Every one knows that the Philippine archipelago, like other regions
in its neighborhood, abounds in volcanoes, some of which are still
active, while the majority are extinct. Some geologists have tried to
distribute the Philippine volcanoes into two parallel belts or lines
running in a general northwest and southeast direction, following
the trend of the island group, and extending from the southern end
of Mindanao to the northern part of Luzon--some sixteen degrees of
latitude. Early, possibly prehistoric, volcanic activity in the group
has left its imprint upon the native mythology, as was the case in the
Mediterranean, and an explanation of some of the mythical stories is to
be found in earth movements. The Spaniards have given accounts of many
eruptions in the last three hundred years, which were remarkable either
from the destruction they caused or the terror they inspired. Some of
these accounts were written by the terrified eyewitnesses themselves,
such as the monks in charge of parishes where the greatest damage was
done, and are sufficiently vivid, however much they may lack of what
would now be called “scientific” accuracy.
Probably the most remarkable volcanic outburst in historical times, on
account of the distance apart of the simultaneous eruptions, although
its intensity might not be regarded as great when compared with that
of Krakatoa, was that of January 4, 1641, when a volcano on the
southeastern extremity of Mindanao, another on the northern coast of
the island of Sulu to the west, and a third in Luzon far to the north,
became active at the same time. A translation of the original Spanish
report of this extraordinary phenomenon, which is extremely rare and
practically inaccessible to students, is given in Jagor’s _Reisen in
den Philippinen_. From this it appears that upon two occasions, toward
the end of December, 1640, volcanic ashes fell at Zamboanga (on the
southwest coast of Mindanao) and covered the fields like a light frost.
On January 1, 1641, the auxiliary fleet carrying troops from Manila to
the island of Ternate was off Zamboanga, and on the 3d, at about 7 P.
M., people in the latter place heard what they supposed was artillery
and musketry firing at some miles’ distance. Believing that an enemy
was attacking the coast, preparations were made to meet him, and the
commander of the galleys sent a boat out to see if any of the vessels
of the fleet needed assistance, but the boat returned without finding
the fleet.
On the next day, January 4, 1641, at about 9 A. M., the noise of the
supposed cannonading increased to such an extent that it was feared
in Zamboanga that the Spanish fleet had been attacked by the Dutch,
with whom the Spaniards were then at war. This noise lasted about half
an hour, when it became evident that it was not caused by artillery,
but proceeded from the outbreak of a volcano, for, toward noon, thick
darkness began to spread over the sky to the south, which soon covered
that part of the heavens and gradually spread over the whole sky, so
that by 1 P. M. it was as dark as night, and by 2 P. M. the darkness
had so increased that one could not distinguish objects a short
distance off. Candles were lighted, and a great fear fell upon the
people, who fled to the churches to pray and confess. This darkness,
during which no light was visible in the whole horizon, lasted until 2
A. M., when the moon became visible, to the great joy of both Spaniards
and Indians, who were afraid of being buried beneath the ashes which
had been falling since 2 P. M. The fleet, which was then passing the
southern end of Mindanao, was thrown into confusion by the tumult of
the elements, and was in darkness earlier than Zamboanga--viz., at
10 A. M.--because it was nearer the volcano. The darkness was so
intense that the crews believed the last day had come, and the vessels
were endangered by the heavy shower of stones, ashes, and earth which
fell upon them and which the men hastened to throw overboard. The
ships’ lanterns were lighted as at night. The volcano could be seen,
at a considerable distance, throwing up columns of flame which, on
descending, set the neighboring woods on fire. The darkness covered
the greater part of Mindanao, which is a very large island, and the
ashes were carried to Cebu, Panay, and other islands, and there was
an especially heavy fall on the island of Jolo (Sulu), which is more
than forty leagues west by south from the southeast point of Mindanao,
where the volcano burst out. On this island, on account of the darkness
and the general uproar, the source of the ashes which fell there was
not known at the time, but when it became light enough to see it was
found that at the same time with the eruption on Mindanao a second
volcano had burst out upon a small island which lies off the mouth of
the principal river of Sulu. There the earth had opened with a violent
commotion, and had vomited out flames mingled with trees and huge
stones. So great was the disturbance that the sea bottom was mingled
with the interior of the earth, and the volcano threw out quantities
of shells and other things that grow upon the bottom of the sea. The
mouth of this volcano remained open afterward. It was very broad, and
the eruption had burned up everything upon the island. But what excited
the greatest amazement was that a third volcano broke out on the same
day and hour with the two just mentioned, in the province of Ilocos, in
Luzon, and at least six hundred miles north; and this volcano ejected
water. The outbreak was preceded by a violent storm and earthquake. The
earth swallowed up three mountains, on the sides of one of which were
three villages. All three mountains were torn from their foundations
and blown into the air, together with a vast amount of water, and the
chasm which took their place formed a broad lake, that showed no trace
of the mountains which had stood on the spot. The letter from which
the foregoing account is taken goes on to say that the noise of this
outbreak, which occurred between 9 and 10 A. M., was heard not only
in Manila but in all the Philippine Islands and the Moluccas. It even
reached the mainland of Asia in the kingdoms of Cochin China, Champa,
and Cambodia, as was learned from priests and others who came to Manila
from those countries afterward. The noise sounded like heavy artillery
and musketry fire at two or three leagues’ distance. In Manila it was
supposed that the firing was going on in Cavite, while at Cavite it was
referred to Manila, and messengers were sent from one place to the
other to make inquiries, and a similar impression prevailed in all the
islands, cities, and villages in a circuit of nine hundred leagues,
within which the noise was heard. Malacca was taken by the Dutch on
the 13th of January, and was already hard pressed on the 4th, and many
pious Spaniards believed, after the news had come of the capture of the
place, that Heaven had taken this volcanic means of warning them of the
great injury which would result to the archipelago from the loss of so
important a city.
