Waterbury Democrat., 1902-06-02
MONT PELEE SCALED.
Professor Heliprin Looks Into the
 Crater.

FORT DE FRANCE, Martinique, June ?. The National Geographical SO ciety has scored a great triumph through it's representative here, Pro- lessor Angelo Heilprin, who, with three guides, has ascended to the top of the crater on the summit of Mont Pe. lee. Professor HeilpiSn is also presi- dent of the Philadelphia Geographical society.
 Professor Heilprin had gone to the Plantation Vive, which is near the era ter, in company with Fernand Clerc and Mrs. Ried, landed proprietors of Martinique. This expedition had been especially organized by United States Consul Ayme and Professor Heilprin and was led by the latter. The expe- dition left Fort de France last Thurs day, May 20, at noon. Friday was spent in studying the newly formed craters on the north flank of the noun tain. Saturday morning Professor Heil- prin determined to attempt the ascent to the top of the crater and with this purpose in view he set out at 5 o'clock
 The volcano was very active, but amid a thousand dangers Professor Heilprin reached the summit and looked down into the huge crater Here he spent some time in taking careful observations. He saw huge cinder cone in the center of the crater The opening of the crater itself is d vast crevice 300 feet long and 150 feet wide. While Professor Heilprin was on the summit of the volcano several violent explosions of steam and cinder laden vapor took place, and again and again his life was i'll danger. Ashes fell about him in such quantities at times as to completely obscure his vision. One particularly violent explosion of mud covered Professor Heilprin from head to foot with the hideous, viscid and semisolid matter thrown out.
 Professor Heilprin still persisted in his study and observations, however, and twice more was he showered with mud. He learned, as had been suspect ed, that there were three separate. vents through which steam issued. Full details of the professors observa- tions cannot be had until he returns to Fort de France.
 Professor Heilpfin's Journey down the side of the mountain was fully as perilous as the ascent. Mont Pelee seemed to resent the intrusion of puny cincts and belched out huge volumes of steam, ashes and boiling hot mud.
 Professor Heilprin made the impor- tant discovery that the crater at the head of the river Fallaise has syn. chronous symptoms with the crater at the summit of the volcano and that it ejects precisely the same matter at such times. The river Fallaise crater and the crater at the summit showed during Professor Heilprin's visit a new phenomenon. Mud was thrown up ill high columns. Heretofore the mud has bubbled or boiled out and flowed down ward in huge streams. Tn the course of one eruption of the river Fallaise crater an enormous mass of intensely hot mud was ejected. This flow reached the rum distillery on the Viye plantation and extinguished all the fires there This torrent of mud may invade the entire plantation, and as Viye is the centre of one of the richest districts of the island it is feared the damage there nfay be great.
 Professor Heilprin arrived at the edge of the summit of the crater at half past 1 and remained there for over two hours. When he returned to Nive, he resembled q statue of mud The weight of ashes and mud he car ried on his person, the horrible atmos- phere he breathed and the fearful diffi- culties he encountered reduced Profess or Heilprin to condition of extreme fatigue notwithstanding the fact that he ascended Mont Pelee from the most accessible and easiest side.