The morning times., 1895-11-04
ALEUTIAN CHAIN OF FIRE.
Twenty Volcanic Peaks Belching
Volumes of Smoke md Steam


The revenue cutter Commodore Perry
returned yesterday from northern sea,
where she has been confronted every night
for weeks by a gigantic line of fire. As
Captain Smith expresses it: THE devils
stokers have been stirring up the sub
terranean sea of flames that is supposed
to lie thousands of feet under the Behring'S
be,' and as a consequence fully twenty Of
the forty volcanoes in the Aleutian chain
are now active"
The line of islands lying between the
Bering sea and the Pacific Ocean belong
to the United States, and on them are
probably the only active volcanoes lying
within American territory. Much has
been written of Bogaslov Island, which has
been throwing up cloud of steam at
times for years, but 1t was supposed that
all the other peaks on this singular line
of islands were extinct craters only.
Now, as far as the eye can reach from
any point IN the Bering Sea adjacent or
even at a distance from the famous seal
islands, the rising smoke and steam can
be seen in both directions. The eruption Is
general, and so very lively that at night
the airy columns take on the reflections or
the fires deep in the earth beneath the
craters Nowhere else on the globe can
such n sight be witnessed. According to
Capt Smith IL is as wonderful as the fiery
mysteries on Hawaii.
In the daytime only the white smoke or
steam is visible. As dusk comes and dark
ness follows the wonder grows. The bright
er columns show up In the cold Alaskan
night first, and as 1t grows darker other
vivid curls OF smoke are to be seen at
greater distance. Sometimes, when the 20
sition of the observer is advantageous, a
dozen or fifteen of these modern pillars
of fire are in sight
1t is thought that as the winter GENES on
the beauty of this strange scene will in
crease, but few will be the beholders then,
for the chilly Northern sea is deserted by
the time November sets in. Even the
whalers viii be away from the nightly show
OF natures fire works, for they are now
seeking shelter in the coves and inlets off
the Arctic hundreds of miles further North
than these voicanos. While the Perry was
in the Bering, though, much of the time
it was misty and foggy, and often, even
at night, the view of the mighty escape
valves were entirely obstruCted by the
haze.
The show of fsubterranean force is the most
noteworthy ever observed on American soil.
AS proof of the mighty power that is at
work beneath the islands a neck of land
has been forced up out of the sea between
Bogaslov, and old Bogaslov and the two
islands are now one. 1t is queer looking
III.
as connecting the Berng Sea with the
greater ocean to the southwark. The
rocks in this neck are manifestly of
volcanic origin, black and smooth in sur
face, az II once melted.
II have my own theory about the~erIIp-
tion," said Capt. Smith, of the Perry, yes
terday. ~ believe there is lake of fire
far down in the earth that connects with
the outlets in those volcanoes in the north
and also with the volcanoes in Central
America. / am told that in the Central
American States the volcanoes are es-
peciaIly active just now. While there is
no great eruption reported there is steady
activity. just such activity as is observed
on that chain of islands that have been
looking at all summer. / believe that the
whole lake of fire is now boiling and hot
ter than ever, and that this state of great
activity beneath the surface of the earth,
perhaps many miles, is the cause of the
rising smoke and steam in the north and
at the same time of the clouds of smoke and
the flow of lava in the SOUTH"
The Commodore Perry was guarding
the sealing grounds and cruising after
sealing schooners in Rering Sea- She
first had what is termed the thirty
zone around the Pribyiov Islands AMI
then the sixty-miie zone.
In hunting for the wary sealers In the
extensive spread of sea she was brought
close to the Aleutian chain at many diff
ferent points and had, consequently, an
excellent chance to observe the great
change that has been going on. There are
forty volcanoes on the line of islands,
and Capt. Smith is sure at this time it is
not in the least exaggeration to say that
half OF them are smoking.-san Frans- |
cisco Chronicle