File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17973137259).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo02amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
'
Text Appearing After Image:
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL A VISIT TO MARTINIQUE AND ST. VINCENT AFTER THE GREAT ERUPTIONS OF MAY AND JUNE, 1902. HEN, early in )\Iay, the news came that the sup- posedly extinct volcanoes of Mt. Pelee, on the island of Martinique, and of La Soufriere, on the island of St. Vincent, had suddenly burst into vio- lent eruption, destroying thousands of human lives and millions of dollars' worth of property, Mr. Morris K. Jesup, President of the American Museum of Natural History, per- ceived the scientific value of the opportunity thus offered for the study of vulcanology, and it was decided immediately to send the writer to the islands as the representative of the Mu- seum to investigate the phenomena of the eruptions. I left New York on the United States cruiser Dixie May 14, and arrived in Martinique May 21. At this time two days were devoted to the study of St. Pierre and its desolation, and then I went on w4th the Dixie to St. Vincent. A man-of-war is a part of the country to which she belongs, so that I felt as if my home-land were going away from me, when the Dixie sailed from Kingstown May 29, leaving me to continue my investi- gations there before returning to Martinique. I wish here to express my appreciation of the hospitality of Captain R. M. Berry, U. S. N., and other officers of the cruiser. Nearly three weeks were devoted to the study of the Soufriere on St. Vincent, excursions and investigations being made from both sides of the island, and my work was greatly facilitated by Mr. F. AV. Griffith, government clerk, acting under general instructions from Sir Robert Llewellyn, C. M. G., Governor of the colony, and by T. M. MacDonald, Esq., of Wallilabou, and James E. Richards, Esq., of Kingstown. My colleagues, Dr. T. A. Jaggar, Jr., and Mr. George Carroll Curtis, and I, accompanied by Mr. MacDonald, were the first persons to attempt the ascent of the Soufriere after the great eruptions. We accomplished our task on a perfect day. May 31, and were well rewarded for our effort and risk. We found the crater to be a vast pit about nine- tenths of a mile wide and 2400 feet deep below the highest point 57

Note About Images