The St. Louis Republic., 1902-06-02
RECURRENT ERUPTIONS MAY BE EXPECTED
Scientists Who Investigating Phenomena Souere
Say Bureaus or Stations Should Be Established on Mart
nque and St Vincent to Give Warnings of Impend
ing Danger-Prof Jaeger Explains Hori
zontal Blast of Fire by
Applying Blowppe Theory

FROM THE NEW YORK HERALD AND THE
ST LOUIS REPUBLIC CORRESPONDENT.
Fort de France, Martinique. May %, via
Herald-Republic Dispatch Boat Mary E.
Luckenbach to San Juan, Porto Rico, May
2T.-(Copyright. 19C2.)-Science has begun
systematic and persistent assault upon the
batteries of the West Indian volcanoes.
Helpless TO check their destructive dis
charges. she has none the less sent hther
the wise men from her schools. armed with
exact methods and with delicate instru-
ments and they have assumed the task OF
observing and recording whatever may be
gathered from this stock OF human knowl-
edge.
When the DiXie's complement Of ctstin-
gulshed scientists arrived here. the party
by mutual consent-split into two sections
one remaining here TO note the action OF
Pelee and TO press the attack at the earliest
moment to the very verge of the crater.
while the other went on to st. Vincent 10
study La Soufriere. Each party has lost
not time in getting to work.
SCIENTISTS VIEW
LA SOUFRIERE IN ACTION.
Arriving here last Thursday aboard the
United States relief ship Dixie, the entire
party of scientists made a superficial exam
Ination of Mont Pelee and the ruined city.
The Dixie then went on to Kingstown, st.
Vincent, taking thither E. o. Hovey Of the
American Museum OF Natural History OF
New York, Professor T. A. Jaggar of the
chair of geology in Harvard University.
Professor Russell of Michigan University at
Ann Arbor and others.
To those Of the party who went to st.
Vincent to-day. a trip on the little steamer
Wear afforded a superb opportunity OF
seeing La Soufriere in action. While the
Wear cruised along the smoking rust
coast Of St Vincent in the immediate vicin-
ity of the volcano. had a long and earnest
conversation with Professor JagSar.
PRESS REPORTS OF
DISASTER NOT EXAGGERATED.
I asked him whether the effects of the
eruption in Martinique and ST Vincent were
as disastrous as he had expected, after
reading press reports, previous to his de-
parture from New York. He replied that
the effects. so far as fatalities were con-
cerned. Were fully as great, If not greater.
than he had anticipated.
Press reports certainly were not exag-
gerated." said he, for We found it to be
true, as stated that out of a population of
30 100 in the city St Pierre, hardly one had
escaped. and the city itself was. indeed.
completely obliterated-literally razed to
the ground.
ERUPTION OF KRAKATOA
WAS MORE VIOLENT.
Now as to the cause OF the explosion.
History records several that have been more
violent, notably the eruption of Krakatoa
in 1883. The loss Of life in this instance
,,,s ,,,,,ct, loco than in tho pelne ,lfraS+ar
for the reason that it was a sparsely In
habited region. but the force of the explo- !
sion was 50 terrific that huge tidal waves |
killed thousands in the islands OF Java !
Borneo and Sumatra.
Had the country in the immediate VI |
cinity OF Krakatoa been as populous as that |
around Pelee, the number of lives lost |
would have been far greater.
TO my mind" said Professor Jagzar. |
the most interesting point about the Peles |
eruption IS the fact that matter thrown out /
of the volcano in vertical direction after
wards took a horizontal shoot and while It |
is too early yet to attempt definite expla-
ration OF this singular phenomenon. I am
inclined TO believe that the matter was
thrown to a very great height, and. follow
ing the law of gravitation. descended with
great velocity-a velocity comparable, per-
haps. with the swiftness OF its ascension,
especially as it neared the crater again.
SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION
OF THE PHENOMENON.
Here it encountered the matter In as |
cension and was accordingly DETECTED In
horizontal direction. This action was like
a blowpipe effect and shot the flame in the
direction of st. Pierre and the vessels lying |
In her roadstead.
'The intense heat from this blowpipe cut
4 patch Through certain section only, fo-i
there is very well defined Line Of denarca-