Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-20
SCIENTIST FLIES
OVER VOLCANOES
DR.. T. A. Jaggar Uses Plane
to Keep in Touch With
Hawaiian CraterS.

Use of an airplane to permit scien-
tific observer to look down the sore
throts" of active volcanoes is Jne of
the latest developments Of aviation.
On the Island of Hawaii, where the
eruptions are feared, three Navy sea-
planes have been used for volcanic in
spection trips. Aboard one plane was
the veteran volcano observer, Dr.
Thomas A. Jaggar.
No monarch or president receives
more careful attention than that given
by DR.. Jaggar to the volcanoes of the
Hawaiian Islands. While his fame
rests largely on his practice in these
American possessions, DR.. Jaggar is
subject to call as consultant in the
Aleutian Islands, Japan and other vol
cano centers.
His house on the lip of Kilauea gives
the scientist the right to be considered
bedside volcano observer" in prac-
tically constant attendance on his most
chronic case. His instruments, eS-
pecially his seismographs, have their
fingers on the pulse of the volcanoes at
all times.
AS some eruptions have arisen to
fever heat earthquakes become stronger
and more frequent. The numerous
recently aroused fears of impending
eruption.
Studied Mount PavIOf Area.
During the Summer of 1928 DR..
Jaggar led a National Geographic So
ciety expedition to the little known
Mount Pavlof Volcano area in the Aleu-
tan Islands, one of the most active
volcanic regions in the world today.
On the expedition to the Pavalof area
DR.. Jaggar found evidence of four
q 10 ~ IF oRfiNyity
among the Alieutian cones.
There are no more earthquakes or
eruptions than there have been in the
past" declared DR.. Jaggar in a report
to the National Geographic Society.
But more and more people are living
in congested areas where these disturb
ances inflict disasters now, whereas they
would have passed unnoticed not SO
many years ago."
Hence the need for skilled observers
to keep tab on dangerous volcanoes.
How one eruption prediction saved
thousands of lives and much property
was reported by DR.. Jaggar in a COM
munication to the National Geographic
Society on the eruption of Sakurajima,
Japan's greatest volcanic CONFUSION
within historic times. The Hawaiian
specialist was an eyewitness of the last
phases of this eruption.
No One Killed I'm Eruption.
Although 10000 people were living on
the tiny island center of destruction a
few days before the disaster, the volcano
killed no one.
The remarkable record Of life saw
ing in the Sakurajima eruption" wrote
DR.. Jaggar, was partly due to good
luck, but also to the instinct of the
people, to the wisdom of the govern
ment and to scientific societies"
To determine whether earthquakes,
more common in the United States than
volcanoes (Lassen, in California, the
only active cone), have close relation
to volcanoes has been one object of DR..
Jaggar's study.
1T is only question of time" DR..
Jaggar continued, land of additional
observations at several volcanoes for
science to learn more about earthquake
portents than any one dreamed of so
years ago.
THE late honored Prof. Omori was
a martyr to science in the Toxic earth
quake. He devoted all the later years