Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 64.djvu/226

222 the starlit sky beyond appeared to have risen somewhat and to be thinner and more transparent where it had before been black and hard-edged. Its rise could be measured by the group of royal palms about the statue of the Empress Josephine, which lay in that direction. These notes were made from the middle of the open 'Savane' or common, while a negro boy held a candle for making compass observations and writing. The increase in sheet lightnings was accompanied by thunder claps from different directions. Some of these came from the east, and they were undoubtedly produced by the local showers.

At 10 o'clock it was pitch dark, with no horizon visible; white clouds rose high southwest.

At 10:08 heavy thunder was heard to the north in the direction of the high Pitons de Carbet. The lightning from the dust vault had grown more sparse and the short worms had gradually given place to elongate serpent-like flashes with increasing intervals. Following these thunder crashes from the north, there was a magnificent lightning display across the zenith. At 10:10, in the direction of the volcano north-northwest, long curved orange flashes rent the vault from east to west.

At 10:15 rumbling was renewed from the direction of the volcano and lightning was also seen. This rumbling resembled rather a slight renewal of the steam explosions than local thunder. It is worthy of note that the sound at Martinique under the dust cloud was different from that observed at great distances. At Barbados this eruption of the night of the ninth was heard distinctly as a series of heavy detonations in quick succession, resembling heavy ordnance close at hand. The distance, over one hundred miles, and the angle by which the sound traveled, probably from above the dust vault, produced a different acoustic effect from what was observed in the immediate vicinity of the volcano. Probably only the louder explosions carried so far, which would account for the discontinuous quality of the detonations. At Fort de France the effect was as though the dust billows had a muffling effect.

At 10:25 there was a cessation of active phenomena for nearly a half hour.

At 10:50 a breeze sprang up from the south.

At 10:55 there was heavy thunder in the northwest, and some serpent flashes of lightning.

At 11:15 the dust dome was obscured by rain clouds, showers fell and there was occasional distant lightning.

At 11:40 thunder was heard to the south. At this time a quadrant of the southern horizon cleared, showing itself below the straight edge of overhanging cloud. After this the night settled down to a condition of quiet cloudiness with the wind southerly, and the temperature