The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-01-18
VOLCANIC ALASKA.
Smoking Peaks All Over the ISL
ands and Mainland.


fire Of fhe AIeafiar islands, and emu
msrate about sixty crzfers, al tod.
In the mountain peaks ard ranges OF
Alaska. Some Of these are still sru0k-
ing. and tao or three IL active ernp-
ton. From Mount Wrangeli. which
IL believed 20 be the highest m0gnfzln
in North America, If not in the yes-
tern hemisphere, and shs.h i on the
mainland. IN icngifudge AS degrees,
70 the Commander island beyond our
western boundary. there is contin-
nous chein 81 volcanoes each and all
Of which hSsse been active At some
r<riosf since the advent Of the Rus
slams in fTs5.
One OF the abIest Russian scientists.
In treatise on the volcanic character
of this region, adssnees sbe theory THAI
this song-eAfeadesl ehain Of soacanoes
proves the xistence ef sHfsterraneau
channel q lava, whsefs finds It's outlet
FIRST through ore srsser and then
through srs<.fheT. However this may
he. fhegs 1-s -ersssnly frequent vsSean-
ir disturbances indicated BIZ rum
bling ard ssssak ing OF the earth more
or He's sfarflifsg. some OF which have
uysel5 heard ard felt. Bat | am not
scientist enough 10 attempt any dis
ssssslor or advance any theory of my
own on The subject Of volcanoes; guf-
Ace Il 10 sag that there Is no more ex-
terssfye theafer OF volcanic activity
known than that Of she Alaska penfn-
sf1sa. the west coast Of Cook = inlet and
the Aleufia8 islands
One remarkable occurrence which
sfssors records ~ having TAKEN place
N 1895, taken In connection With what
has since happened. would seem 10
fully confirm the theory OF the Rus
sian seieutset that there Is subter-
ranean ehanHei between The long line
OF cYattrs referred tc, the ever-bnrdeH
OF lava flowing Ia which sometimes
forces Tor itseif new outlet. To the
westward % Ounaiaska and not more
than dozen miles from the northeast
end Of I'mnak. Ii located the SINGH
island Of Bogosiog History has II
that in the 18th of May, 1896, Rus
siAn trader named krukof VAS stop
ping temporarily on the northeast
end OF Ufnnak. being detained there
by thick and stormy weather accom-
panied With indications Of volcanic
disturbance. On the morning of the
18Th the storm absted, the
clouds cleared away. snd he saw
nj sorza distance of column
Of smoke arising out Of the sea. To-
ward evening black object was visi-
hle under the smoke. and during the
night flames ascending heavenward
from the same spot were OF such vol
ume and briiIiancy as TO convert the
darkness of night into the light OF
day. At the same time an earthquake,
with laundering noise shook the
whole island from which the trader
was observing the To him unaccounta-
BILE and startling phenomenon. while
rocks were occasionally thrown across
the sea distance of 10 er IL miles
from what afterwards was found to be
the crater q new volcano. On the
morning OF the third day the earth
quake ceased, the sssssmes subsidized,
and newly created island formed up
in the shape OF cone. A month later
the trader found the peak considera-
bIv higher, and still emitting Ere and
ashes, but very little flame later the
flames died out altogether. and vol
canic action was confined 10 che ennis
sion OF smoke and steam.
In 1900 II had CEASED TO smoke; but
eight years after It's first appearance
some hunters visiting its shores found
the waters OF the sea Immediately sur
rounding il still warm, and the solid
rock formation too hot to permit q
landing. A few wears later, however.
its rocks and cliffs had cooled sufii-
GENTLY to attract large number OF
sea-lions, nith whom il was for = long
time afterwards q lavorite resort. IL
continued 10 gradually increase in
beth height and circumference until
is23. When il had attained height of
thousand feet or more. From and
after that year il gradually dimin-
ished in height and seemed to
be sinking back into the depths
of the sea until few years ago.
when il raised another commotion By
firing up anew, and in single night
disappeared altogether, another islet
of about tue same circumference max
ing its appearance about two miles
distant from where the original Bogo-
slov had stood for three-luarfers OF q
century. The new Bogoslov Is grad
ually rising, but as yet presents a com
paratively Dat surface at an elevation
of not more than 900 feet above the
sea level. from which there IL con.
slant emission OF steam and smoke.
This volcanic phenomenon, in the
opinion of many scientific men. is IN
iicatiye Of the fact that most OF the
Aieatian islands owe their origin more
Ca gradual elevation than TO violent
eruption: neither tte old nor the new
Bogoslav resulted from the latter
cause the piling up of h.sa and deb.
ris thrown out through tae craters--
the FIRST enc rising slowly aud grad.
ually until IL attained its greatest Gle
satior. history which Is being re
peatcd By its successor.
Indeed IL is question ID the whole
eastern half ef Rehring sea is not
steadily decreasing in depth owing q
gradual elevation OF It's bottom; that
IL the theory advanced hy some, while
others claim that its lessensng depth
Is solely due To- the deposition ci
earshv matter brought down by the
great roaring floods of the Yukon and
other great rivers emrtying into IL,
lie whatever cause IL may be ascribed
the eastern part of the sea appears to
be gradually shoailng. with every pros.
pssrt ri its ultimately becoming an
archipelago or part of the mainland.
At tsA ~ AAia4AAr Nt Est< AAlktlsM aN1
-. Michael, the first named hundred
miles atf the mainland afford con.
elusive evidence Of having been formed
by accommodations IL lava DURING
ernpsaons, as DO also the rribylos
group and some others, the large ma
iortty at tSlands. however, having coms
through the process OF gradual eleva
ton. The western part os the sea ha.
a uniform depth os hundred fathosn.
az mere, the Bottom gradually shelly
Ing upwards. until in the eastern ball
there are but few places where it /.
sale for vessel of ordinary draft Il
approach nearer than 80 miles 80 ths
shore. The question u when larxs
part ot lsehsinT ssz will se .srS lans
would seem 81 be orc al not more thar
n century of time 1T most.