The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-05
AT EDGE OF CRATER
PROF HEILPRIN TELLS OF HIS EX-
PERIENCE.
HAD A PERIL0US JOURNEY.
THROUGH STORM CLOUDS THEY
CROPPED THEIR WAY.

stood Mt Edge of New Crater and
Looked nt White Hot Mass Be-
neath-A Huge Cash Cut in Mont
PeIee's Side-Appearances Showed
That No Molten Matter Had Flow
ed From CrateP-MOnt Pelee Has
Emptied No Lava and There Have
Been No TOpOgraphicaI AItera-
lions.
Fort de France Island of Martinique,
June 4, s a. m.-Prof. Angelo Heilprin,
president of the Philadelphia Geo
graphical Society," who is here for the
National Geographical Society, came
into Fort de France last night from his
explorations of the crater on the sum-
init of Mont Pelee. Prof. Heilprin is
we'll and in good spirits. He has rested
from the fatigues of his last trip and
is ready for more work.
Referring to his expedition, Prof
Heilprin said to the correspondent of
the Associated Press, to-day:
May 81, we made our first ascent of
the volcano. The party consisted of
MI. L6duDellGI anu IllSs6il anu III &c
colored boys We were on mule back.
We arrived at the lip of the old crater,
the former site of Lake Palmiste, at
IL O'Clock. Here it began raining.
Rain clouds and the clouds from the
volcano enveloped us, and we could
not see ten feet. A terrific thunder
storm had begun, and we sat on the
adoa nf "a or 70
ulating whether the detonations we
heard were of thunder or from the vol
cano. AS we afterwards found the
river Fallaise to be boiling, the detona-
tions were probably volcanic. The col
ored boys with us were horribly scared.
We finally CROPPED our way down that
awful arete through gloomy clouds of
rain and amid great electric dis
charges. At every step we
dislodged the rainsoaked ashes and
were in danger of being precipitated
down the hideous gorges on either side.
Met with George KEENAN,.
"At Acier we met George KEENAN,
and his party and determined to at
tempt second ascent the next Cay.
June l. The ascent made this day
with Mr.. KEENAN, was more trying and
difficult than the one l had previously
made with Mr.. Leadbeter The day
was intensely hot and it was raining
When we reached the old crater it was
again enveloped in vapor. The tenn
perature of the basin of Lake Palmiste,
taken three inches below the
surface, was 124 degrees Fab
renheit. Between lifts in the clouds
of vapor could we see the new crater,
of which Mr.. Varian made an excel
lent sketch. Suddenly the vapor clear
ed away and we made a dash forward.
We reached the edge of the new crater
and from where we stood we could
have dropped stones into the white
hot mass within. The new crater is a
crevasse running north and south, and
expanding into a bowl. This creVasse
nearly rifled the mountain; it runs
transversely to the old crater and might
be called a huge cash. From it vol
canic material has been freely erupted.
On the Edge of the Crater.
AS we stood on the edge of the crater
sublime spectacle began. l now have
some conception of what is going on
inside the earth. and have been a spec
tator of natures secret interior work.
We were assailed with noise. Far be-
low there was a Kissing of steam like
that of thousand locomotives, as we'll
as violent detonations. The principal
output of the crater while we were
there was steam. The phenomena were
limited and not essentially different
from those of other volcanoes in ac-
ton. Positive assurance was gained
that no molten matter has flowed over
the lip of the new crater. Several OBJ
servations taken with the aneroid ba-
rometer showed that the hight of Mont
Pelee has not lessened. 1 know from
Robert T. Hill, the geologist of the
United States government, that Mont
Pelee has erupted no lava, and there
has been no cataclysm nor any serious
typographical alterations. No cinder
cone was visible in the crater; what
was taken for a cone is a pile of
elected rocks.
Danger Appears to Be Past.
81 do not know the exact materials
of which the pile of rocks in the CEN
ter of the crater Is composed; but it
seems to be matter which had been
elected from the crevasse. This
pile of rocks has no vent. think
Mont Pelee has freed itself from the
interior pressure, and the volcano is
not liable to further violent eruption.
1t is not safe. however, to make pre-
dictions about volcanoes"