New-York tribune., 1902-08-31

fresh in memory to need recital; assures
were opened in the oi4 fields, springs of water
started where no springs had been be1ore'
the Santa Inez River. usually dry at TINS
season was turned into a freshet, and buildings
in Los AIamos and the region generally We're
destroyed
More recently the little island of Torishima.
Japan, of the chain extending between
Bonim Island and Hondo, was overwhelmed
by a volcanic eruption. The island was
covered with volcanic debris. all the houses
disappeared and according to the latest dis
patches vessels were unable to approach be-
cause of the continuance of the eruption and the
submarine explosions accompanying it. The IN
habitants who numbered 100 have probably all
perished.
To obtain expert expression of opinion upon
this rather striking series of seismic phenomena
tabular list was submitted by The Tribune
to Edmund o. Hovey, assistant curator OF the
Natural History Museum. Mr.. HOvey is thor
oughly versed in the subject has made study
Of volcanic outbreaks has personal acquain-
tance with most of the great volcanoes or the
world and was sent to Martinique and 81 Nlh-
cent with the expedition fitted out by the ChaTn-
ber of Commerce to study and report on the con-
dtions. Mr.. Hovey. after reading the list, SAID
that there seemed to have been more disturb
ances of late than he had actually realized until
list makes an impressive array" said Mr.. Hovey,
when you come to analyze it some OF its fOrmi-
dabIeness disappears. For instance, consider the
regions from which these shocks in the last
three months have been reported. They begin
in the Aleutian Islands. Central America comes
next. then Hawaii, then Russia and Turkey and
from Persia it jumps back to California. Now
all these spots are regions of present or past
volcanic activity. and to connect them any fur
tha,, tbar ne
hardly justified. 1t should be remembered that
the disaster in the Wndward Islands called
public attention to the subject of volcanoes in
a manner that has not been experienced before
in lifetime. All such news has acquired a new
Importance, and the public is taking notice Of
phenomena that are present to the geologist all
the time.
ITO take the disturbances up in detail, should
not say, to begin with there was any reason for
connecting the OOnalaskan conditions with the
outbreak in the West Indies. The Aleutian
Islands are full of volcanoes. Mount Pavlof is
a famous volcano. Then In Guatemala volcanic
conditions are common In Mexico, on the north,
and Salvador, Honduras. along the Nicaragua
Canal and along into Costa Rica, on the south,
there is a system of volcanoes old or active.
There is nothing unusual or of special signif-
canoe, I should say in the trouble in Guate-
mala. The same is to be said of Caracas and
the district in Persia. The island of Kishm
being subject to volcanic shocks, it would be
extremely difficult TO assign any relation in the
disturbance there the outbreak in another
hemisphere. SaloniCa is in a volcanic region
Il know nothing about the Gulf of Mexico
conditions here reported. The movement of
fish 1 have not heard of. If the soundings were
taken with the chemical sounding machine men
toned they not necessarily trustworthy.
That is most ingenious instrument, but good
only for slight depths. tube with end
open the inside of which has been treated with
oxide of silver believe, or something which
the salt water discolors decOlors is let down
into the water. The observation is taken by
the discoloration of the coating. The further
down the instrument descends of course, the
higher the water forces UP against the impris-
oned air. But the water mounts less proper
tonately for greater depths, and the method is