Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

* Lakes of the Padang plateau : Aie^i in Greatest84 AUSTRALASIA.natives. Gaseous eruptions take place from time to time in the depths of thelake, and then the atmosphere becomes charged with sulphurous exhalations, whilethe fish perish in thousands.East of this lacustrine basin, which greatly resembles the Italian Lake Bolsena,rises the still perfect Singalang volcano (8,800 feet), scarcely less imposing thanits eastern neighbour Merapi, whose highest peak attains an elevation of 9,400feet. This volcano, as indicated by its very name (Moro Api, " destroying fire "),is the most restless of the seven or eight still active burning mountains in Sumatra.None other has discharged such copious lava streams over the surroundingplains, and even during the present century it has been the centre of numerousdisturbances. Its summit, of a red colour and destitute of vegetation, terminatesin a group of three craters, each encircled by recent lavas. The local Malay legendhas converted Merapi into a sort of Ararat, whence their first parents descended asthe flood-waters subsided.The Sago volcano (7,450 feet) stands out like a bold landmark at the north-eastcorner of the Padang uplands. This region is throughout its whole extent amountainous terrace-land somewhat clearly marked off by two longitudinal ridges,on the west the main Barisan range, en the east that of Ngalau Saribu. Theplateau is likewise skirted on the south by another transverse chain, which likethe northern ridge has also its "corner stone," the Talang or Sulasi volcano(8,440 feet), rising immediately above the west side of the city of Padang.Thermal waters and sulphurous vapours escape in abundance from crevasses of thismountain, which, however, does not terminate in a crater properly so called.On its flanks are rich sulphur beds extensively utilised by the natives.The lowest depression of the quadrilateral of outer ridges enclosing the Padanguplands is flooded by a lake, whose long axis is disposed in the same direction asSumatra itself and its mountain system. The Siugkarah Sea, as this basin iscalled, teems with fish, yielding an abundant supply for a large number of thesurrounding populations. Its level has been lowered some three feet by thedestruction of a rocky barrier at the head of its emissary, the river Umbilien,which is one of the main branches of the Indragiri. Three other lakes, one atributary of Singkarah, are disposed in terraces on the south-east slopes of MountTalang.*South of Talang the Barisan chain presents only a single ridge skirtingthe seaboard at a mean distance of fifteen miles from the ocean. In this sectionof the system, but to the east of the normal line of crests, rises the isolatedKorintji (12,200 feet), known also by the name of Indrajjura, or " City of Indra " ;for this peak, which contends with Luseh for the first rank amongst the Sumatransummits, was supposed, like the great mountains of India, to be the everlastingabode of the gods. Vapours are almost constantly emitted from its crater, aAltitude. Square Miles. Depth.ManinJH 520 feet 40 510 feetSing-kavah 1,100 ,, 45 890 „