New-York tribune., 1906-08-12
THE NEW ALASKAN ISLAND.

The appearance of q steaming mass or rock
600 feet high in Bering Sea, seemingly within
the last few weeks, is reminder that volcanic
activity has not yet entirely ceased in the Vicin-
ity OF Alaska where il has been SO conspicu-
ously manifest in the past Mount ST Elias.
as Russell has established is not a volcano, as
was once supposed, but in and near Cooks In
let, q little 10 the westward of it, there have
been repeated eruptions within the last hum
dred years. In the Aleutian chain Of islands,
1,600 miles In length, more than score Of era
tiers have been identified, although the search
for them has not been carried so far as II might
have been. Several Of these have been the
scene of disturbance within the memory Of per-
SONS now living. This is particularly true Of
the volcanoes on Unimak and Unalaska.
There are at least two we'll remembered prec-
edents for the incident which Is now reported
from Alaska. One of the Bogosloff Islands,
which lies about forty miles TO the westward of
Unimak, began to develop in 1895, though it
was not distinctly recognized until the follow
ing year. 1t is not unlikely that the operation
OF lifting it up from the shallow sea extended
through a period of several months. The sec"
Ond islet of the Bogoslof group made its advent
In 1888, and at the same time q volcano in
Cooks Inlet (St. Augustine) emitted fire and
dust, and was subjected TO earthquake shud-
ders. The distance between the two centres Of
disturbance is greater than the interval which
separates Martinique and ST. Vincent, but, like
Pelee and La Souffriere the new Bogosloff and
St Augustine may have been situated along
the same fault" in the earths crust The un-
named islet whose discovery has just been an
nOunced lies 155 miles to the northwest of
Unalaska and may bear the same relation to
the volcanoes OF that island. Inasmuch as
these seem to have undergone no notable change
of late however, 1t is possible that the stresses
which gave rise TO the recent modest upheaval
affected only a limited area. Both Unalaska
and Unimak experienced what might be called
sympathetic strikes" when the first OF the
BOgOslOffs was formed
Alaska and the adjacent waters have afforded
TO geologists exceptionally fine opportunities for
the study Of volcanic phenomena. The raised
beaches which have been observed there testify
TO the alterations of level which have occurred
in the past on one side or the other Of fault.
Occasions like the present one enable them to
witness the effect of more recent subterranean
activity. In 1884, the year after the second
BOgosloff rose from the sea, 1t was still pos
sible TO see and photograph the enormous clouds
of vapor which ioated about IL. The testimony
Of trained eye and a camera. ii Is hardly
necessary 10 point out is much more trust
worthy than the stories OF ignorant Aleuts who
only half understand the questions addressed
to them, and who would not be mortal If they
did not mix fact and fiction inextricably.
The Pacific Ocean is almost completely en-
circled with traces of volcanic activity In the
remote past. Shasta, Rainier and Hood bear
silent witness to that which once occurred In
the United States, but which, the geologlsts say,
can never occur here again. To study volcanic
forces in actual play near the edges of that
vast sea one must go up to Alaska, down 10
Mexico or still further southwark, or else cross
TO Asia. Time and money might be saved by
stopping in Hawaii, for 1t is comparatively safe
TO inspect Mauna Loa even when its discharges
are the most cOpious, and when II is on it's good
behavior the visitor may gaze down into its
very crater. Much greater violence is exhibited
by some of the volcanoes of Japan and the East
Indies. A far greater loss OF life resulted from
the explosion of Krakatoa, near Java, In 1888,
than from the eruption Of Pelee in 1902 or OF
Vesuvius this year.