WITH
WITH THE
WITH THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ST. HELENS ERUPTION COMING UP
MONDAY WE ARE REMEMBERING THOSE
WHO LOST THEIR LIVES THAT DAY.
THIS MAN WAS WARNING THE REST
OF US.
OF US.
OF US. HE
OF US. HE UNDERSTOOD HOW DANGEROUS THE
MOUNTAIN WAS.
MOUNTAIN WAS. GLENN FARLEY TALKS TO TWO
PEOPLE WHO KNEW HIM WELL.
ONE WORKED HERE AT CHILLY.
KING5.
KING5.
KING5. >>
>>
>> >>REPORTER: THE PICTURES SUGGEST
THE POWER OF THE ERUPTION
CAPTURED ON A CLEAR, SUNNY
SUNDAY MORNING OF MAY 18, 1980.
THE TOP 1400 FEET OF THE
MOUNTAIN WERE BLOWN OFF.
THE EXPLOSION PROMPTED PERHAPS
THE MOST FAMOUS LAST WORDS.
VANCOUVER, VANCOUVER, THIS IS
IT.
IT.
IT. THIS
IT. THIS IS THE MAN WHO SAID THOSE
WORDS TRYING TO PROVIDE A
WARNING TO THE REST OF US 40
YEARS AGO.
YEARS AGO. DAVID JOHNSTON, SCIENTIST.
>> WE WERE STANDING ON A
MOUNTAIN RIDGE DOING AN
INTERVIEW AND DAVID SAID WE ARE
ESSENTIALLY SITTING NEXT TO A
STICK OF DYNAMITE.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THE
ABUSE IS.>> Reporter: HE RETIRED
BUT IN 1980 HE WAS THE SCIENCE
REPORTED.
REPORTED.
REPORTED. HE WAS REPORTING LIVE FROM ST.
HELENS FROM THE INSIDE.
>> THE WEATHER HERE IS STORMY.
>> Reporter: LOCATED IN THE
BLAST ZONE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF
MOUNT SAINT HELENS.
HE MET JOHNSTON TWO YEARS
EARLIER.
EARLIER.
EARLIER. >> IF WE WERE TO STAND HERE
WHEN THAT WENT OFF WE WOULD
SURELY DIE.
SURELY DIE. HE WAS RIGHT.
>> WE DIDN'T KNOW ULTIMATELY
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.
WE KNEW IT WAS A HAZARDOUS
PLACE.
PLACE.
PLACE. WE
PLACE. WE HAD A STATION AT SPIRIT LAKE
THAT HAD TO BE SERVICED EVERY
FIVE DAYS.
FIVE DAYS. WE KNEW THAT IT WAS
DANGEROUS.>> Reporter: STEVE
MALONE IS A PROFESSOR AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND AT
ONE POINT JOHNSTON WAS HIS
STUDENT.
STUDENT.
STUDENT. >> THIS IS MALONE 40 YEARS AGO.
HE IS A SEISMOLOGIST STUDYING
EARTHQUAKES AND JOHNSTON
SPECIALIZED IN VOLCANOES.
EARTHQUAKES ARE PRECURSORS TO
ERUPTIONS AND THE TWO WERE
CONNECTED DURING THE EMERGENCY
AND FOUR MONTHS THOUSANDS OF
SMALL QUAKES HAD SHAKEN THE
GROUND INDICATING MOLTEN ROCK
WAS ON THE MOVIE.
>> THERE WERE ALL THESE
EARTHQUAKES GOING ON.>>
Reporter: THE GROUND TREMBLED
AS THE NORTH SIDE OF THE
MOUNTAIN BULGED OUT AND POVERTY
OWNERS WERE AT ROAD LOCKS,
ALLOWED TO CHECK ON THEIR HOMES
THE DAY BEFORE THE ERUPTION.
NO ONE TO THE TRIGGER POINT.
EVERYONE WAS TIRED OF WAITING.
THIS PHOTOGRAPHER AND ENGINEER
CAME HOME THURSDAY FOR A GOOD
REASON.
REASON.
REASON. IT WAS CARTER'S WEDDING
ANNIVERSARY.
