Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-05-29

| the volcano disturbances on the ada
cent island Of st. Vincent. have
most important bearing upon the
problem of transisthmian canal con-
| struction. 1t emphasizes to the
| geologist very plainly the danger TO
which a canal will be subject which
is planned on the Nicaraguan route
with active and sentative volcanoes
! located directly on the line and I'M
mediately about It. On the other
hand the route OF the Panama canal
| is not menaced by either active or
semi-extinct volcanoes"
! This statement was made by Profes-
sor Angelo Heilprin, of this city
! Professor Heilprin is one of the
highest authorities on geology and
volcanic phenomena in the country
He was recently elected president OF
the Geographical society of Ph:la-
! delphla and is member of the
Academy of Natural Sciences and of
the board of directors of the American
Geographical society. Continuing
Professor Heilprin said: with the
emphasis which is now given by the
present eruption to the similar
catastrophe events that have ore
ceeded it Al the last half century. i.
would hardly be less than folly to EN-
| bark upon an enterprise OF such vast
magnitude and importance as is .on-
templated in this canal along the
route winch has been first recon-
mended by the isthmian canal com
mission when there is a choice of
routes lea, to us in another region
which has thus ar shown itself to be
entirely free from Obstructive mani
feStatlOnS OF us nature
! There is no reason to assume that
any new volcanoes will be suddenly
constituted in that region. Earth
quake disturbances, which are so
largely associated with the reg on.
and which are in a great measure de-
| pendent upon volcanic phenomena, sre,
| as compared with those of the Mica
| raguan region, notwithstanding truly
| destructive earthquake having been
known in Panama since 1921.
Fatalities Compared.
! Measured by previous occurrences
| this eruption of Martinique is perhaps
the most destructive of any recorded,
although in the loss of life it is per-
haps paralleled by that of Krakatoa,
| near Jaca, in 1888. At that time. also.
10000 lives are assumed to have bee.
lost, but the destruction of humanity
was mainly the result of the infiowing
OF an overwhelming sea. In the
present case the loss of life appears
to have been due almost entirely to
the discharge of flowing lava, the
election of an enormous mass or
red-hot cinders and the emulation of
snHocating gases, thus recalling the
history of Vesuvius in 70 A. D., when
Pompeii and Herculaneum were over
Whelmed. The suddenness of the late
cataclysm is truly appalling, but It is
remarkable that the inhabitants o,
st. Pierre did not take warning from
the volcanoes signs of activity during
the weeks previous, and especially
from the shower of ashes several days
before, when the people had 10
breathe through handkerchiefs on &C.
count of the accompanying gases
mo geologist can say what causes
any particular eruption, although the
broad principles of volcanic phenOm
ena are pretty we'll understood. One
fundamental principle associated with
every volcanic eruption is the es-
crusance of matter from the earths !
interior either as the result of direct |
pressure of the earths crust upon |
molten material existing at no yer,
great distance beneath the surface or |
through the sudden generation and |
liberation of steam brought to the |
point of contact by infiltration OF !
water.
Cause Of the Eruption.
THE sudden disturbance in the !
present instance would seem to be due /
to an almost instantaneous generation |
of steam. Mt. Pelee as well as the |
volcanoes of st. Vincent and the |
neighboring Caribbean islands is !
situated in region of extreme weak |
ness of the earth's crust, which .,as |
it's parallel in the Mediterranean |
basin on the opposite side of the
Atlantic. This American region of |
weakness extends westward from the |
Lesser Antilles across the gulf into |
Mexico, where are some of the Hottest
volcanoes of the globe, such as
Popoeatepetl and Orizaba, both now
in somnolent condition, and in the
more westerly volcano of Colima
which has been in almost continuous
eruption for ten years. The sam"
region Of weakness includes almost
the whole of Central America, he
volcanoes of Costa RIGA and Mica
ragua having been repeatedly active
almost up to our own time.
."The assertion has been made that
there has been decrease in the
volcanoes. but no geologist is in a
position to assert that this is so, and
it should be no surprise to any stu
dent were some of these volcanoes to
burst out with the same vigor AMI
Souffrier on st. Vincent. The latter
have demonstrated the condition Of
extreme weakness which exists in
that entire region, and which had its
beginning ages ago in the breaking
down of the Andean system Of noun
tains and the consequent formations
of the Caribbean and gulf basins.
Martinique a Barren Rock.
THAT part of Martinique which has
been covered with flowing lava will |