OBSERVATIONS ON THE RECENT ERUPTION OF TAAL 



VOLCANO. 



By Charles IVIaetin. 

 (From the Photographic Laboratory, Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 



The inhabitants of Manila experienced several earthquakes on Friday, 

 January 27, 1911, and these became decidedly strong on Saturday 

 morning. Notice was received by the Bureau of Science on Saturday, 

 January 28, that the Volcano of Taal, situated some 50 kilometers .south 

 of Manila, was in a state of eruption. 



I had, in previous years, secured series of photographs illustrating 

 the condition of the crater, and as the invaluable set of views taken by 

 Mr. Dean C. Worcester was at the disposal of the Government, I at once 

 started for the volcano in order to continue these comparative studies. 

 I reached Bombon (Taal) Lake at 8 o'clock on the evening of the same 

 day and passed the night of January 28 and 29, on the shore of the lake. 

 At 11 o'clock at night there was a spectacular eruption, with flashes of 

 lightning in the cloud of mud thrown up; deep rumblings were plainly 

 heard from Bahadero. 



I was on the edge of the crater at 8 o'clock on the morning of January 

 29. The volcano was then very active.' This is well shown by the photo- 

 graph of the ^eat masses of clouds. (See Plate I, fig. 1.) There had 

 been a fall of mud varying from 5 to 10 centimeters in depth on the 

 edges of the highest ridges of the crater. The southern and southeastern 

 slopes were not affected by this bec'ause of the direction of the wind, 

 although a ravine carried liquified mud down to the lake on the southern 

 side. 



I returned to Tanauan, the nearest point on the railroad to the volcano, 

 the same afternoon. At 1 o'clock on the morning of January 30 a 

 vast column of mud was ejected from the volcano; lightning was seen 

 playing in the clouds and loud thunder was heard in Tanauan; but no 

 rumblings from the crater. Mud began to fall in Tanauan fifteen to 

 twenty minutes afterward. At first this consisted of fijie, damp parti- 

 cles; afterward it was dry, and continued to fall in the latter condition 

 for twenty minutes more. 



The sky became absolutely clear shortly before 2 o'clock and at 3.20 



