The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-02-13
JAGGAR TIMES
PULSE OF PELE
Every Twelve Minutes the Lava
Column Surges and Falls
New Station Ready.

view otdtIuil neduys
Rising and falling at regular inter
walls of twelve minutes, the lava shaft
in Halemaumau gradually rose last
week, after having sunk to the lowest
level for many weeks. Professor Jag
gar, watch in hand, has been counting
Pele's pnlse and in his latest bulletin
describes the manifestations from the
regular beating of the great heart of
the earth.
Another decidedly interesting item in
this weeks bulletin is the record of
the testing of the temperature in the
heat cracks, where Volcano tourists
toast postal cards to mail to their
friends abroad. Professor Jaggar IS
figures explain very clearly why the
cards brown so nicely, because the
thermometer shows that in the depths
of the assure is temperature APP
preaching one thousand degrees Fab
renheit.
weekly Bulletin.
Technology Station, February S.
The lava of Kilauea reached its lowest
on January 30, 500 feet below the east
house, and since that time has risen 81
feet, with some downward pulsations.
The levels below the east house were
as follows: February 2, 4:50 PM, 33l
feet; February 5, pm, 327 feet; Feb
ruary 4, 6:20 pm, 33l feet; February
5, pm, BIS feet; February 6, 9p.m.,
SIS feet.
There have been south winds and a
little drizzle but nothing that can be
called rain. On Saturday evening, Feb
ruary 3, the new station on the north
brink of Halemaumau was completed.
1t has a porch and is surrounded with
a picket fence. The interior space on
solid lava reserved for a concrete plat
form, is 3x4 feet rectangular. This will
serve for seismometric experiments. We
tested the building ON that night by
sleeping there, and found it a comfort
able camp.
Lava Pool Widens.
The lava pool has been widening and
losing its pronounced coves. The in
tervals between "'Old Faithful foun.
tains averaged 46 seconds at l PM,
February 3, and at 1880 Pm, AZ
seconds, with tendency to a
secondary fountain occurring on
the average IL seconds after
the main explosion. When these second.
ate the main explosions may be count
ed with much greater regularity than
by counting all as of equal value
10. Nh nra lrs
occur Immediately after the main ones
with two or three seconds interval.
Pele's Pulse.
| The mechanism of sinking or rising
| of the lava column appears to proceed
by pulsations averaging twelve minutes
duration, first upward, then downward
and so on indefinitely. For twelve
minutes the lava becomes brilliant will
many fountains and it rises on itt
shores. Then it passes into a sinking
| phase, becomes less active, shows over
| hanging rims with stalactites of drip
ping melt, and cracks appear all around
| the coves. This is again followed By
renewed activity and rising. WheI
subsiding as a whole, probably the sink
ing spells outlast the rising ones, anc
when rising as whole the reverse il
| the case,
On February 5, at OILS pm, blu,
tongues of flame appeared shooting
through the orifice back of the rampant
which the lava had built ON northeast
bank near "Old Faithful This flame
played for two days. 1t appears tx
come through assure three feet Ions
and about fifteen feet from the lava !
edge.
Heat Crack Hot.
February 6-The temperature of tn
rift where tourists burn postal cards
was taken with special thermomete
of Jena borosilicate glass, filed witt
carbon dioxide over mercury at pres
sure of 20 atmospheres. This instrument
records temperature up to 500 degee
c. (932 Fahr). The postal-card rift
at place where it is Is en-. wide, ant
at depth of 105 en-, was found t.
have a temperature of 270 degrees c
(5lS degrees Fahr.). This enormou
superheat was in water-yapor mixe'
with sulphurous acid gas, the thermom
eter being suspended free, not touch
ing the walls.
A mirror exposed to the vapor be
came instantly covered with droplet
of water. At other fractures in tn
vicinity various temperatures from Y
degrees c. to $50 degrees G. were re
corded. These high temperatures wit
a different apparatus confirm result
secured by the writer April 6, 1909, AM
recorded in the Volcano House book
The work in 1909 was done with
acknowledgment.
| Very respectfully,
T. A. JAGGAR, Jr,
Director.