The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-05-29
IN ZONE OF CATASTROPHE.
Crater Area at Mont Pelee lnvestisat
ed by Noted GeoIogist.


Fort de France, May 2S.-Professo1
Robert T. Hill, United States govern.
ment geologist and head of the expe.
dition sent by the National Geograph.
ical Society, has just come in from a
daring and prolonged investigation of
the volcanic activity in Martinique.
Professor Hill chartered a steamer and
carefully examined the coast as far
north as Port de Macouba, at the ex.
IRENE end Of the island, making fire.
quent landings. After landing at LIE
Precheur, five miles north of St. Pierre.
he walked through an area of active
vulcanism to the latter place and made
minute examination of the various
phenomena disclosed.
Professor Hill is the first and only
man who has set foot in the area of
craters, assures and fumaroles and be-
cause of his high position as sci.
enlist his story is valuable. In addi-
ton to his work of investigation the
professor rescued in his steamer many
poor people of lie Precheur, who had
ventured back after deserving their
homes and found themselves in awful
danger. He reports as follows:
The zone of the catastrophe in Marti-
nique forms an elongated oval, contain
ing, on land, about eight square miles
of destruction. This oval is partly
over the sea. The land part is bound
ed by lines running from LIE Precheur
to the peak of Mont Pelee, thence
curving to Carbet. There were three
well marked zones: First, a center
of humiliation, in which all life, vege-
table and animal, was utterly Destroy
ed; the greater northern part of st.
Pierre was in this zone; second, zone
of singing, blistering flame, which
also was fatal to all life, killing all
men and animals, burning the leaves
on the trees and scorching, but not ut
terly destroying, the trees them
selves; third, large outer, monde
structive zone of ashes, wherein some
vegetation was injured. The focus of
humiliation was the new crater mid
way between the sea and the peak CT
Mont Pelee, where now exists
New Area of Active VuIcanism,
with hundreds of fumaroles or min
iature volcanoes. The new crater is
now vomiting black, hot mud, which is
falling into the sea. Both craters, the
old and new, are active. Mushroom
shaped steam explosions constantly as
cend from the old crater, while heavy,
ash-laden clouds float horizontally
from the new crater. The old elects
steam, smoke, mud, pumice and lapilli,
but no molten lava.
The salient topography of the re-
gion is unaltered. The destruction of
St. Pierre was due to the new crater.
The explosion had great superficial
force. acting in radial directions, as
is evidenced by the dismounting and
carrying for yards of the guns in the
battery on the hill south of ST. Pierre
and the colonial statue of the Virgin
in the same locality and also by the
condition of the ruined houses in St.
Pierre.
According to the testimony of some
persons there was an accompanying
fame. Others think the incandescent
cindess and the force of their election
were sufficient to cause the destruc-
ton. This must be investigated. I am
now following the nature of this hill.
This is the first positive scientific
statement based on observed facts.
Professor Hill has now started on
horseback for the volcano. He will
study the whole affected area and
will try to get to both craters. He will
surely visit Morne Rouge and the slope
of Mont Pelee. The undertaking is
very hazardous, as explosions may oc-
cur at any moment, as one did May 20.
Professor Hill knows the risk he takes,
but says the only way to discover ex-
actly what has happened is to go to the
crater itself, or as near it as possible
He will be gone two days.
Fort de France is nearly deserted.
A new source of fright is fear that a
tidal wave may come. A wave eight
feet high would certainly destroy Fort
de France and probably cause enor-
NOUS loss of life.