Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-29

Prof. r. T. Hill
| but which was largely hidden from the
| view of the people of Fort de France by a
| heavy cumulus. There was, consequently,
| no panic here. This column of smoke was
| seen from the British cruiser Indefatigable
| while she was at sea- The interchangeable
| arrived here this morning to make another
| attempt to recover the body of the British
consul at st; Pierre, Mr. Jepp, and the
archives of the consulate. With this end
| in view the British cruiser proceeded this
| afternoon for st. Pierre, but the explosion
| of this morning has probably made it i'm
| possible to effect landing there.
| So many people have left Fort de France
| that the town is almost empty.
| Prof. Robert T. Hill, United States gov
eminent geoogist and head of the expedi-
| ton sent to Martinique by the National
| Geographical Society, who left Fort de
| France Monday on horseback for the VOL
| cano returned here this morning. He was
| completely worn out by his trip.
| Prof. Hill recites interesting story of
! his examination of the district through
which he passed. He left Fort de France
at l o'clock Monday afternoon. He was
| accompanied by Mr. Cavannaugh, an
army officer from the British Island of
| Trinidad, and boy named Joe. who was
| to act as interpreter The party set out
on horseback and took the direct north
| road for Morne Rouge. Between the ham
| let's of Deux ChouX and Ponds st. Denis
| the party entered upon the outer edge of
| the zone of ashes. Except for occa sonal
| patches all the country to this point was
green and smiling. Upon reaching the
Riabaud plantation. one mile southwest Of
st. Pierre. the explorers met the clear line
OF demarcation of the zone of flame and
destruction although not of annhilaton
Monday night was spent in a deserted
house at Fonds st. Denis, from which Prof
Hill witnessed the volcanic eruption of that
night At this point the horses of the pa rty
became exhausted.
| Early the next morning Prof. Hill pushed
on to Mont Parnasse. where several people
were killed in the eruption of May 8. He
encountered no human beings, but he did
meet number of abandoned cattle which
| tried to follow him. From Mont Parnasse
| the explorer proceeded to Norne Rouge
where he succeeded in getting a number of
| important photographs. He found that a
close approach TO Mont Pelee was impossf-
BILE and as his actual position was danger
Gus he started back in a southery direction.
AT Champs FIOre Professor HilIs horse
| gave out completely, and he secured the
services of native guides, who led him by
| wild mountain paths back to Ponds St
Denis and Deux Choux. Tuesday night was
| spent at the latter place From this point
| Professor Hill sent a messenger into Fort
de France with a request that carriage
be sent for him. Wednesday morning the
| professor left Deux Choux and walked TO
within fifteen kilometers of Fort de France
| where he borrowed an old horse from a
negro and continued his way mounted. The
| carriage met him five kilometers from Fort
| de France and brought him to town where
| he arrived at II o'clock this morning.
Professor Hill heard the explosion of this
| morning while on his way into Fort de
France. and he says a cloud of black
smoke, al a great height, was drifting slow.
| ly to the southeast.
Speaking personally Of his expedition to
Mont Pelee, Professor Hill said
My attempt to examine the crater of
Mont Pelee has been futile. l succeeded.
however, getting close n
Rouge. At o'clock Monday night I wit
messed. from a point near the ruins of ST.
Pierre, a frightful explosion from Mont
Pelee and noted the accompanying phe-
nomena While these eruptions continue, no
sane man should attempt to ascend to the
| crater of the volcano.
Following the salvos Of detonations from
| the mountain gigantic mushroom-shaped
| columns of smoke and cinder assembled INTO
| the clear starlit sky. and then spread in
| vast black sheet to the south and direct
| ly over my head. Through this sheet.
| which extended a distance of ten miles
| from the crater, vivid and awful lightning
| like bolts flashed with alarming frequency.
| They followed distinct paths of ignition,
| but were different from lightning in
| that the bolts were horizontal and not per-
pendicular. This is indisputahle evidence of
| the explosive oxidation of the gases after
they left the crater. This is a most i'm
| portant observation, and explains in part
the awful catastrophe. This phenomenon is
| entirely new in volcanic history >a
Il took many photographs but do not
hesitate to acknowledge that I was terrified
But l was not the only person SO fright
ened. Two newspaper ~correspondents who
were close to Morne Rouge some hours be-,
| fore me became scared ran three miles
down the mountain, and FASTENED into Fort
de France.
The people on the north end Of the island
are terrified. and are fleeing with their cat
! tie and effects. l spent Tuesday night in a
mouse at Deux Choux with crowd of 300
| frightened refugees
| Nearly all the phenomena Of these vol
canic outbreaks are new to science. and
many OF them have not yet been explained
The volcano Is still intensely active, and l.
cannot make any predictions as to what 1t
will do"
The story related by Mr.. Fernand Clerc is
also quite interesting. Mr.. Clerc says:
Mr KEENAN, and his party have been
with me. We got around the mountain and
reached the new crater not far from A1oupa
Bouillon We discovered that 1t had broken
out at the very head Of the River Falaise !
and about 200 yards from the high road.
Our party rode directly to the edge of the
crater, as 1t was then quescent We "a w
that great slice Of the mountain had fal-
len, leaving exposed perpendicular cliff
In this cliff were five huge tunnels which
were not smoking. The crater Is a great.
sloping oval depression, from which smoke
issues, as 1t does from the great crater 4
with the exception that here and there were
few ashes in the smoke. The River Falaise
| is boiling hot and so muddy that one uuart
of water weighed four pounds. volcanic
stones Of the nature of pumice float In this
water s-.7T n
Mr.. KEENAN, witnessed the explosion of
Monday night and was much Interested in