The Washington herald., 1912-06-30
TO BUILD OBSERVATORY.
Institution in Hawaii Il First of
Its Kind EstnbIiShed.

Frum TIE Bostou Herlld-
The Massachusetts Institute Of Tech
nOlogy enjoys the distinction Of being
the first institution to establish on
United States territory a volcano OBJ
servatOry. having built one al the much
frequented crater KIlauea. on the Ha-
waiian Islands. Several substatiOns have
also been built and a definite scheme for
promoting scientific work under the di-
reCtiOn Of Prof. Thomas 4. Jsggar has
been adopted Prof. Jaggar has been
granted a hve-year leave Of absence.
and will leave for Hawaii during the
month Of June. The Investigations date
back tC the summer Of l90a. when Prof.
r. \. DAILY took the initiative in the
matter.
A crisis which has been expected for
year past is the periodic eruption Cf
the great volcano Mauna LOa, and tele-
grams OF May 3 suggest that such an
eruption had begun. Mauna LOa Is the
greatest active Volcano on the globe.
some Of its lava streams being forty
miles long and flowing many months.
II rises nearly 400 feet above sea Lever.
and over 5000 feet above the floor Of the
Pacific O,=ln.
It is hoped that an accomplished
seismoIoCist traiLed In California will
accompany Dr. JaGEar and become an
associate Of the observatory. DTs. Day
ana shepherd, os the Carnegie Instltu-
ton. are now in Hawaii. and expect to
spend the summer in investigations OF
optical pyrometry and specroScopic
analysis.
The answer to the question commonly
asked What is the use OF such studies
is difficult il the quCstiOner IS wholly
ignorant of science. The volcano Oh
servatory is a geological experiment sta
ton. 1t Is designed to seriously study
for many years TO come the physics ana
chemistry Of the earth's interior and the
reactions Of that interior on the crust.
From such gases and lavas as are boil
ing at K!Iauca have come directly or
indirectly our iron. gold, silver. copper,
soils, building stones and fertilizers, fuels
and chemicals, the air we breathe and
the water we drink. and probably also
our food as represented by animal and
vegetable life.
The plan of the observatory involves
two distinct aims. First, continuous reg
istratiCn and record OF lava movements
and effects peculiar to the district and
well known to be Of fundamental import;
second. experimentation on physical or
chemical phenomena in their relation TO
these geologic peCuliaritIes. The perna-
nent stad is at work upon the problem
Of continuous recording As an expert
ment station the ODStEN dtbIy MIL Wei
come accomplished specialists, and some
fellowship aid can occasionally be grant
ed to such work. Under the terms OF
certain funds held by the institute. nota-
bly, those from the estate OF the late
Caroline and Edward Whitney. II is de-
sirabIe that some investigations be made
NJ the observatory shall have direct
bearing on the protection OF life and
property from earthquakes and volcanic
eruptIons.
The stan administering the affairs OF
the observatory at the institute at pres
ent consists Of Thomas 4. Jaggar, Phi.
D.. professor OF geology director; Resi-
Maid A. DAILY, Ph. D, professor OF ply
steal geology; Charles H. Warren, Ph.
D.. associate professor Of mineralogy.
and an assistant, Francis B. Dodge, OF
Honolulu.
The observatory in Hawaii will receive
a limited number Of advanced students
engaged m research dealing with prob
lens Of 'volcanology and seismology.