The missionaries in Cochin China gave January 5th as the date of the
outbreak, instead of the 4th, there being one day’s difference between
the reckoning of the Portuguese, who sailed from west to east, and
that of the Spaniards, who sailed from east to west, to their Eastern
possessions.
The volcano of Mayon, or Albay, in the province of Camarines, has been
in frequent eruption from 1616 down to within thirty years. Some of
the eruptions were very destructive to life and property. After an
activity in July, 1766, of six days’ duration, accompanied by a great
flow of lava, on October 23, 1766, during a violent storm, which began
at about 7 P. M. from north-northwest and at 3 A. M. suddenly veered to
the south and blew down all the houses of one of the villages in the
neighborhood, the volcano ejected such a vast quantity of water that
several torrents of thirty varas (ninety feet) wide ran down to the
sea between the villages Tibog and Albay. Between Bacacay and Malinao
the floods were over eighty varas (two hundred and forty feet) wide,
and the highways were obliterated. One village was entirely destroyed,
nearly all the houses of the region were swept away, and the fields
were covered with sand; another village was partly destroyed, its
remainder forming an island, or rather a hill, surrounded by deep,
broad ravines, through which the stream of sand and water ran. In
another place palms and other trees were buried in sand to their tops.
Some fifty persons lost their lives. As far as could be judged, the
account declares, this [cold?] water came from the interior of the
volcano, while we should be inclined to regard it as a cloudburst. The
outbreak of February 1, 1814, however, was the most destructive of all.
An eyewitness writes that at about 8 A. M. the mountain suddenly threw
out a thick column of stones, sand, and ashes, which quickly rose to
the highest layers of the air. The sides of the volcano became veiled
and disappeared from the view of the spectators, while a stream of
fire ran down the mountain and threatened to annihilate them. Every
one fled to the highest attainable point for safety, while the roar of
the volcano struck terror into all. The darkness increased, and many
of the fleeing ones were struck down by the falling stones. Houses
afforded no protection, because the red-hot stones set them on fire,
and the most flourishing villages of the Camarines were thus laid in
ashes. Toward 10 A. M. the rain of stones ceased, and was replaced by
one of sand, and at about 2 P. M. the noise had lessened and the sky
began to clear. Twelve thousand persons were killed and many wounded
by this eruption. After the mountain had become quiet it presented a
frightful appearance, its former picturesque, highly cultivated slopes
being covered with barren sand, which enveloped the cocoanut trees to
their tops, and some one hundred and twenty feet of its summit had been
carried away during the eruption. An enormous opening had been formed
on its southern side, near which three other mouths appeared, which
continued to emit ashes and smoke. The finest villages of the Camarines
were destroyed, and the best part of the province was converted into a
sandy waste.
This mountain has been active at short intervals down to the present
time. Sometimes its activity has been continuous for a year or more.
Its eruptions were frequently accompanied by earthquakes and storms.
The next outbreak after that described above was in 1827. In 1834
and 1835 the mountain was active nearly all the time. There was no
eruption of ashes, but every night a stream of molten lava could be
seen running into the higher ravines. In 1845 there was an eruption
of ashes which lasted several days; a violent eruption occurred in
1846, two unimportant ones in 1851, and another violent ash and stone
eruption occurred on July 27, 1853, during which thirty-one persons
were killed. Others occurred in 1855, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1865, and
1871. The heights of the Philippine volcanoes vary from ten thousand
and nine thousand feet (Albay or Mayon) down to Taal, only seven
hundred and eighty feet high. This curious volcano is upon an islet in
the middle of Lake Bombon, south of Manila. Lake Bombon was originally
probably a vast crater. It is separated from the China Sea by a narrow
isthmus. Taal contains secondary craters, crevasses emitting vapors,
and lakelets of acid water. It is the principal “show” volcano of the
islands, and was in action in 1885, when all the vegetation upon the
island was burned up. Lake Bombon was doubtless formerly connected with
the sea, the intervening barrier being formed of eruptive _scoriæ_. Its
water is still saline, and its marine fauna has adapted itself to its
modified environment.
On the small island Camiguin, on the northwest coast of Mindanao, is
the extinct volcano Catarman, with a crater lake upon its summit whose
level has been subject to great fluctuations. Sometimes the lake
dried up, and again it has overflowed and inundated the low lands in
the neighborhood, as in 1827 and 1862. Often its water has been set
boiling by escaping gases. It would be interesting to know what varying
pressure caused the changes in the level of this lake on the top of
Mount Catarman.
A further idea of the volcanic activity of this region may be gained
from the circumstance that a volcanic island emerged from the sea on
the north coast of Luzon in 1856, which grew to seven hundred feet in
height by 1860, and is now about eight hundred feet high. Every one
has seen photographs of the streets of Manila after an earthquake,
which form of subterranean activity is so common that it is taken into
account in building.