834 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIV. No. 885 



This is the remedy. In a laboratory where 

 such a spirit is always in evidence, the meth- 

 ods and devices become of secondary impor- 

 tance and the emphasis is placed upon 

 weightier matters. This spirit will be main- 

 tained only by eternal vigilance. Is this pos- 

 sible other than by means of active research? 



The needed reform in laboratory instruction 

 in physics does not demand radical changes in 

 equipment, but it insists that the instructor 

 shall have the spirit of the science, and that 

 he shall minimize the importance of method 

 and magnify the real function of the labora- 

 tory. It is useless to claim that the remedy 

 lies in a particular set of experiments or in 

 the proper equipment. Any method or any 

 equipment will eventually enslave the teacher 

 if it is permitted to do so. The remedy lies 

 wholly in the attitude of the instructor. The 

 teacher who has not the true spirit of research 

 can not obtain freedom from slavery to method. 

 G. W. Stewart 



Physical Laboratory, 

 State University op Iowa 



A NEW GAS VOLCANO IN TBINIDAD 

 The daily press recently reported that a new 

 island had been thrown up near the coast of 

 Trinidad, with accompanying fire and explo- 

 sions. This report and the statement appear- 

 ing in numerous places that the eruption was 

 volcanic has strengthened the impression, al- 

 ready somewhat current, that Trinidad is a 

 volcanic island forming part of the same 

 chain as Martinique, St. Vincent and others 

 of the Windward Islands. There is, however, 

 no true volcanic activity in Trinidad and no 

 volcanic rocks either recent or ancient are 

 known there. The island is formed of highly 

 folded sedimentary and metamorphic strata, 

 and is more properly to be considered as a por- 

 tion of the South American land mass. The 

 recent eruption near its south coast was due 

 to the sudden escape of a large quantity of 

 gas from the strata that form the submerged 

 coastal plateau, with the consequent ejection 

 of the mud and other materials which had 

 hitherto confined the pressure. Eruptions of 



this type on a small scale are constantly going 

 on in southern Trinidad, forming the many 

 mud cones and craters to be seen there, and 

 occasionally large outbreaks such as this latest 

 one occur. In all cases the force at work is 

 escaping gas which rises from the gas-bearing 

 sandy and clayey strata, bringing with it fine 

 sediment and salty water derived from these 

 beds. 



I visited numerous gas volcanoes in this por- 

 tion of Trinidad during October but left there 

 just before the recent eruption took place. 

 Mr. Jefferson D. Davis, of Port of Spain, in a 

 letter dated November 6 writes as follows: 



On last Saturday (Nov. 4) land was seen to rise 

 from the surface of the ocean 3 miles southwest 

 of Erin. . . . The gas . . . soon took fire, and the 

 flames must have gone to an enormous height, 

 because they were seen from Port of Spain to 

 shoot into the clouds, and Erin is approximately 

 fifty miles from this place. The country was lit 

 up for considerable time, and great consternation 

 prevailed among the natives. . . . The governor of 

 the colony and a party of of&eials with a number of 

 prominent people from this place went down yes- 

 terday to see the phenomenon, and found a piece of 

 land about three acres in area, about thirty to 

 forty feet above sea-level, in the center of which 

 was a crater. The ground seemed to be the ordi- 

 nary blue mud, but was very hot, consequently 

 baked dry and hard. Some of the more adven- 

 turous visitors went on to the land and walked 

 about for a while, and took home some samples of 

 the clay. Large volumes of gas were coming from 

 the crater at this time, but there was no fire. We 

 learned to-day by telephone that it has taken fire 

 again. 



It is also reported that four distinct detona- 

 tions were heard from Port of Spain after the 

 island had been formed and that the fire con> 

 tinned burning until Sunday morning. Mr 

 A. C. Veatch, formerly of the U. S. Geological 

 Survey, was on board ship at Brighton, Trini- 

 dad, just about to sail for New York at the 

 time. He informs me that his notice was 

 suddenly attracted by a great flame that shot 

 up into the sky just at dusk, at ten minutes 

 before six, Saturday evening. Every one 

 thought it was an oil or gas well on fire. With 



