Beautiful Philippines: A Handbook of General InformationPhilippine Islands. Commission of Independence
History
Beautiful Philippines: A Handbook of General Information
Philippine Islands. Commission of Independence
Philippines -- Description and travel; Philippines -- Economic conditions
Before the eruption the floor of the crater stood about five feet
above the level of Lake Bombon. In it were four prominent features:
Two small lakes of hot water, one green, the other more or less red;
near the center a gas vent five or six feet in diameter, from which the
hot gases roared as from a blast furnace; and just a little distance
away a triangular obelisk of hard volcanic rock. During the eruption
all of the material in the bottom of this crater, to a depth of about
230 feet, was heaved up and spread broadcast over the country. Later
on, this hole filled up with water, which seeped in from the lake
almost up to the level of the old floor, or about that of the lake
itself. There is now one large body of steaming water in place of
the former features, but the old obelisk still stands defiantly in
its place.
The volcano consists of an active crater near the center of a low
island not over 5 1/2 miles in its longest diameter. The island is
situated at the center of Taal Lake (Bombon) which is about 17 miles
long and 10 1/2 miles wide. The lake is 10 meters deep and is 2.5
meters above sea level.
A small launch carries those who would look down into the crater across
the lake to the island from which the volcano rises. The volcano is
about a thousand feet in height and is fairly easy to climb.
TAYABAS PROVINCE, the second largest, is on the Pacific coast of the
Philippine Islands. The province is noted for its copra, abacá and
corn which are raised for export. Mineral resources are abundant in
the Bondoc Peninsula where gold, coal, and petroleum are found. Aside
from agriculture and mining, however, there are other industries such
as hat-making and lumbering. There is a lumber camp at Guinayañgan
and a modern saw and planing mill in Lucena. The Botocan Falls,
where a stream 40 feet wide makes a leap of 190 feet, could supply
the entire province with light and power for all its needs.
[Lucena and Atimonan]
The spin to Lucena and Atimonan, both in the Province of Tayabas over
the South Road, is a favorite one. On the east are the little town of
Binañgonan de Lampon, a celebrated port in the sixteenth century in
the galleon trade, and the landlocked harbor of Hondagua, destined
to be the direct port of call of steamers coming from the Pacific
Coast of the United States and Canada.
On the way, stop can readily be made at the town of Calamba, Laguna,
about 37 miles from Manila. This is the birthplace of the Filipino
author, and patriot Dr. Jose Rizal. Although the house where he was
born is no longer standing, the site can easily be found opposite the
church and market. Calamba has an added importance in that the town has
a modern sugar central, which the traveler should not fail to visit.
[Los Baños]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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