The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-07-28
CHEMICAL ACTION
spoiled THE TEST
sUrENrrsTs WITNESS RITES ny
HONOR or THE rtun
GODDESS.
lMaIl speeIal Do DID AdveflIaer.l

MAI hpetiol 70 the AuNtitNefl
HILo, July 9a.--Last Thursday Pro.
fessor pcrrot, tho volcano oxpert, tried
to take the temperature Of Madame
Pelo by sticking a thermometer into
her maw--and the lady literally ate il
up.
In other words, the first experiment
in sinking q thermometer into the liz.
uid lava Of the crater Of Kilauea, was
only partly successful. The scientists
succeeded in lowering the instrument
into the molten lava, but here 1t was
destroyed by chemical action, and no
reading Of the temperature of the lava
was obtained. Further experiments
will be made after changes have been
made in the apparatus, based on the
data secured through the first expert
ment.
1.-THE first experiment was successful
only mechanically, - said Professor Per
lowering right into the liquid lava of
Old Faithful one of our Thermometers.
These are ten feet long and are en-
closed in three protecting tubes, the
outer one Of iron, the middle one of
pure nickle and the inner one of quartz.
These tubes form the mechanical pro-
lection for a coil of PLATINUM wire.
Chemical Action Great.
owe found that the chemical activ-
| ity of the lava, with its sulphurous
gases was so great that, although its
| temperature is far below the melting
point of any of the substances compos-
ing the tubes, they disintegrated very
rapidly in the lava. This was not sim
pie fusion. The temperature of the
lava was not great enough for that;
but chemical action, so that in the case
of this first experiment no actual tenn
perature was taken.
''We had three of these thermome-
ters with us, and before we put in the
second one we intend to ascertain, quite
definitely just what took place in the
! case of the first one.
''We have another kind of thermom-
eter, thermo-electric one, with which
we can probably get temporary read
| ings However, it is our intentions with
the others to get not only the tempera-
ture of the lava, but to secure varia-
tions of temperature in various layers
and so forth"
Professor Perret explained further
that the taking of the temperature of
lava was no new thing, and that it
had often been done before elsewhere.
1t was, however taken from lava in
flows, in which case most of the gases,
which caused the trouble in the ex.
pertinent last Thursday, were absent to
a great extent, and the lava on the
whole in more tractable condition.
ADcian+ pleas enoJIad
The scientist told of an amusing Incl
dent which came to his notice during
his stay at the crater, an incident
which forms sharp contrast with the
scientific work of the professor. The
other night couple of Hawaiian ladies
advanced to the edge of the crater, and
close to the place where Professor Per
ret was working with his scientific in
struments they went through a number
of the ancient rites pertaining to the
worship of Pele. In the course of theil
rites they threw $25 into the crater
The following morning, after the ladie,
had departed, Hawaiian boy espieC
the coin which had fallen on ledge
of black lava where it could be reached
in safety. The temptation was too
great, and the young man braved the
wrath of the goddess and did her out
of the twenty-five plunks
Presumably our old Hawaiian friends
will say that this is the reason why
Pele ate the professor IS thermometer.