Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-12-31
news FROM ALASKA,
[san Francisco Bulletin, December 9sth.


Through the kindness of the Alaska
Commercial Company, Professor Davidson
has received Alaskan information of much
interest. and has verbally heard from Cap
tain c. I. Sands full account of the vol
canic activity displayed in October, near
the entrance to Cooks Inlet, in Alaska.
On the morning of October 9th the set
tiers and fishing parties of Graham or Eng.
lish Harbor, on the east side of Cooks In
let, heard heavy report, about o'clock
in the morning. The weather was beauti.
fully clear, the wind light from the south
west, the time of tide dead low water.
The opposite, or western coast of Cooks
Ialet was in clear view at the distance, 60
miles and more.
In the Bay of Ksmischak lies the island
OF Chernabourn, seven or eight miles in
diameter, and rising to high peak near
the northeastern part thas is called Mount
Augustin. The north shores are high,
rocky, and bordered by numerous rocks
and hidden dangers. The south shore is
low. The peak is distant 40 miles nearly
west from the settlement at the south point
of English Harbor.
When the heavy report was heard, vast
volumes of smoke was seen rolling out of
the summit of Mount Augustin, and NOV
ing to the northeast under the influence of
the lower stratum of wind then they had
gradually risen and were spreading over
the invisible heaven and obscuring the sky
overhead, under the influence of higher
and probably northeast current. Fine
pumice dust soon began to fall some of it
very fine, but gritty, and some without
any grit.
At Sh. Ism. a great earthquake wave, es-
timated from twenty-five to thirty feet in
hight, came upon the point where the set
Element is, carrying away all the fishing
boats and deluging the houses. The tide
being fortunately low, saved the whole set
Element from being swept away. This
was followed by two other waves eighteen
to fifteen feet high and during the day
several large and irregular waves came into
the harbor. These earthquakes were felt
at st. Paul, Kodiak.
The pumice ashes fell to the depth of
four or five inches in the vicinity of Eng
lish Harbor, and the day became so dark
that lamps had to be lighted.
At night the flames can be seen issuing
from the summit of Mount Augustin, and
during the day vast volumes of smoke roll
from it. Ordinarily it is covered with
snow, but at this time it is completely
bare.
When the schooner Kodiak, Captain
Guile, approached the island from English
Harbor on the 10Th of November, it was
found that the mountain had been split in
two from summit to water, by a great
rupture extending across it from east to
west, and that the northern slope of the
mountain had apparently sunk away to the
issuing from the peak at a short distance
to the south of the great rupture.
But another extraordinary discovery was
made in seeing new island about seventy.
five feet elevation, and one and one-half
miles in extent, lying in the ten.fathom
passage between the island and the main
shore to the west. This passage Is six to
eight miles wide, and was sailed through
by Vancouver, who describes the main
island and mountain.
This new islet has therefore arisen dur.
ing this cataclysmic action. This new island
lies to the northwest of Chernabourn, and
was distinctly seen as the vessel lay ten
miles to the northeast of Augustin.
To show the violence of the volcanic &C.
ton, two extinct volcanoes on the PENN
sula of Alaska, and about west from the
active volcano llhamna 1000 feet eleva-
tion), have burst into activity, and during
the day the volumes of smoke are dis.
tinctly seen, and columns of flame at
night.
This season party of seven or eight
Aleuts had located on Chernabourn Island
to pursue otter hunting this winter. Two
of the wives refused to stay, on account of
the violent noises in Mount Augustin, and
they were carried to St. Paul, on Kodiak
Island. Since the eruption none of this
party has been seen, nor any signs of their
bidarkas, although rescuing party of ma
tives had gone along the coast to learn of
their whereabouts. 1t is feared they are
lost.
Professor Davidson has compiled de-
details of this island for trans.
mission with his report.
Vancouver placed Mount Augustin in
latitude 80 degrees and % minutes, and
Whenkof places it at 80 degrees and "a
and longitude I53 degrees and 80
minutes west.