FERRuARY 7, 1907] 
NATURE 351 
THE ERUPTION OF MATAVANU IN 
SAVA TI, 1905 =f, 
HE last-issued number of the Zeitschrift der gesellschaft | 
fiir Erdkunde zu Berlin contains an account of a very | 
remarkable volcanic eruption which had been in progress 
for more than twelve months in September last in the 
island of Savaii. The voleanoes of this island had been 
quiet for more than a century when, in 1902, two minor 
outbreaks oceurred, and in 1905 a greater eruption com- 
menced, causing so much anxiety and alarm that 
German Colonial Administration sent to Prof. K. Sapper, 
of Tibingen, a collection of specimens, photographs, and 
newspaper and other reports, from which he has compiled 
an account which is interesting in spite of its inevitable 
incompleteness. 
The eruption was ushered in by 
lasting from July 25 to August 1, 
on the night of the last-mentioned 
a series of earthquakes 
1905; at half past nine 
date a loud detonation 
Lava flowing under its conso!idated upper crust into the sea near Salago, September, 1906. 
was heard, and shortly after “ pillars of fire ’’ were seen 
issuing from a valley known as Matavanu, some 12 kilo- 
metres from the coast on the north-eastern side of the 
island. At first the eruption was of an explosive character, 
and does not seem to have been very violent, as the esti- 
mates of the height to which matter was thrown do not 
exceed 200 metres, and the hill formed was never more than 
150 metres in height. On August 9 lava began to flow, at 
first in small quantities, afterwards more abundantly, until 
it reached the coast on December 6, and flowed down to 
the sea at intervals up to the end of September, 1906, the 
date of the latest reports received by Prof. Sapper. During 
this period the outflow of lava seems to have been con- 
tinuous, though varying in amount, and unaccompanied by 
any considerable degree of explosive activity. 
Many people visited the volcano during the eruption, and 
an interesting account by Dr. Grevel is reprinted from the 
local newspaper; his party made the ascent on April 23 
last, over the crust of the lava stream, which was smooth 
and easily traversed, and cool enough for the Samoans who 
accompanied him to walk over it. The solid surface of 
the lava stream was broken at intervals by vent holes, the 
one nearest the crater being at first mistaken for a para- 
sitic cone, as the crust of the lava rose in a gentle con- 
vexity to the orifice, which was much smaller in diameter 
than the cavity underneath. Thick, sulphurous vapours 
prevented any sight into the cavity, and large stones 
thrown in gave no clue to its depth, as their fall was 
unheard. Four of these vent holes were examined, which 
repeated the features of the first on a smaller scale, and 
the party then climbed to the crater by an easy ascent 
over the lava flow on the northern side. Owing to the 
drift of the south-east trade wind, no view of the crater 
NO. 1945, VOL. 75] 
the | 
| could be obtained, so Dr. Grevel and his party worked 
round by the east, where the surface was covered with 
countless bodies of moths, attracted by the glow of the 
crater and killed by the vapours rising from cracks 
in the surface of the lava flow; the same vapours had 
proved fatal to a flying-fox, a dove, and a sea-gull. 
From the southern edge a good view of the crater was 
obtained ; it was about 300 metres in diameter, filled with 
a lake of molten lava in gentle ebullition, caused by the 
rise of steam bubbles, and from the centre a gentle stream- 
ing to the north commenced, which increased in rapidity 
until the lava disappeared in a cataract into a cloud of 
steam, and presumably joined the stream over the surface 
of which the party had ascended. 
On reaching the sea, the lava flowea out to the 
reef, where its end, being cooled by the surf, formed a 
wall between which and the coast the lava flowed quietly 
along the lagoon. At its end the sea was in violent 
| ebullition, dense clouds of steam were formed, and for 
100 metres from the end of the 
flow the sea was boiling hot, and 
fishes, killed and cooked by this boil- 
ing sea-water, were collected and 
eaten by the natives. In a few places 
the lava flowed over the reef into the 
deep water outside, and where this 
oceurred its progress was marked by 
violent geyser-like explosions, which 
were mistaken by some people for 
fresh voleanic eruptions, but were in 
reality due to steam formed under the 
still liquid lava. We reproduce a very 
striking photograph of one of these 
geyser-like explosions at the front 
of a lava stream flowing into the deep 
sea. The lava was remarkable for 
its fluidity, and issued in great 
quantity ; according to a map attached 
to Prof. Sapper’s paper, the area 
covered by the lava extends about 
6 kilometres to the west and 12 kilo- 
metres to the north-east of the voleano, 
and has a width of from 2 kilometres 
to 5 kilometres; it has filled the 
lagoon for about 8 kilometres along 
the coast, destroying several villages 
and rendering others uninhabitable 
by cutting off their water supply, while 
several small promontories of lava were thrust forward 
beyond the reef. 
RESEARCH IN TROPICAL 
HYGIENE} 
(1) THE greater part of the first report is occupied with 
an elaborate memoir by Drs. Thomas and Breinl 
on trypanosomes, trypanosomiasis, and sleeping sickness. 
It comprises a description of cases of sleeping sickness, 
a full account of inoculation experiments with the Trypano- 
soma gambiense, from which the conclusion is formulated 
that the trypanosomes of sleeping sickness of Uganda and 
of the Congo Free State and of trypanosomiasis ate 
identical, together with an account of the pathological 
anatomy and histology of trypanosomiasis, the action of 
various drugs on trypanosomes, and experiments with the 
trypanosomes of surra, mal de caderas, dourine, &c. 
The late Mr. Dutton and Dr. Todd contribute an 
important memoir on human tick fever in the Congo Free 
State, with an appendix by Mr. Newstead on the anatomy 
of the tick (Ornithodoros moubata) which conveys the 
disease. 
1 (x) ‘The Thompson-Yates and Johnston Laboratories Report.” Edited 
by Rubert Boyce and Charles Sherrington, with H. FE. Annett, Benjamin 
Moore, Ronald Ross and E..W. Hope. Pp. 141. Vol. vi. (New Series), 
Part ii., December, 1905 
(2) Ibid. Vol. vii., Part i., February, 1906. Pp. 88 +plates. 
(3) “Rapport sur I'Expédition au Congo, 1903-5." Par J. Everett 
Dutton and John L. Todd. (Kcole de Médicine Tropicale de Liverpool, 
Mém. xx.) Pp. 72. (All published for the University Press of Liverpool, 
by Williams and Norgate, London, 1996.) Price 5s. ; 
(4) “Second Report of the Wellcome Research Laboratories at the 
Gordon Memorial College, Khartoum.” By Andrew Balfour. 
MEDICINE AND 
