Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-05-22

saved him and saved his cherished
kodak, too. =
Prof. Perret spent month at Sax
urajima, WONG to the volcano direci
from Ita,y, being at Naples when he
heard the news Of the outbreak. He
and Prof. T. A. Jaggar, who returned
to Hawaii few weeks ago, were the
only two foreign scientists who wen'
to the scene, but they were not TO
gether. Prof. Jaggar left just before
Perret arrived, in fact, they met al
Nagasaki. During his stay, Perret
lived at Kagoshima. the town just
across an arm OF the sea from the
volcano island, making the trips tc
and fro In a motor sampan. Like
Prof Jaggar. he was forced to en-
dure much discomfort and inconyeni
lence and to risk considerable danger
but these are counted as hardly worth
mentioning by the devoted and ener
getic scientist when on the scene toi
such a tremendous physical phenom
enon as that of the still active vol
cano.
II wanted very much to stay long
er, he says. II never was so reluct
ant to leave any place as was tc
leave Sakurajina when did,
Among the most important results
obtained on the vista result o.
wide and vital interest not only Il
the scientist but TO the lay world
Is his establishing of the fact thai
the seismograph is not reliable in
strument for the recording OF the
phenomena attending an eruption
His own observation, coupled witt
the records kept by Dr. Omori Of thu
Imperial university of Toxic, and al
analysis he made OF the two, showed
that the seismograph established OF
the island failed to register the ac
tiyity Of the belching craters up thu
mountain side.
My observation showed that or
the days when the craters were mos
active the seismograph inevitably
failed to show ii, he says. The in
strnments would have recorded and
shown, / suppose, the movements
deeper in the earth week or two
weeks or month before the eruption
but after the eruption began and later
during the almost incessant bursts
and flows of lava and other material
the seismograph failed to register
what was occurring"
At Sakurajima he collected much
valuable material and forwarded il
to Europe.
Among this are four cases Of roct
and other geologic material cast uI
eral valuable specimens of gas in
glass tubes and sent them to Europe
He brings with him to Hawaii q
striking set Of photographs taken
and coiored by himself and SPLEEN
did series of lantern slides, as well as
q number of maps and much written
data One of his photographs shows
column of gas shot skyward with
the propulsion of mysterious forces
below. That is the gas I want Il
we had that we would have the real
thing and could learn vastly more
about volcanoes than we now know,
he says. But he had no means at Sa
kurajimo of collecting this gas.
On the voyage of the Shinyo Mart
from the Orient, DR.. Perret was
asked by the passengers entertain
ment committee to give an Illustrated
lecture and very courteously consent
ed. The lecture, which was couched
| In popular terms, was delivered on
the evening of May 20 and all the pas
sengers attended. The talk and pic
| lures were 50 interesting and enter
tanning that the passengers joined il
a vote of thanks to the scientist
The Hawaii party is anxious for DR.
Perret to give one or more lectures
during his stay on the islands.
DR.. Perret went to Japan as thu
joint representative of the Volcano
lresearch society Of Springfield, Mass.
and the Meteorological Institute o.
Naples, Italy. He was at his home
in Naples when the eruption of Sa
kurajima occurred. He is an Ameri
/ can but has made his home in ItalJ
for 10 years, in order to be at the cen
ter of things volcanic.