SAMOA'S VOLCANO.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 269, 6 August 1908, Page 8

SAMOA'S VOLCANO.

THE GREAT FLOW-OF LAVA.

The. great volcano on the.north side of Savaii! (writes the Samoan correspondent; of ■ thb'Sydney""Telegraph" under-date of. July 2) has quietened down into, anothor period of rest, and only two streams of' molten lava are. now ..flowing into the sea ; each; near the old point known , as 1 Asuisuij and about half, a; mile'apart., Probably, they , are less than '100 yds. each in width, and probably only-3ft. ,or 4ft. in depth. The writer .passed that, lopajity a few. days ago in a motor launch, and /found that the. sea water, to a distance of one mile and a half was heated perceptibly. Within half; a mile it was too hot for the hand to be immersed. As the sea pump of,the motor boat was then.injecting, hot water • instead of cool water for tho cylinder jacket, it was necessary to keep further away and seek cooler water before the launch engine became over-heated. A walk over the new lava" flow which lately destroyed Saleaula shows that the average depth of the - flow is about 16ft., and that portion of;the - Jay a' which spread out ashoro was-rather thick—nearly of the consistency of Jeers', dough.; The .field , still retains its heat, and while it :is easy enough to walk over it, it is still very hot in.places, and owing ,to contractions ,and.stressos set up, in the cooling, it has opened hero and thoro in rifts several inches and often over a foot in .width..; From these, cracks the.heat comes out in visiblo vibrating clouds, bearing with it ,a smell similar, to that found about coal gas houses. Heavy rains falling on this lava are of; trifling effect, as they are converted ' into steam almost as-soon-as they touch tho hot ■ parts. Many thousand fine ■ cocoanut trees have been destroyed, and .the unfortunate pe.oplo who formerly occupied this thriving village aro, now-, crowded into Fagamalo and-other; points: near: at hand. Fortunately the' lava confined itself to . a strip along the sea' coast, - and did not penetra.to' inland above-one-third of a milo at any point. Therefore .it may happen-that-when the volcano sinks finally into quiescence, the- people may -' again- occupy their inland properties, which are but;little injured. 'A good, few houses in. Fagamalo have been taken down, "for' there" appeared a' strong probability that the "flow would - at one time reach there. >