ANNIVERSARY. >> HAD YOU STAYED, WHAT
WOULD'VE BEEN HAPPEN?
>> I WOULDN'T BE TALKING TO
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. WE
YOU. WE WERE CAMPED -- I BELIEVE THE
NAME OF THE SMALL RIDGE WAS
SPUD MOUNTAIN.
SPUD MOUNTAIN. IT WAS DIRECTLY WITHIN THE
BLAST ZONE TO THE NORTH.
WE STARTED CAMPING IN A CAMPER
TRAILER.
TRAILER.
TRAILER. THEN WE MOVED INTO A TENT SO WE
CAN GET CLOSER.>> Reporter: ON
FRIDAY MALONE FLEW OVER A
CAMPER WHERE JOHNSTON WAS
STAYING TO MONITOR THE MOUNTAIN
FOR SIGNS OF TROUBLE.
>> I WAS INSTALLING TWO
STATIONS MAY 16, ONE AT ELK
ROCK TO THE WEST AND ANOTHER AT
A SITE NEAR TIMBERLINE.
FLYING IN THE HELICOPTER I
COULD LOOK OVER AND SEE THE
CAMPER UP ON THE RIDGE.
>> THERE MIGHT BE SOME CHANGES
IN THE ROADBLOCKS LOCAL
MERCHANTS HAVE THEIR SAY.
Reporter: ANOTHER TRIP FOR THE
CABIN OWNERS WAS PLANNED FOR
SUNDAY MORNING.
SUNDAY MORNING. HAVE THE ERUPTION COME ONE HOUR
LATER INSTEAD OF 57 DEBT IT
COULD'VE BEEN HUNDRED.
THE ERUPTION BEGAN AT 8:32 IN
THE MORNING.
THE MORNING. >> DID YOU THINK OF DAVID?
OH, YES.
OH, YES.
OH, YES. EARLY ON WHEN I HEARD HOW BIG
IT WAS, THAT WAS ONE OF MY
FIRST THOUGHTS.
FIRST THOUGHTS. NOT KNOWING.
NOT KNOWING. THEN, LATE IN THE MORNING WHEN
THE WORD WAS COMING IN OF THE
DEVASTATION, IT STARTED TO SINK
IN.
IN.
IN. >>
IN. >> DAVID JOHNSTON WAS LITERALLY
BLASTED OFF THE MOUNTAIN RIDGE.
HIS BODY WAS NEVER FOUND.
>> Reporter: THE TEAM FLEW BACK
TO THEIR OLD CAMPING SITE TO
FIND THIS DATSUN WITH THE
DRIVER AT THE WHEEL.
>> I ASKED THE PILOT TO SET US
DOWN.
DOWN.
DOWN. I
DOWN. I NEEDED A SENSE OF CLOSURE TO
SEE WHAT HAPPENED.
ALL I WILL SAY IS, IF YOU
EXPERIENCED THE HEAT OF THE
BLAST, IT WAS NOT A PLEASANT
SITE.
SITE.
SITE. IT
SITE. IT FIRMLY IMPLANTED IN MY MIND
TO THIS DAY HOW CLOSE I CAME,
HOW CLOSE THEY CAME AND THE
FACT THAT WE DIDN'T. THIS TOLD
ME I HAD TO TAKE GOOD ADVANTAGE
OF THE TIME GIVEN TO ME. I
VIEW THAT AS A GIFT.
>> YOU COULD FEEL THE
DESPONDENCY.
DESPONDENCY. THE SADNESS.
THE SADNESS. WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO WHAT WE
HOPED WE COULD DO BY
ANTICIPATING A DAY AHEAD
SOMETHING BIG.>> Reporter:
JOHNSTON WAS HURT ON THE RADIO
ALERTING HIS COLLEAGUES IN THE
FINAL SECONDS OF HIS LIFE.
VANCOUVER, VANCOUVER, THIS IS
IT.
IT.
IT. MOUNT
IT. MOUNT SAINT HELENS IS STILL
CONSIDERED THE SECOND MOST
DANGEROUS VOLCANO IN THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES.
STATES. OVER THERE IS AN OBSERVATORY