Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1903-11-25
gEw ASPECTS OF MONT pELER
Remarkable Changes That Have Tat<.
en- Place i'm the Famous volca-
NOS Appearance.


Biologists and geological commits
sioners sent by the governments or by
societies of the United States, Eng
and, france and Germany have given
much study to Mont Pelee and La Sou
friere since the eruption in May, 1902
These scientific men have recently been
writing of the changes that have taken
place in these volcanoes since the first
eruption, states the New York Sun.
E. o. Hovey, of the geological de
partment at the American Museum OF
Natural History, who has recently re.
turned from his second visit to the
volcanoes, says>in the American Jour.
nal of Science mat the most striking
change at either volcano since the first
great eruption is the complete altera-
ton OF the skyline of Mont Pelee
A part of the old crater of Mont
Pelee has been filed up. The crater al
the top of the mountain was half
mile in diameter and from 1000 to 2,00t
feet deep. At it's bottom lay the small
lake, L'Etang SEQ.
After the three great eruptions OF
May, 1902. it was observed that a cone
of volcanic debris had been forming IL
the crater near this lake. When the
cone was first observed it was not more
than 200 or 800 feet high.
In July last year protuberance re
sembling a sharks fin was observed
above the southwestern part of tbs
new cone. This spine or tooth, as wei
as the cone from. which it rises, ha.
grown wonderfully. The spine has va
ried much in size and form from tim,
to time. Occasionally it loses severa
or even many feet of it's top, but tn.
loss is always recovered within shor
time.
Mr.. Hovey took photograph of tn,
projection on March 25 last The con-,
on which it stands rises considerable,
above the rim of the crater and is a.
least 1,450 feet above the crater floor
The spine is projected above the sum
NIT of the cone and its apex, and, al
the time the photograph was taken
was LIZA feet above the crater rim.
The cone with the spine is not cen
trail within the old crater. The CONF
has been built up to the northwest OF
the crater center and the spine rise,
from the northeastern segment of tn.
cone. The result is that the northwest.
ern part of the crater has been com.
pletely filled up so that the slope of tn,
new cone on the west and northwes,
is nearly continuous with the exterior
Of the old crater rim.
The cone has been built up of frag
ments OF ejecta, including lava Or
the other hand the spine or tooth con
sists Of rock, which seems to have beer
pushed up bodily into it's present posi-
ton and to be kept there probably b,
friction against the sides of the necl
and by the expansive forces under
meath.
The spine is assured in every direc
ton and parts of it are continual,
falling. The fact that it is so fissuret
seems to show that the rock is largel,
pumiceous in texture. There is as we
no central opening in the top of tn.
new cone to correspond with the geA
eral idea of crater
1t is believed there was true crate
at its top when the cone was first form
ed. but the growth Of the spins de
stroyed it. Steam issues with viAo
from all parts of the cone. but not from
| the spine.
Next to the new cone and spine til,
most striking change in the appearance,
of Mont Pelee is due to the filling up o
the gorge of the Riviere Blanche will
rocks, dust and volcanic ash which
were poured out of the crater durinj
the numerous eruptions. This was tn,
| gorge extending seward, throufN
which swept the explosive volcanic
blasts that destroyed ST. Pierre
The lower part of the gorge has bee:
entirely obliterated and it's upper por
ton is almost filled by outpouring
from the volcano. A photograph of
part Of the gorge shows it now on
level with the surrounding plateau, it
surface covered with powders, small
or large, that have been hurled out o
| the crater.
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