The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-20

the cables was begun three days later
Tho life OF the experimental scientist
IN the field Is far from being one Of
case. and Prof pcrrct encountered at
no time more difficulty than in these
first days In establishing their quar-
ters and in making the first scientific
observations which would be used as
stepping stones to lead to greater
things Cables broke and the first two
expensive instruments which were
lowered into the lake Of lava to de-
termlne its actual temperature were
destroyed On July % the station was
completed. and was Immediately oc.
cupied
The south end of the island began
TO sink on the 17th and on the 22nd
the lake itself began to lower its level.
The amount of vapor at this time was
greatly increased. The lowest level
which the lake reached was attained
August I, when IL had sunk to about
forty feet below its bank From this
time on the lake oscillated greatly in
its rise and fall and these variations
caused landslides from the banks into
the lake. A gas vent formed at the
eastern end of the lake, making a
clear view of the activities on that
end and near the center practically
impossible BY August 70 the visible
island was reduced to a fiat floating
crust of black lava contiguous to the
east bank of the lake.
The station of the volcanologists
was situated at the east brink Of the
crater so as to command a view of the
entire lake of lava. 1t had an extern
sive scientific equipment consisting of
o Zeiss telemeter for direct measure
ment of distances to 500 meters. a
portable transit for measuring angles,
Zeiss telephoto camera with a com.
plete equipment in its details, stereo
camera, panoramic camera thermo.
graph, Paragraph, maximum anu mini
mum thermometers, wind vane, field
glass, promoters, Perret seismoscope
and microphones. The seismoscope is
set up for visual observations. and
shows the ground to be moving con
tinually, the rising of every fountain
being clearly shown by movements of
the Indicator Later in the summer
meteorological instruments were in
stalled. Every visible change in the
crater was photographed, so that last
ing records of all disturbances might
lie had
A Great Bubble of Lava Glass.
In the middle of August occurred a
phenomenon which has never before
been seen in recorded history and
which will probably never again be
observed On Monday, August IA, the
floating island which had been a fea-
ture of the volcano for many months
began to disappear, and on the, even
ing of Thursday of the same week it
had been entirely eaten up by the heat
of the surrounding liquid lava, until
the entire surface was cracked with
| fiery seams, Instead of gradually de
composing at this point it sank, and in
it's place on the fire lake, Madame
Pele, the goddess of the volcano, blew
a gigantic bubble of lava glass which
| stretched until it covered a section
/ of the lake of over 5000 square feet
"Old Faithful and sister fire foun
tain sprang up under this huge bubble
lighting it with their fires until il
eventually grew to be an immense in
candescent globe which was propelled
by the force Of the two fire fountains
over the entire length of the lava
sea
The length of the extraordinary
lava glass bubble was about 10 fee
and its diameter at the cylindrical
portion about thirty feet. The genera
appearance of the bubble is described
as follows by Prof. Perret in a dis
patch to the Pacific Commercial AID
vertiser: "A huge sausage-shaped
gas-int1ated balloon of black lava glass
triangular and box-shaped at one enc
and cylindrical at the other was max
ing its way across the lake. lava
fountain boiling continuously unde
the eastern end gave the appearance
OF screw propeller, and this mos
amazing contrivance seemed to b,
navigating the lake under it's owl
power, like a great whale-back steam
CT or a black Zeppelin airship. 1t
length was not less than 10 feet ant
the cylindrical portion about thirt,
feet in diameter"
The force of the two fountains O
fire below the bubble were too stron,
) for it, and the whole affair soon col
} lapsed, gradually sinking below tn
surface. The effect of it was to reduc,
materially the activity of the tw,
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