Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-05-31
THE LOCATION OF CITIES WITH RESPECT TO VOLCANIC DISTURBANCES

land OF Guadeloupe consists Of two
parts, the mountainous, containing the
great "soufrlere," or sulphur mountain,
and the level tract beyond Salt river,
which Is OF coraline formation. The
Guadeloupe volcano has sent out smoke
and yapors within recent years and
may at any moment vomit food OF
lava down upon the town OF Basse
Terre, lying along the bay at Its base
AS the prevailing winds among these
Islands are constantly from the north
east their Atlantic coasts have few
safe harbors. all commerce being car
rled on along the 'leeward," or Carib-
bean, shores. In the island OF Mar
Unique there is no good anchorage be-
tween the roadstead OF st. Pierre and
the landlocked bay OF Fort-de- France,
about twelve miles distant and as there
is a vast tract Of fertile country ada
cent to the roadstead II was quite nat
ural that town should grow up right
where II did, at st. Pierre. Mont
Pelee had not been in active eruption
within the memory OF man. and though
II smoked and rumbled occasionally II
was not considered really dangerous by
the natives Of Martinique, They con-
sldored only the natural and CONNER
clal advantages in the location Of their
town and will probably ignore the
warning that has been given them and
relocate 1t on or near the same spot.
The best harbor OF MartinIques near
est island to the south, ST. Lucia, hap
pens TO lie at its northern end as far as
any other from It's smoking soufrlere.
1t is completely land inclosed, with a
narrow entrance and deep water within.
and is considered the best for its size in
the West Indies. The hills above this
port OF Castfies have been fortified at
great expense by the British govern
ment, and the island is called second
Gibraltar.
The bay Of Kingstown in st. Vincent
lies at distance Of about ten miles
from the soufriere which has been In
such active eruption recently as TO de-
stroy all the adjacent plantations and 4!
thousands Of lives. sending Its volcanic |
lava and ashes not only all over the is
land, but over Barbados, nearly 100 |
miles away
About seventy miles south OF st. Vim |
cent is the island OF Grenada, the south
ernmost OF the volcanic chain, the prln-
cipal town of which is built upon the |
brim Of crater invaded by the sea.
There IL another crater In the interior
Of Grenada, and II II were to explode
there would be little hope OF saving any
settlement on the island.
In glanoing over the world II will be
seen that nearly every volcano has ell
Their town or harbor, sometimes
both conjoined, at or near its base, not
only In the Lesser Antilles, but In South
America, Mexico. Italy. japan and In
our own country. Herculaneum, Pom
peiI and 81. Pierre are not the only
cities that have been destroyed by
overconfidence In the virtues OF old Vul-
can who Is said by the anoients to have
held restraining power over the inte-
rlor forces OF the world.
In point Of fact, II Is hardly possible
TO locate town or city that can be
considered as wholly safe within the
seismic or volcanic area. The vast
forces within the earth's interior by
which water IA converted into super
heated steam and rocks are reduced TO
molten mud and incandescent sand are
beyond all human control, illmitable In
their scope and cannot be eyaded or re-
sisted.
FREDERICK A. ODER.