San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-25
SIX BIG VOLCANOES.
THEY ARE IN ALASKA WITHIN A
RADIUS OF A HUNDRED MILES.


Island of BogosIoff and Its Formation.
Much is heard of the stately Mount st.
Elias, in southern Alaska, which towers
1850 feet above the sea level, because of
its being the highest mountain in Ameri-
ca, but this mountain with it's smoking
Sater, though probably the graudest, is
not the most interesting one of the north
by any means. The volcanoes Umnak,
BOgosloff, Programme, Akootan, Shishal
din and Pavloff, all located in the Aleutian
islands, 1900 miles from Sitka, are proba.
bly, the most interesting mountains in the
world. All six volcanoes are in active OPP
GRAFTON, and located within a radius of 100
miles of Oonalaska.
From the Pacific ocean all the noun
tains, with the exception of Pavloff, which
is hidden from view behind another
mount, can be seen at once, with the
smoke and steam rolling upward from
their craters, More is not told, the world
of these splendid mountains because they
are seldom visited. Tourists do not go with
in 800 miles of them, for there is no regu-
larly established line of steamers running
further north than Sitka.
The revenue cutter Bear, from the Aleu-
information concerning the volcanoes.
Lieutenant ID. Fl. Jarvis, of the Bear, who
has taken especial notice of the six vol
canoes in this group of islands, has made
several cruises north, having been in both
the Bear and Rush, government cutters,
and upon each cruise he embraced every
opportunity to learn more of them. Sew
eral of them he has visited; he has climbed
RI, fhntY. ,,,l
with their peculiarities.
VOLCANIC ISLANDS
He spent much time examining Bogos-
loft, which he soon found to be the most
interesting mountain of the group. Speak
ing of Alaska and volcanoes the lieutenant
says: From the mainland to Attu, dis
lance Of 1000 miles, are hundreds of ISL
ands. The map will show that they are
chained along, Attu being the westward
island of the group that composes the
Alaska peninsula. The islands are all of
volcanic origin. OonalaskR, or Oonalaska
island, is east to the center of the group
by several hundred miles, and is in the
center of the Aleutian islands. Coma
laska island, which is about eighty miles
long, is the largest. The other islands, of
which there are numbers, vary in size from
this down to mere reef or rock projecting
out of the sea-"
The lieutenant found Bogosloff an espe-
cially fascinating study. One hundred
years ago Bogosloff did not exist The
island on which the volcano is situated lay
at the bottom of the sea. Just about 100
years ago there were continuous Earrings
in the Aleutian group, and the several vol
canoes smoked and belched forth lava,
showing that an internal war was in prog
ress in the bowels of the earth. One morn
ing, during a heavy disturbance, the ma
tives of Oonalaska saw an immense object
rise up out of the sea, about sixty miles to
the northward.
Great volumes Of smoke and showers of
ashes and running lava came out Of the
object. After many days the disturbance
subsidized, and the natives could see that a
new island had come TO join the group,
and they called the new arrival Bogosloff
The island WAS about half a mile long, and
was $50 feet high.
FORMATION or BOGOsLOFF
\ peculiar feature of the mount was that
. lad no well defined crater From many
assures which cut across the sides of the
mountain and around the top huge vol
umes of smoke came, but at the top there
was no hole. Still, Notwithstanding this
deformity, Bogosloff was very lively, and
made more fuss than all the rest of the
larger volcanoes.
About eighty years ago, during a violent
eruption, another island came up out of
the sea, and joining Bogoslof became one
island. During the summer of 1889, while
in the government service, Lieutenant Jar
Wis visited BogOslOif for the first time. He
walked all over the mountain, whose en-.
tire sides were rent with huge assures, Out
Of which came not, aiding smoke, OdorOuS
with sulphur So much smoke cane out
Of the assures Jhat it WIS simply impOs
sihle TO go CI..c to them, much less look |
down INTO them There was no crater or
assures directly at the summit, as was
found by examination. Again the lieuten
ant went TO Alaska, yhis time in the reve
nue. cutter Rush.
When the cutter made landing at Don
alaska the natives told the officers of the |
steamer taat few months before there |
were eruptiOns among the volcanoes, and |
that BogLslolf was especially angry; that |
the island gave out great showers of hot |
ashes and steam and black smoke.
The Rush made the run of sixty miles TO /
the island, and long before she hove 10 |
those on board could see that the whole
top of the volcano hau fallen. in, forming
I'm immense crater, from out of which the
smoke not only rolled, but pulled like the
exhaust of an enormous engine. Those
who went on shore did not dare go near |
the summit because of the intense heat.
BY the top falling in the height of the
was reduced fully l50 feet, leav
ing only 200 feet above the sea level.
THE SCENERY.
Clear days are almost unknown in this
land of ice and volcanoes. When it is not
raining in summer it is fOggy, and when it
IS not showing i'm winter tue wind is fierce
md hnNylinm Ourn In Il while In the earlN |