Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-26

A steam Capped Cone Rising Five
Hundred feet AboveR Behrang sea.

A steam Capped Cone Rising Five
Hundred Feet AboveR Behrfng sea-
The Secretary or the Treasury. SAYS
Warrington special, has received from
Captain NJ. A. Healy, Of the United States
revenue cutter CoEwin, under date Of
Ounalaska, May 3, two reports By officers
Of the Corwin. describing visit 10 the
recently upheaved volcano in Behr1ng
sea. at the northern end Of Bogoslon
Island. in latitude So deg. % min. = sec.
north: longitude. 16s deg. % min. q see.
west. This volcano. which is in state
OF constant and intense activity was up
heaved from the sea in the summer q
1859. but was not seen BY any civilized
eve until Sept. p. 1SS3. when II was dis
covered bv Capt. Anderson. Of the schooner
Matthew Turner. A few days later Il was
seen bv Capt Hague. Of the steamer Dora,
but no landing upon ii was made previous
to that by the officers Of the CorWln last
spring.
Or. Yemans describes it as a dull gray
irregular cone-slaped hill about 500 feet
in height, from the sides and summit OF
which great volumes Of vapor were aris-
iug. At a point about tw0-thIrds OF the
distance from the base 70 the apex issued
a very regular series Of large steam JETS
which extended in a horizontal direction
completely across the northwestern lace
Of the hill.
MANY.C0IORED SULPHUR PATCHES.
Around these steam jets were seen upon
nearer approach deposits OF sulphur q
various hues. which at distance had
looked Ike patches Of vegetation.
landing was effected without dimculty
uDon A narrow sand spit connecting the
new volcano with the old island Of Bogos-
loff. and DR.. Yemans and Lieut.. Cantweil
undertook the ascent Of the smoking cone.
1t was covered BY a thin layer OF ASH.
formed by the action Of rain into crust,
which was not strong enough 10 sustain
a mans weight. At every step the
climbers feet crushed through auQ they
sank knee deep into a soft, almost lmpal-
pable dust, which arose IN clouds ana
nearly suifocated them.
As the summit was neared the heat OF
the ashes became almost unbearable. A
Thermometer buried half way up the
ascent marked 1876 deg, and in a creYice
of the ramparts OF the crater tee meF-
curry RAPIDLY expanded and filled the tube,
when the bulb burst and shortly AFTER
ward the solder used in attaching the sus-
pension ring to the instrument was fused. q
The temperature was estimated at 00o
degs. Fahrenheit.
THE CRATER YELLED N CLOUDS OF
STEAM.
On all sides Of the cone were perfora-
tions through which the steam escaped
with more or less energy, and in some
cases at regular intervals. ike the eX-
hanst of a steam engine. The interior OF
the crater could not be seen on account
of the clouds Of smoke and YapOr which
filed it.
"a curious fact to be noted" Lieut..
Cantwell saws. Tin regard TO this volcano
is the entire absence apparently of lava
and cinder. Nowhere could l find the
slightest evidence of either of these char
acteristics of other volcanoes hitherto eX-
amined in the Aleutian Islands,
Volcanic dust or ash, however, is thrown
out in considerable quantities and car
ried by the wind TO places as distant as
Ounalaska.
Alter carefully measuring the volcano
and photographing it from various points
of view, the exploring party returned
without accident TO the ship.
Capt. Healy reports his intention to
leave May g, for st. MichaePs and the
Arctic. and saws he will visit the new
volcano again on his return.