The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-27
PROF. HILLS REPORT

The Destruction OF st. Pierre Was
the Work Of New Crater.
H Fort de- France, Monday, May 26.-Pro-
lessor Robert T. Hill, United States gov
eminent geologist and head Of the expedi-
tion sent by the National Geographical
society has Just come in from q daring
and prolonged inyestt ga ton OF the vul-.
canic activity In Martinique $500
Professor iii cha rtered d steamer ana
carefully examined THE coast. as far north
as Port de sMacouba, at the extreme end
of the island, making frequent landings.
After landing at LIE Precheuf, five miles
north of St. Pierre, he walked Through an
area Of active4 vulcanism to the latter
place and made minute examination of
the various phenomena disclosed.
s. Professor Hill is the first and only man
who has set foot in the area of craters,
assures and fumaroles, and because of his
high position as a Scientist, his story is
valuable. In addition to his work of in
vestigation, the professor rescued in his
steamer many poor people of LIE Prechuer
who had ventured back after deserving
their homes and found themselves in aw-
ful danger. He reports as follows:
The Zone of the Gaia strophe.
The zone Of the catastrophe in Martinique
forms an elongated oval containing in land
about eight square miles Of destruction. The
oval is partly over the4sea. The land ma ri
is bounded by lines running from LIE Precheus
to the peak of Mont Pelee, thence curyins
around to Carbet. There were three well.
marked zones: first, a center of humiliation
in which all life, vegetable and animal, was
utterly destroyed, the greater northern por-
| ton Of st. Pierre was in this zone; second
zone Of smuggling, blistering flame which
also was fatal to all life, killing, all men and
animals, burning the leaves on the trees
and scorching, but not utterly destroying
the trees themselves: third, a large outer
| nondestructive zone of ashes wherein sons
vegetation was injured
The Focus Standardization.
| The focus Of annihilation was the new
crater midway between the sea and the peak
! OF Mont Pelee, where now exists new area
| Of active vulcanism, with hundreds of tuna
| roles or miniature volcanoes. The new crater
!! is now vomiting the black hot mud which
! is failing into the sea. Both craters, the ole
| and new are active. Mushroom SHAPED
steam explosions constantly ascend from tn,
old crater, which ash Laden clouds float hori
| zontally from the new crater The old eject.
steam, smoke. mud, pumice and lapilli, bu
| no molten lava.
New. Crater Broke Out.
The salient topography of the region il
! unaltered The destruction Of st. Pierre wa:
| due to the new crater. The explosion hac
great superficial force, acting in radial @d
+ rections, as is evidenced by the dismount
/ ing and carrying for yards of the guns II
| the battery on the hill south of st. Pierr'
| and the colonial statue of the Virgin in thu
t same locality and also by the condition o
line ruined houses in St. Pierre Accordin,
Ito the testimony of some persons there wa
! an accompanying flame. Others think tn
1 incandescent cinders and the force OF thei
+ election were SUFFICIENT to cause the destruc
i tion, This must be investigated. am nov
1 1following the nature of this hill.
This is the first positive scientific state
ment based upon observed facts. Pro
5Efessor Hill has now started on horsebacl
1 for the volcano. He will study the whole
affected area and will try to get to botf
lcraters He will surely visit Morne Rouge
and the slope OF Mont Pelee. The I'M
dertaking is very hazardous, as explosions
may occur at any moment. as one did MAJ
90 Professor Hillsknows the risk he takes
but says the only way to discover ex'
Eactly what has happened is to- go to thu
crater itself or as nearSit as possible. HI
will be gone two days.
va Fear OF g Tidal Wave.
4 Fort de France is nearly deserted. 4
new source Of fright is fear that tida
i wave may come. wave eight feet higi
I would certainly destroy Fort de- Francs
Il and probably 0use enormous loss o
Il life.
4 The weather is lowering and rainy.
= The south winds carry the smoke ant