Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-06-19
DUST FROM MOUNT PELEE
SITS DOWN ON ILLINOIS

Fragments of Mount Pelee are
falling in Illinois. 1t is said this
state is a tardy victim of the death
dealing eruption of the Martinique
volcano and that very finely pow
dered volcanic dust has been falling
for several days.
Though this state is. 1000 miles
from the scene OF the fiery outburst
and it has been more than 50 days
since the first eruption, this micro
SCOPE dust has been waited across
the wide stretch of the Atlantic and
over the rvening states by the
upper high currents of the earth's
atmosphere.
Biologists in various parts of the
state have been examining the dust
particles to ascertain whether they
correspond in their composition with
the geological formations about the
island of Martinique. They have
been able TO come to no other con-
cIusion than this is Mount Pelee
dust.
This phenomenon is not unknown
to history. Books record several in
stances where dust particles caused
by volcanic eruption have remained
atmosphere and have been hurried
through space hundreds and thous
andS of miles from the site of the
generating volcano. When Mount
Ncsuvius burst into terrible blast
i'm 1922 the whole of Italy was show
cred with dust for weeks afterward
and much dust fell as far north. as
the Alps.
Residents are brushing portions of
the eruption of Mount Pelec from
their clothes every morning. all un-
conscious of its origin. and the proud
possessors of new Panama hats are
all unaware that these microscopic
dust particles are furnishing the
fresh beauty of their cherished head
gear.
These dust particles are of almost
the minutest dimensions imaginable.
According to the statements of sci
entists at the University of Chicago,
il takes from 1000 to $4,000 of these
dust PARTICLES to make a grain. The
dust is so fine that il Will penetrate
the most closely fastened receptacle.
II will enter any vessel, no matter
how tightly covered, unless il is
Theoretically sealed.
Intrition is the name of the scien-
tific process by which great rocks
and portions of the carth's crust are
reduced To particles of microscopic
dimensions. Scientists say that in
triton is only another name for the
special kind of friction that takes
place during the eruption of a vol
cano.
Each explosion sends broken frag-
ments of the earth high in the air.
They go as high as their impetus
will carry them and then fall back
toward the crater. They are struck
by the upcoming debris from ano-
Their upcoming charge, and so the
process goes on until the friction be-
tween the fragments they are
elected and reelected reduces them
to powder. which becomes buoyan.
o. Il remains suspended in the air.
Ftch explosion sends this dust cloud
higher and higher until il is caught
in the high upper currents of the at
mosphere.
These high strata of air watt the
dust clouds about over the earth's
surface at will and often deposit
original source. Chicago seems to be
Il spot of the earth's surface selected
by the dust PARTICLES as their land
ing place after their so days aerial
journey.
Head Professor I. {. Chamberlain.
of the department of geology at the
University of Chicago, said:
The capacity of volcanoes for
grinding up fine dust is something
remarkable. Even a volcanic erup-
tion of the most moderate kind will
generate millions of tons of dust"
Professor Joseph Iddings, of the
University of Chicago, is a specialist
on volcanic phenomena. He said
that il was not at all improbable
that Illinois should be enjoying the |
late effects of the eruption of Mount
Pelee. He declared that there had
been many such occurrences in the
past.
Don't he persuaded into taking |
Is