Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-07-17

fessor Hill, is to determine the nature
of the gas which sank down on the city
of st. Pierre and contributed to kill the
inhabitants of the city. A great deal
of this work can be done by calculation
based on conditions known to exist De-
fore the eruption occurred.
These stones which were blown in
to the air will help when analysed. But
we expect to get the best results from
studying this dust We shall have
cross sections made from each Of these
stones, even the pieces of ordinary
rock torn from it's foundations and
thrown into the air. With the results
of these analyses known we shall pos
sibly have made progress in determin-
ing the true nature of this gas"
Since reaching Washington Professor
Hills time has been divided between
asserting his collection of specimen,
preparing his lecture for the National
Geographic Society, and recuperatins
from the efforts of his overexertion in
Martinique. The mere recital of his
labors about Mont Pelee is sufficient to
indicate how completely exhausted he
must have been when he boarded the
Dixie" for home.
Covered a Vast Field.
1T was too big story for one man
to handle. Work hard as we might,
Professor Russell and | could not COW
er all the ground. So | walked all
about the ruined city of ST. Pierre, ex-
plored the country Whereabouts as well
as could and rowed back and forth be-
fore the coast, watching the action Of
the volcano from that superior vantage
point. Professor Heilprin went to the
summit, and, as we all wanted to avoid
duplicating each others work, neither
Professor Russell nor / went near.
Our examination of the conditions
prevailing in the Caribbean Sea during
this period of disturbance was made
at most favorable time. Yet do not
know that it brings into question SIN
| gle geological theory as to these West
Indian volcanoes which was not accept
ed by the most advanced students be-
fore the eruption occurred.
These islands, which stretch across
the throat of the Caribbean, are really
smoldering furnaces, with fires banked
up, ever ready to break forth at unex-
pected and inopportune members. The
who're group, beginning with Saba Oh
! the north, near Rico, and ending with
Granada on the south, near Trinidad,
is made up of ancient ash heaps, piled
up by volcanic action.
THE bases of these islands extend
beneath the water for depth as great
as their SUBMITS project above it,
making the total height of the noun
tain nearly 10000 feet. The island Oh
Martinique is composed almost entire
| ly of old volcanic material, and is dom
mated by three conspicuous peaks.
Mont Pelee, the highest of these, is
4,42S feet in height Mount Corbet and
Mount Vauclin are 1850 feet and 1851
feet high, respectively.
Sympathetic Eruptions.
"Volcanoism is still an inexplicabla
and profound problem, and one of the
most singular peculiarities is the fact
that it sometimes breaks forth stimuli
taneously in widely distant portions
the earth. Hecla and Vesuvius, for ex-
ample, are so connected. Such a sym
pathetic relation very probably exists
between all the Caribbean volcanoes ( 1
Central America, and those of South.
ern Mexico. At the time of the expIo
sion in st. Vincent-which was far
more terrible than that of Mont Pelee
--other explosions either preceded OF
followed in Northern South America
and Central America.
"The recent outburst of Mont Pc, &c
in Martinique is apparently the culmin
alton of a number of recent volcanic
disturbances which have been unusual
ly severe. Colima, in Mexico, was in
eruption but few months ago, while
Chilpancingo, the capital of the state
of Guerrero, was nearly destroyed By
earthquakes which followed. Not Ions
afterward nearly all the cities of Guate
mala were were shaken down by earth