. 



130 S. SEKIYA AND Y. KIKUCHI 



15). Another, living in a village S. S. E of the mountain, saw with 

 mixed fear and delight how the rising columns of steam from Bandai- 

 san, refracting and decomposing the light that fell upon them, pro- 

 duced a most beautiful display of variegated colours (Report 8). 

 Premonitory It has been often asked whether there were any premonitory 



signs of the explosion. It is certain that slight shocks were felt on 

 previous days, as well as half an hour before the outburst. But 

 beyond this the evidence is vague. Some persons vouch to having 

 heard mysterious rumbling sounds in the mountain prior to the 

 eruption. Again, some animals are said to have shown alarm. No 

 doubt before an explosion of such magnitude as that of Bandai-san, 

 earth must have been in a seismically sensitive condition, and certain 

 animals which are known to be highly susceptible to even minute 

 earth-tremors may very well have been frightened on this occasion. 

 Some well-waters are also said to have diminished in flow. None of 

 these alleged facts, however, have been clearly established on the evi- 

 dence of trustworthy persons. On the other hand, Mr. Tsurumaki 

 says in his letter (page 105) that the bathers at Nakanoyu did not 

 observe any abnormal changes in that spring, though it is situated 

 on the very edge of the new crater. It would be interesting to know 

 exactly how Lake Inawashiro behaved before the eruption. The 

 water level of that lake is systematically recorded at two places on 

 the shore, for purposes of irrigation. But we were unable to learn, 

 either from conversation with Mr. Akiyama, who keeps the record, 

 or from the entries in his books, that there had been any sudden fluc- 

 tuations of level during the two months preceding the catastrophe. 

 In reports lodged at the Fukushima Prefecture it is stated that the river 

 Nagase, the Lake's chief feeder, decreased its flow from April or May, 

 and that the water level of the Lake on the 1st of July was one foot 

 lower than on the corresponding day of the previous year. A captain 



