Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1902-06-06
Mount Pelee Tornado Blast Un-
known to Science.

known to Science.
New York, June 2.-Garret P. Servisl
the noted astronomer, was shown 3
brief cablegram from Robert T. Hill
in which the geologist found that St
Pierre was destroyed by tornado
blast. In commenting upon the geolo
gists report, Mr.. Serviss said:
1T is clear from Prof. Hills briei
dispatch that astonishing and unprece'
dented as the developments concerning
the explosion of Mount Pelee have hith
erto proved, the facts are even more ex
traordinary and incredible than anyone
has yet been led to suspect. It now
seems certain that we shall hear from
the expert scientists who have been sent
to the scene of the great disaster q story
of destructive energies let loose upon
the earth that will be absolutely with.
out q parallel in the annals Of science.
'The destruction of Pompeii was
nothing to the instantaneous extinction
Of St. Pierre by what Prof. Hill dramat.
ically calls tornado blast composed
of blazing gas and super-heated dry
steam, bursting so resistlessly from the
rent sides of the volcano that in few
seconds q distance of five miles, struck
rs, 600 people dead in breath and
caused ships in the harbor to break into
flames at its touch. Here is something
that nobody had dreamed that any vol
cano had in its power to do. We are
told of imposing electric phenomena in
connection with the outburst. The fact
has already been recorded that magnetic
needles as far away as the center of the
United States were disturbed when the
explosion of Mount Pelee occurred.
This seems to indicate that gigantic
waves were shot ont
from the bursting volcano. The whirl-
wind of fire is evidently the phenomena
that Prof. Hill describes under the name
of tornado blast and, awful as were
it's force and its effects in its first erup-
ton, it appears to have been yet more
powerful and distinctive when 1t passed
again over the dead city of st. Pierre
last Tuesday. Thick walls of solid ba-
salt crumbled and fell becoming heaps
of dust where it passed.
Herein consists the peculiarly Of
this eruption. which differentiaties 1t
from others. The supply Of steam and
gases is evidently 80 immense that after
each outburst they collect again until
the pressure risee 90 high that they
spout forth like gas from q blowing
we'll. Merely to breathe was to draw
death into the lungs. This explains the
heaps of unscarred bodies seen in the
streets.
"But how exl ., the enormous quan.
tity of gases ana apors concerned, and
the terrific force with which they are
elected? These probably depend upon
a profound movement or q series OF
movements, taking place In the bed Of
the Caribbean sea. That sea and islands
which have just been overwhelmed oc.
cupy q critical point of the earth's crust
A slow upheaval is known to have been
going on there for a long time.
''At last, 1t is plain crisis has occur
red, and break hiss taken place in the
rocky strata under the sea. Extraordi-
nary quantities Of water have poured
down into contact with the hot rocks.
Vspors and gases under tremendous
pressure have thus collected about the
vents of the volcano. When the latter
gave way the gases and super.heated
steam were present in such vast quan.
titles that in their outrush they exceed
ed in their power Of destruction the
molten lava and the burning mineral
dust. and thus gave to this particular
volcanic eruption a character quite un.
recognized in the previous history OF
such cataclysms.