The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-12-03
People TAKEN
AWAY FOR
SAFETY
Volcanic ACtionand Seismic Dis
turbanCe so Serious. that on
Advice o. scientists the Inhab-
itantS are Removed,

The Sierra yesterday brought con-
firmation of the earthquakes and vol
canic outbreaks which have occurred in
Samoa.
While the seismic disturbances have
been confined to the Island of Savli,
which is the youngest, geologlcally
speaking, of the entire group, the dis
turbances have been so severe, and lia-
BILE to such further continuance, thSt
the government on the best scientific
advice attainable, has recommended to
the people of that island that they leave
it, and has made provision for their re-
moval to other islands of the group.
The advice on (which the German
Governor acted was that of the well
known astronomer, DIR. Otto Tetens'
and DR.. Paul Gfossner, who is an au-
thority on volcanoes, is on tour OF
the world studying the subject, and
who happened to be at Apia when news
of the outbreak on Savii reached there,
and who as we'll as DR.. Tetens visited
the scene of the outbreak
There were eleven we'll defined earth
ouakes on November I, between l:lo d.
m. and 4:0S p. m, and three the next
day. Not a stone building on the ISL
and but was more or less injured
MANY of them severely though only one
was entirely destroyed. Great stones
, were rolled down the hills by the sels-
mic disturbances, blocking up roads
and doing damage to groves and helds'
Great chasms opened up in the EARTH
some of them extending long distances
and to unknown depths
" The entire populace was panic strlck-
en- and fled from the region of the sels-
mic disturbance to the sea shore h
Williams, the representative of the
government in the island, did what ne
could to reassure the populace and TO
preyent them from doing foolish Things
or taking foolish measures.
DR.. Tetens visited the island on NO
yember 8. He reports that there was
hat one active volcano and that he ap-
proached within kilometre OF the ac-
tive crater. This crater was about lOU
metres in diameter and was belchlng
smoke. lava and glowing matter TO a
height of about 100 metres. The erup-
tion was constant. The sides OF the
active volcano were covered with the
dead cones of former eruptlons, lheil
varying heights on the side OF the VOL
cano testifying to their varying age.
Rut some of these supposedly dead
cones show signs of renewed acuVlty
DR.. Tetens sought out one about three
kilometres from the active crater, u
examine It because it was supposed tC
be a dead cone But he found INSIDE
the crater Of this cone, steam anC
smoke rising, and from an area of 5O u
100 metres in diameter, the rocks Sc
hot that the foot could not stand OF
them. DIR. Tetens concluded from hi
examination there was every likelihood
of volcanic action throughout the re
gion surrounding the active crater.
Dr. Grosser from his examination
concluded that there was no danger o
the disturbance spreading to the othe
islands of the group, Savii being in hi
opinion the youngest of the group an
still within the period of formation
within which such disturbance Nigh
be expected. He did not believe tn
disturbance was due to sea waite
breaking through assures to the hea
below, nor to tidal wave, but that
was simply the action that might b
expected from time to time in an1islan