Evening star., 1939-02-13
The Wrath of PeIe
More Adequate Study Of Volcanic Forces
Needed at Site IdeuI for Work

udy Of Volcanic Forces
.uI for Work
and asked DR.. Thomas Jaggar, the
seismologist at the volcano Of Kila-
uwea, whether there was any danger
and DR.. Jaggar replied that he did
not think that there was much like
hhood of a big wave. So the scare
passed and the tidal wave, when it
came, was such a tiny one-about
3 inches or so-that the scare seemed
rather ridiculous.
But there Is nothing ridiculous
about Pele, the goddess of fire, who
Is really and truly believed in by q
great many Hawaiians. Just now
she is sleeping. Or else she is quite
content with the way things are
going up on the crust of the earth
Every few days there is a little
tremble in the earth, down on the
big island, and DR.. Jaggar and his
aide, Hugh Waesche-the latter q
Washingtonian, by the way-meas-
ure it by means of the seismograph
and determine whether or not 1t is
one of the Pele's restless tossings on
her couch in the depths Of Kilauea
her present headquarters.
Islanders Reserve Quarters.
And If that earth tremor the other
day had occurred on the island o1
Hawaii and had been of the same
proportions as those of the Alaskan
quake which sent out the tidal
wave" that measured less than hall
a foot at Honolulu, the reaction
here on Oahu would have been very
different indeed. On the first tick
of the teletype or at the first syllable
over the island telephone indi-
eating an earthquake of sizable
dimensions the rush for Hilo would
have started. Every available craft
capable of plying between here anc
the big island, distance Of about
225 miles. the trip by sea requiring
is hours in the course of the regular
passenger service, would be engaged
AS a matter of fact some of the more
forward-looking residents Of Homo.
lulu have standing reservations fol
cabins on the regular steamer in the
event of an eruption Of Kilauer
And Just so there is q steadily
growing list of reservations for &C.
commodations at the Volcano House
which is virtually the only place Of
public entertainment near the
crater, all of these contingent upon
a first-class sign of an eruption.
So this earthquake business works
both ways, causing distress and anx.
iety when the focus is at distant
point in the Northern Pacific and
arousing the keenest zest of curiosity
and interest when it lies a few hun.
dred miles to the south.
The first-time visitor to Kilauea i
likely to be rather grievously disap-
pointed on his arrival at Volcano
House. True, he can see lot o1
steam Jets coming out Of the earth
alongside of the road, almost from
the very lawn of the hotel, and par.
ticularly inside of a vast depression
just across the way several score o.
wisps of white vapor lazily drifting
out of the ground. But fire? None
at all, save the ever-burning fire II
the big CRATE in the lounge of tn.
Volcano House-a somewhat hiStor'
ical fireplace, by the way.
A Confusion Of Titles.
And the first-time visitor is apt t,
be somewhat confused by the title
that are given to various places ant
features within the National Parl
which embraces the volcanic region
Once upon a time he had heard o
the Volcano of Maunaloa, and her,
1t is called by the name "Halemau
mau'! Furthermore, there Is men
ton of something else, it woul.
seem, In the way of a crater that i
called Kilauea. I will not try t,
devise cue to the pronunciation
except to note that each vowel con
stitutes a syllable. But here is hov
I came to understand this series O.
titles:
Maunaloa is the mountain wher,
Pele has always lived-unless in th'
long-long-long ago past she livet
over at Maunakea, a big mountain {
few score miles to the north, abou
$50 feet higher than Maunaloa ane
now dormant, not having erupted fo
a very long time. Pele, however
specifically makes her home now il
Kilauea, which is ap immense, gen
orally circular hole in the ground OF
the eastern slope of Maunaloa, abou
21l2 miles across and 900 feet deep
with a fiat floor save that it i
bumped and bumped and hillockes
by countless piles of lava and pittee
with holes through which the steam
escapes from time to time. Thes,
steam vents, it should be said, ar,
the only tangible evidences at pres.
ent of volcanic force. They serve a.
a constant reminder that Pele Il
still at home.
Even this vast pit, however, is mo-
Pele's actual residence, as far a.
recent performances serve to indi.
cate. She has an inner pit of hel
own. which is called Halemaumau
That is the boiling pot into which
the seething lava is forced when ar
eruption takes place on the eastern
flank of the mountain. =.
But Pele does not always ven,
herself within the confines of Hale.
maumau or Kilauea. She may break