The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-16
SECRET OF
The VOLCANO J
Mystery That Has Baffled
the Scientists at Mt.
Pelee.
Louis H. Ayme Talks of Pos
sible Causes of Great
Disaster.

A volcanic eruption that shot downward
and not upward, an eruption without
ashes and without lava, an eruption that
swept across the earth at the rate of 200
miles an hour and that dissolved 5000
men and women into immediate dust, an
eruption, moreover, for which the pro-
longed Investigations Of science have been
unable to assign cause, such is the de-
scription given of the disaster in Martin
ique by Louis H. Ayme, American consul
at Guadalupe.
Mr.. Ayme, now absent from his post on
leave, discussed volcanic phenomena yes
terday at the home OF his sister, Mrs.
James Smith, 1905 Ninth avenue S. The
consul Is a man Of distinguished per-
sonality as BELTS his semi i-diplomattc Of
flee. Although born in this country, he
has spent years in the West Indies.
Thus he expresses an alert American in
telligence through a tactful Creole cour-
tesy.
"The cause Of that horror?" no ex-
claimed. who knows it Never before
was a volcanic eruption studied so
promptly, so closely, so learnedly, and
from all points Of view Noted experts
in geology, in chemistry, in all the SCI
ences that bear upon eruptions, f1ocked to
Martinique. Many of them fingered for
days, some for. weeks. Certain men, like
Professor Heilpern, with a courage that
increases the army of scientific heroes,
climbed to the very edge of Pelees crater
and peered down into the only actual In
ferno that man can see on earth. Other
and greater eruntionS took nlaCe
while the scientific mon were still in the
vicinity. All the phenomena were record
ed, photographed, even measured when
possible. Every scientific appliance was
brought into play. But now, three months
after the eruption, no expert has been
PLANTATION upon the causes OF volcanic
outbursts. Many Of the results are
evident, even as they were evident to that
fine Roman reporter, Mr.. Pliny.
'One element of the eruption was at
first considered new, although it ex-
planned nothing. This was the casting out
OF explosive gases. But careful reading
Of old records has shown that such gases
must have Ihaen thrown out on the oe-
casion Of various historic erupttons. The
only difference vas this gaseous feature
had not beea. adequately described. = T.
A Doubtful Theory.
"A doubtful theory has gained some
standing in thet United States. It's a
theory advanced prominently by Admiral
Servan of the French navy. He argued
that the bottom of the had been rent
apart Water had poured down toward
the interior of the earth, had come in
contact with molten rocks and had gene
rated steam which had burst forth
through the adjoining chimneys of Pelee
and the st. Vincent Soufriere. The ad-
mfral dwelt upon the torn, twisted condi-
tion OF submarine cables, that parted at
the time of the disaster.
But the force Of volcanic eruptions,
like that of all explosions, progresses
along the lines of least resistance. Why
molten rock into the sea through the al
legged open chasm. instead of rising
through the earth to an outlet fully
mile above the level of the water?
'And If the sea bottom had been rent
apart SO violently, why did not earth
quakes precede the eruption? 1t Is a
fact that the sensitive sesometers con-
stantly under observation in England re-
corded no disturbance of the earth what
ever, although those same instruments
have infallibly reported, after an aver
age delay Of about six minutes, the most
moderate earthquakes in Java or Japan.
mo. l don't believe, and the majority
Of scientific folk do not believe. that
water poured into the earth anywhere to
irrltate Pelee The professors are Of the
opinion from certain data, that whatever
Is the ultimate cause of eruDtions, the
Immediate cause Is the contact Of water
with molten rock not less than seven or
more than fifteen miles from the earth's
surface. The average point of contact
Is estimated at about nine miles down.
Now, water could fall nine miles easily
enough, it could seep through the earth
perhaps, but there are reasons for as
suming that 1t does not do so The gen.
eral conviction in spectacled circles is
that the molten rock rises to meet the
water, and that the water does not de-
scend to meet the molten rock
Il might say that no one longer con-
ceives Of the earth as being filled with
molten matter. How far the melted rock
beneath volcanoes extends, and what
melted 1t and exactly what it is anyhow
is sufficiently obscure to give it the queer
name magma. The scientists call it
that so they may seem to be acquainted
with it. -
WelI, assuming that nine miles below
the bananas of Martinique this magma
and water came together. What followed
down there in the depths where nothing
lives, has lived, or will live, where moth
Ing Is ever heard or felt or seen? The
magma without doubt was inconceivably
hot. In laboratories we have created an
enormous heat, several thousand degrees
Fahrenheit above zero. But, say that we
have attained at the best, 10 900 degrees
the heat of this magma is from SO, 900
to 100000 degrees. When the magma en-
countered the water, steam, of course,
was formed Immediately. But what form
did the steam take? Did it remain a
mere vapor? Consider the pressure at
this depth, including the pressure of the
expanding steam. Nothing that we have
realized on the surface by our mightiest
hydraulics, our best arranged chemicals
and machines, can compare with that
pressure far underground. Possibly the
form Of matter at such depths might
easily surprise U.S. ..
Something like this happened, although
we cannot surmise the reason why it
should happen on the third Of last Nav.
The magma probably rose to- meet the
water that had filtered down some nina
or ten miles beneath Mont Pelee in Mar
Unique. s..'.. -, -
First Scene in Eruption.
'The same day, therefore, was wit
messed the first scene of the eruption.
Ashes were thrown out high into the air.
Next, on May 5, came vast discharge of
mud. May 8 followed the eruption of gas
that destroyed 10000 people and over
whelmed the city of st. Pierre. May 20
occurred an eruption even greater. Still