Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-07-17
DUST MOST DEADLY
ANALYSIS SHOWS WHY PEOPLE
Persisted.
GAS VERY sUFFocATINo
Chemists New Seeking to Determine
From the Dust just the Kind of Gas
Which Wrought Such caIamitous
ResuIts-Many Victims Die From
Excessive Heat.

Scattereu over the desks, tables, and
chairs of room on the survey build
ing at Washington is heterogeneous
collection of hardware, gray dust, oroK.
en- china and small stones. Each item
in this assortment rests on crumpled
piece of yellow paper, with a few QUIZ
zles written on it's face. For two days
clerks in the survey will be engaged
in sorting and classifying this array.
putting the dust in suitable bottles la
beling the nails and bits of iron. and
marking each stone with a name.
This unusual scene is one of the re-
suits of Professor Robert T. Hills visit
TO Martinique as member of the ma
tional geographic expedition. The col
lection of these articles, says the Wash
ington Star, was not done with a pur-
pose OF adding to the exhibits of any
museum. A great part of the work of
the Martinique students is yet to be
done here in America, with the help OF
laboratory appliances, and Professor
H., and his associates were thus put 10
the necessity of gathering samples OF
volcanic dust, the pumice formations
expelled from the volcanoes, and the
material substances which bear marks
of the great heat then prevailing in the
vicinity of the erupting mountains.
Specimens in Their Socks.
To the end Professor I. C. Russell
and Professor Hill exerted themselves
notably. Space in their wardrobes
aboard the transport Dixie was willing.
ly sacrificed Specimens were packe /
away anywhere. When it was discov
cred there were no bags suitable for
holding the dust which the two scient
! lists gathered about st. Pierre and ST
Vincent they contributed their extra
socks-so that the rather monotonous
collection now in Professor Hills office
is varied by the bright touches of blue
and red which mark prevailing fash
ions In mems hosiery.
All the hardware picked up by Pro
lessor Hill apparently indicates tina,
the explosion of Mont Pelee created IN
| almost unbearable heat in the city al
| its base. He found a cluster of nails
| for example, which had so far melted
as to have run together. Several
| pieces of crockery found nearby had
cracked into small pieces. 1t is Ger
tain, say the scientists who have seer
these articles, that, due to one cause
or another, great degree of heat pre-
vailed where they were found
Yet several articles which Profess,
Hill now has on his desks were appar
emily not heated at all. He discovered
somewhere a keno" outfit, with
score of small checkers. each mark &c
with a number. Not one of tines,
shows any sign of heat
To AnaIyze Volcanic Dust.
The dust which has been brought t,
Washington at such cost to the coll &c
tors wearing apparel varies little il
color according to the places where !
was collected. 1t can all be callet
gray however, and it all has the sam
peculiar gritty touch when pressed b.
tween the fingers. Some of it has
decided blue tinge, like powdered blu
clay. But the greater part of it !.
merely a fiat gray or yellow gray, an,
nc more interesting specifically thai
SO much powdered pumice or what III
druggist calls rotten stone"
"Our great problem now said Pre-