Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 146, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 June 1915 — WILL STUDY LASSEN [ARTICLE]

WILL STUDY LASSEN

Volcano in California Is Under Close Observation. Forest Service Co-Operates With Geological Survey in Recording Dangerous Peak’s Activity as Basis for Scientific Study. Washington. Mt. Lassen, Cal., whose violent eruption of May 19. places it in the first rank of volcanoes now dangerously active, has become the subject of an informal co-operative study by the geological survey and the forest service. At the request of the survey, a telegram has been sent from Washington instructing the officers of the Lassen national forest, in which' the peak stands, to continue observations of the volcano’s activity and keep a record to be used as a basis for a scientific investigation by J. S. Diller, a government geologist, who will take up the work later. The observations are being made by forest rangers at the scene and from a Ire lookout tower on Brokeoff mountain, a few miles north of the crater, where the forest service last year kept watch on the numerous eruptions which occurred from May to September. It is not known whether a cloudburst started the last eruption by precipitating rain down upon the molten lava in the crater* or whether melting of the snow on the peak, with consequent flowing of water into the crater, caused the accumulation of , steam which blew a river of mud out of the mountain. Mr. Diller, who made a study of the volcano last year, said that he inclined toward the melted snow theory, adding that the bright glow reported as appearing on the clouds of smoke and steam over the crater is a reflection of the red-hot matter uncovered by the eruption, indicating that the volcano is in a more or less dangerous mood. The river of mud which was shot out of the north side of the crater and down Hat creek has damaged government and private property, says a Wireless to the forest service from San Francisco, destroying bridges whicn were necessary to permit the entrance of live stock that are grazed on the Lasjen forest every year. mL Lassen is regarded as exceptionally interesting from a scientific viewpoint, according to the geological survey, inasmuch as it is the only active volcano in the United States proper, is very accessible to observers, and appears to be full of dangerous possibilities. There is much that is not known about volcanoes, and Lassen is expected by geologists to furnish a consider-

able addition to existing Information on the subject.