The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-07-23
The New Volcano.

I WASHINGTON, July 20-~The Sec
retary of the Treasury has received
from Captain NJ. A. Healy, of the
I United States Revenue Gutter Cor
win, under date of Ounalaska, May
2S, two reports by officers of the
Corwin, describing a visit to the re-
Gently upheaved volcano in Behring
Sea, at the Northern end of Bogos-
ioff sIsland, in latitude 530 So Is
North longitude, 1852 90 II
West. This volcano, which Is In a
state of constant and intense activ-
itv, was upheaved from the sea in
the summer of 1882, but was not
seen by any civilized eye until Sep
tember 81, 1888, when it was dis
covered by Captain Anderson, of the
schooner Matthew Turner. A few
davs later it was seen by Captain
Hague, OF the steamer Dora, but no
/ landing upon it was made previous
to that by the officers of the Corwin
last spring.
DIR. Yemans describes il as a dull
gray, irregular cone-shaped hill
about 500 feet in height, from the
sides and summit of which great
volumes of vapor were arising. At a
point about two-thirds of the dis
tance from the base to the apex is
sued very regular series of large
steam Jets, which extended in hor-
lzontal direction completely across
the Northwestern face of the hill.
Around these steam jets were seen
upon nearer approach deposits of
sulphur of various hues, which at a
distance had looked ike patches Of
vegetation. A landing was effected
without difficulty upon narrow
sand spit connecting the new vo.ca-
no with the old island of Bogosloff,
and DR., Yemans and Lieutenant
Cantwell 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 TO sustain
mans weieh ut. At every step the
climbers feet crushed through and
they sank knee deep into soft, al
most impalpable dust, which arose
in clouds and nearly suffocated
them.
As the summit was neared the
heat of the ashes became almost un-
bearable. A thermometer buried
half way up the ascent marked 1856
degrees, and in a crevice Of the ram
parts of the crater THE mercury rap
idly expanded and filled the tube,
when the bulb burst and shortly af-
terwa-d the solder used in attaching
the suspension ring BE- the instru-
ment was fused" The temperature
was estimated at 500 Fahrenheit.
THE CRATER YELLED IN CLOUDS OF
STEAM
On all sides of the cone were per-
forations through which the steam
escaped with more or less energy,
and in some cases a. regular inter-
walls, like the exhaust of a steam en-
sine. The interior of the crater
could not be seen on account of the
clouds of smoke and vapor which !
filled it.
"A curious fact to be neted," Lieu
tenant Cantwell says, ''in regard to
this volcano is the entire absence
apparently of lava and cinder. No
where could / find the slightest evil
dence of either of these characters |
tics of other volcanoes hitherto ex-
amined in the Aleutian Islands"
Volcanic dust or ash, however, is |
thrown out in considerable qnanti-
ties and carried by the wind to places
az distant rs OunalasKa.
Aiter carefully measuring the vol
cano and photographing it from va
rious points of view, the exploring |
party returned without accident to
the snip.
Captain Healy reports his inten-
ton to leave, May 80, for St Mich
aels and the Arctic, and says he will |
visit the new volcano again on his |
return.