TAAL VOLCANO AND ITS DESTRUCTIVE ERUPTION 
339 
nificent series of photographs giving an 
impressive idea of the play of titanic 
forces which was then occurring (see 
pages 330 and 333). 
It was at once evident that every weak 
^ point in the crater floor had given way. 
From the former site of the green lake, 
at one end of which was located the act- 
ive crater in 1888, there rolled an enor- 
mous column of vapor, which towered 
skyward unil caught by the morning 
breeze, and was then swept, black and 
threatening, westward over the neigh- 
I)oring province of' Cavite. The 1904 
crater, which had long been choked with 
mud and stones, was again in full activ- 
ity, and a small new crater had formed 
to the north at a point where the long- 
continued existence of a large solfatara 
had led us to anticipate that there would 
be a break in the event of an important 
eruption. 
From the central and more important 
of these three openings enormous masses 
of black mud were thrown to a great 
height at frequent intervals, boring their 
way through the column of white steam. 
There were frequent loud explosions of 
sufficient intensity to shake the solid 
earth. 
The varied phases of this imposing 
display tempted Mr. Martin to expose 
plates until his stock became practically 
exhausted, when he returned to Tanauan 
with but a single plate ready for use. 
the; terrific explosion 
At I :05 on the following morning 
he was awakened by an extraordinarily 
heavy explosion and saw an enormous 
column of mud rising from the crater, 
which was distant some 1 1 miles. There 
was a magnificent display of "chain" 
lightning about the black mud cloud, and 
the explosion had awakened and terrified 
every one. Twelve minutes later there 
was a rain of mud at Tanauan. It was 
followed by a fall of fine, dry volcanic 
ejecta. Shortly before 2 o'clock the sky, 
which had been obscured by the black 
mud cloud, cleared completely. 
While Mr. Martin and his companions 
were still discussing the imposing phe- 
nomenon which they had witnessed, there 
occurred at 2 :20 two terrific explosions, 
or I should perhaps say a double explo- 
sion, for the second report succeeded the 
first so quickly as almost to coincide with 
it, and people a little further away 
noted but one concussion. We now know 
that this explosion tore most of the floor 
out of the main crater of Taal Volcano 
and hurled it skyward. A huge black 
cloud continued to rise for a long time. 
Its ejection was attended by a most ex- 
traordinary electrical display, which was 
visible for 250 miles. 
The explosion was heard over an area 
more than 600 miles in diameter. In the 
subprovince of Kalinga the wild men 
thought that the dynamite stored at Lu- 
buagan by the government for use in 
road construction had exploded, and 
throughout the following day delegations 
from various settlements visited the town 
to ask the lieutenant governor if this was 
the case. 
Mr. Martin says that the cloud at first 
rose steadily, but "soon the wind got 
hold of it and it spread out all over the 
country, leaving us in total darkness. 
Wet mud started to come down in Tana- 
uan about 12 minutes after the explosion 
and kept on falling for not less than half 
an ho ir, until it covered the ground." 
A WONDERFUL ELECTRICAL DISPLAY 
In Manila the shock of the explosion 
was so great that people leaped from 
their beds in terror, thinking that there 
had been some great catastrophe in the 
city. Their attention was instantly at- 
tracted by the glare of the electrical dis- 
play, and many of them realized that 
Taal must be in full eruption. The thou- 
sands who witnessed the extraordinary 
sight agree that it beggared description, 
and few of them have even attempted to 
describe it. The streams of electric fluid 
seemed to be of extraordinary breadth. 
With the instinct of the photographer 
still alert, Mr. Martin exposed his one 
remaining plate ; but, unfortunately, in 
the excitement of the moment he failed 
to realize that a flash of lightning makes 
its own exposure ; and, fearing that the 
steady glare resulting from the myriad 
discharges would fog his plate, timed his 
shutter to one six-hundredth of a second, 
with the result here reproduced. 
