324 IN STARR Y REALMS. 



in its anxious navigation astounds the leadsman by coming 

 ap hot from the bottom of the sea. From sunset on 

 Sunday till midnight the tremendous detonations followed 

 each other so quickly that a continuous roar may be said 

 to have issued from the island. The full terrors of the 

 eruption were now approaching. The distance of 96 

 miles between Krakatoa and Batavia was not sufficient to 

 permit the inhabitants of the town to enjoy their night's 

 sleep. All night long the thunders of the volcano sounded 

 like the discharges of artillery at their very doors, while 

 the windows rattled with aerial vibrations. 



On Monday morning, August 27, the eruption cul- 

 minated in four terrific explosions, of which the third, 

 shortly after 10 A.M. Krakatoa time, was by far the most 

 violent. The quantity of material ejected was now so 

 great that darkness* prevailed even as far as Batavia soon 

 after 11 A.M., and there was a rain of dust until three in 

 the afternoon. The explosions continued with more or 

 less intensity all the afternoon of Monday and throughout 

 Monday night. They finally ceased at about 2'30 A.M. 

 on Tuesday, August 28. The entire series of grand phe- 

 nomena thus occupied a little more than thirty-six hours. 



We may imagine several different standards by which 

 the significance of a volcanic outbreak is to be estimated. 

 The most obvious standard of comparison is, of course, 

 that of the quantity of materials which are extruded. 

 Another would be the area covered by the clouds of 

 volcanic dust and the duration of the darkness thus caused. 

 Other standards would be sought in the incidental effects 

 of the outbreak, such as the great waves which are thereby 

 propagated in the sea, and the distances to which the 



