72 PRATT. 



mud." No evidence of burning, charred or scorched grass or wood, 

 could be found, even on the island. Neither the clothes nor the hair of 

 the \'ictims on the island were singed. Several rocks were noted on the 

 volcano slopes the burnt appearance of which suggested recent incandes- 

 cence. Such rocks should have burned any vegetation with which they 

 came in contact. However, in their fall they had invariably scooped 

 out such holes or gashes that no vegetation was left close enough to 

 have been affected. 



Volcanic bombs. — A block of scoriacious andesitic lava (roughly oval, 

 1 meter in greatest diameter) was foimd on the southwest slope of the 

 volcano about 1 kilometer from the crater rim. This is very similar to 

 the "bread crust" bombs commonly mentioned in connection with vol- 

 canic activity. This specimen had been broken by its fall, although the 

 resulting pieces had not dropped apart. A fragment is sho-wTi in Plate 

 XI, fig. 2. It exhibits the characteristic surface "cracks," and in addi- 

 tion shows a sharply defined outer zone of much denser texture than the 

 delicate scoriacious interior. This bomb may be a fragment of ancient 

 lava torn from the side of the volcano throat, only the surface of which, 

 apparently, has been fused by the recent activity. 



Distribution. — Probably very few pieces of the solid ejecta larger than 

 mere pebbles were carried farther away than the limits of the island.^* 

 All the large blocks observed fell on the upper slopes of the volcano, 

 although on the west side many boulders had been washed down the 

 mountain by flows of water subsequent to the fall of solid material. 



Text, figure No. 1 shows' the distribution of solid ejecta from Taal. 

 Three roughly concentric areas have been outlined. The smallest one, 

 230 square kilometers, includes the devastated region where man and 

 large animals were killed by the direct action of the volcano. It also 

 limits approximately the area over which the fall of mud or ash exceeded 

 10 centimeters in average thickness. The next larger area is approxi- 



" Major Gurney, of the Philippines Constabulary, who treated a large number 

 of wovmded in the field hospital work, observed that the burns were usually of 

 the first order. It is suggested in this connection that the abrasion of scalded 

 surfaces due to the velocity of the flying mud, may have intensified the effect 

 of the burns in many cases. 



"Early reports told of a banca (native canoe) load of people which left the 

 barrio of Mapulongbato on Simday night and was halfway across the lake 

 toward San Nicolas when 21 out of the 26 occupants were killed by falling stones. 

 Lieutenant Dominguez, Philippines Constabulary, states that the banca (which 

 with the five survivors was washed ashore) sustained little damage other than the 

 loss of the outriggers. There were no holes in the boat. This damage might 

 have been done by the "water wave," the people being drowned when the banca, 

 deprived of its outriggers through the breaking of the rattan lashings, upset. 



