THE COURIEB
( THE EARTH'S THREE HUNDRED VOLCANOES
NEW YORK, May 3L "Vulcanolo
gists" of today are as much at a loss
to define the volcano as were the geol
ogists and astronomers of the days of
Darwin. "Vulcanlty" is as much a
stupendous mystery to the students
and observers now hurrying to the
scene of the unparalleled disaster at
Martinique as was the new coined
word of heathen origin to the Latin
survivors who gazed in awe upon the
ruins of Pompeii. Similar were the
conditions; similar the ignorance of
the spectator.
Among the first and best equipped of
special students to leave for St. Pierre
was Dr. E. O. Hovey, curator of the
department of geology in the Ameri
can museum of natural history. I
found him rushing to make ready for
his departure the next day on the gov
ernment relief ship Dixie.
There was only time for him to
speak in a general way of the previous
investigations of leading geologists.
He was mindful mostly of the large
opportunlt yopenlng to him for per
sonal observation, but he outlined cer
tain salient results of the studies of
such men as Dana, Russell, Judd, Bon
ney and Hill, the last named having
prepared a monograph on volcanic
conditions in the West Indies. From
Dr. Hovey's suggestions and other
sources this sketch of the known facts
about volcanoes has been carefully
compiled.
The number of great habitual vol
canic vents upon the globe Is estimat
ed at between 300 and 350. There is ,
only one on the whole continent of
Europe, Vesuvius, though elsewhere In
the Mediterranean th'ere are six
Stromboli and Vulcano in the LI pari
Islands, Etna In Sicily; Graham's
island, a submarine volcano off the
Sicilian coast, and Santorius and Nlsy
ros in the Aegean sea. The African
continent is known to contain ten
active volcanoes, four on the west and
six on the east coast, and there are
about ten others on neighboring is
lands. In Asia there are twenty-four
active volcanoes, but no less than
twelve of these are situated on the
peninsula of Kamchatka. There are
no volcanoes in Australia.
The American continent contains
more than the countries-of the old
world twenty in North American, 25
In Central America and thirty-seven
in South America. Thus, taken alto
gether, there are about 117 volcanoes
on the great continents and nearly
twice as many on the islands scattered
over the several oceans. These vol
canoes usually assume in their distri
bution a linear arrangement, and near
ly all of theme have been thrown up
along three well marked bands and the
branches proceeding from them.
The whole eastern coast of both the
Americas was thought to be entirely
free from volcanoes of anything like
recent date, and,' Just as Prof. Judd a
few years ago complacently asserted,
"as a matter of fact the actual amount
of damage to life and property which
is effected by volcanic eruptions is
small," so Prof. Bonney declared that
the whole western border of the At
lantic is destitute of volcanic activity,
"were it not for the long island chain
of the Lesser Antilles which separates
that ocean from the Caribbean sea."
R. T. Hill made a special study of
the conditions in the Windward islands.
It has been well known that many of
the West Indian Islands are "of lime
stone, chiefly coralline; that same
aontaln crystalline rocks, while others
are volcanic Quite recently it was
noted that seven craters still gave
signs of life by emitting steam, and
that the carving line of volcanic vents
occurred on a submarine plateau be
tween the deep basin of the Central
Atlantic and that of the Caribbean
sea. The activity of the Soufrfere of
St. Vlaceat was remarked years ago.
Bt a year r two back. Prof. T. G.
Baaaey Mod himself unable to form
vJate aay "complete theory of valcaa-
ascertained certain Important facts,
but they were only "getting warm."
Their successors, he hoped, might get
much nearer to a solution of the prob
lem by the end of the first quarter of
this century.
It is 4,000 miles to the center of the
globe, and the deepest mines do not
penetrate to much more than half a
mile from the surface, while the deep
est borings fall far short of a mile in
depth. The geologist knows that vol
canoes are found on "rising areas,"
and not depressions of the earth's sur
face; he suspects the influence of sea
water in the fissures of the "crust of
the globe," that is, the exterior film of
Its Immense mass, and he has found
the means of drawing inferences as to
the nature of the rocks at depths of
ten or fifteen miles, but that is the
utmost limit of the portion of the
globe which has been made the object
of his direct observation and study.
The entire globe is equal in weight
to five and one-half gl-ioes of the same
size composed of water, but the density
of the materials on the crust Itself, is
much less, varying from about two and
one-third to three times that of water.
It would consequently appear that the
great mass the interior of the globe
Is composed of materials having twice
the density of the rocks exposed at
the surface and these materials are of
a different kind.
Many geologists and astronomers re
ject the hypothesis that the earth con
sists of a great fluid mass surrounded
by a comparatively thin shell of solid
matter. The astronomers finds it in
consistent with the established laws
governing the motions of the earth;
the geologist knows that lavas of a
totally different character have been
extruded in Hungary and Bohemia
during the Miocene period and that
there have been igneous ejections in
Hawaii from a crater 14,000 feet high
for which no "sympathy" was shown
by an adjoining open vent 10.000 feet
on a lower level.
Whatever the cause of a volcanic
action may be, it seems clear that It
does not originate in a universal mass
of liquefied material situated at no'
great distance from the earth's sur
face. The globe may be solid both at
the center and the surface with an In
terposed layer of fluid or semi-material
between. Or the deep seated solid in
cumbent weight, be of a "potential
fluidity." the comparatively slight
changes on the surface bringing about
the liquefaction of the crust. The vul
canologist 1st inclined to believe, how
ever, that the earth Is solid to a great
distance, if not to its very center.
Certain facts he knows of a surety.
He knows there is such a thing as
"liquid basalt," that floating islands
of solid lava may exist in 'the volcanic
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Photograph by special' artist, London, England.
The above is an authentic photograph showing exactly how King Edward VII had planned to appear on June
26th when the venerable Archbishop of Canterbury was to place upon his "royal head the crown of St. Edward, by
virtue of which he derives his right to rule. The king, however, was suddenly stricken, compelling the indefinite
postponement of the coronation ceremony. The crown of St. Edward is a circle of gold, with four gold crosses and
four fleurs-de-lis. From the four crosses rise four arches which meet in the middle and upon which Is a golden
ball with another gold cross upon it. The whole Is set with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and pearls.
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