Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-05-11
j. 5. GOVERNMENT
MAY TAKE OVER
VOLCANO STUDY
Visit of Congressional Party to
Kilauea Brings Out Discus
o. sion of Plan
CONGRESSMEN GIVEN
INTERESTING LECTURE
Prof. Jaggar, Noted Observer,
Talks on Hawaiian CraterS
and Their Activities
BY HALEETT AeENo
(Staff Correspondent with the Con-
gressional Party.D 49,. ...s~*.

(StalI Correspondent Win the con
gressional Party) 49,. ~:
VOLCANO HOUSE, Hawaii, May 8.
The project of having the federal
government take over the observation
station at Kilauea. now conducted by
Prof. Thomas A. Jaggar, and main
/ tanned by private subscription from
Honolulu residents, aided by grant
from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, has received big boost.
/ Representative Swagar A. Sherley
of Kentucky, member of the house
appropriations committee, has openly
expressed himself as in favor of such
move by the national government,
and has Investigated with immense
interest and appreciation the work
that has been going on at Kilauea.
The attitude taken by several mem
bers of the congressional party is that
Uncle Sam has gone in" for volcanoes
and earthquakes rather extensively,
having the Aleutian islands, Hawaii,
Porto Rico, the Panama Canal and
the Philippines. r.. -
At present no government in the
world is adequately financing the
study of volcanoes and seismology, for
though the Italian government main
tains an observatory at the crater OF
Vesuvius the institution has neither
adequate quarters nor fitting support.
the annual appropriation being only
1900 francs. L.. .
At present about $1,000 a year is
being expended on the research work
at Kilauea, but minimum of from
SIS, 900 to $4,000 could be used to
advantage sum that would be cas-
lily obtainable if the federal govern
ment would finance the work
Or. Jagesr Lectures to Party.
The intense interest of the mem
bers of the congressional party in the
big show place of Hawaii, the crater
of Kilauea, was manifested this aft
ernoon when the office OF the Volcano
House was packed to capacity by those
eager to listen to lecture on the vol
cano by DR.. Jaggar, who has been
carrying on scientific observations at
the pit for three years.
Not only was the office crowded,
but those anxious to listen to the talk
packed the adjoining writing room,
halls, the dining room doors; the porch
and all the windows of the rooms to
which Prof. Jaggar's voice would
carry
1.-The Hawaiian islands," said the
speaker, ARE parts of the greatest and
most interesting lines of relief on the
globe. They are the emerging crests
of submerged mountain chain 1900
miles long, a mountain chain entirely
volcanic in origin. - .-.
= ''Mauna Kea is probably the great |
est mountain in the world, for II |
dWarfs Mount Everett Mauna Kea, |
which stands $4,000 feet above sea
level. is in reality $1,000 feet high, for |
it rises abruptly from the floor of the |
sea "a, GOO feet below tide level 7
The Hawaiian islands have four ac-
tive volcanoes, in a scientific sense, T
which includes as active all mountains /
giving signs of having erupted within
the last 200 years. These four peaks /
are Kilauea, Haleakala, Mauna Loa
and Hualalai. Mauna Loa and Kilau. I
ca, said DR.. Jaggar, are the greatest /
lava volcanoes in the world, as dis. |
tinct from the more violent eruptive |
which explode and throw /
off great quantities of cinders.
On motion of Senator MARITIME vote
of thanks was rendered to the speak.
er when he had concluded his address.
Mauna Loa to Erupt Again.
ALI volcanic signs point to another
violent eruption of Mauna LOAN +
similar to those in 1894 and /
later years which were characterized |
by enormous lava flows. ~
That is the oponion of DR.. Jaggar,
who has spent the last three years /
studying the volcanic phenomena on
the island of Hawaii. %. +
'Of course there is no way of fore |
telling just how soon Mauna Loa win /.
resume activity" says Prof Jaggar /
at may be six months and it may be |
six years, but all signs point to an +
eruption within the next three years" I
This conclusion has been reached |
after scientific investigation of the
activities of Kilaqea and Mauna Loa,
which has led to the opinion that |
there is some sympathy between the I
two, in that activity by the latter is I
always preceded by marked activity +
in Kilauea, and then subsistence. XII /
lauea is now undoubtedly beginning /
period of activity, after which one of /
Mauna Loa's periodical eruptions, and [
copious lava flows may be confidently I