The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-12-02
PEAKS RISE AND SINK
OFFICERS or REVENUE CUTTER
TELL OF SEA MARVEL.
Entire island In Bcring Sea Changed
evidence OF Mountains Strug-
gle for Life Seen on
Every Side.

Washington Last July the start
ling discovery was made by the Off
GERS of the revenue cutter McCullocb
that an island had appeared over
night in Bering sea, coughed mp by a
volcano in the vicinity of Unalaska.
Steam was issuing from every pore
and fissure, and showers Of lava dust
sifted down upon the head Of the Off
GERS of the revenue cutter, who sought
to go ashore to raise the American
flag above the volcanic visitor. Two
efforts we're made to land, one in July
and the other in August, but the cool
ing process was slow and the baiIled
officers decided to retire for two
months. Meanwhile they speculated
on the possibility of additions to-Uncle
Sans island possessions. Possibly
the volcano might cough again.
It was October IS when the McCul-
loch visited the scene again, and the
remarkable transformation that had
occur red In the eight weeks is best
described In the words of Lieut.. B. IL.
Camden. whose report has reached the
treasury department.
In this document he says:
"Over the land there was no cvi-
dence of the cloud that had hitherto
been Visible for such great distance,
and II was evident that there was but
little steam escaping from Perry and
McCuloch peaks, from which dense
volumes escaped at the time of the
,.;.;, oc tbie y,yenl Tn
"McCulloch peak, 395 feet high, with
base ZOO by 1000 feet, had entirely
disappeared, leaving tie half of Perry
peak. with its perpendicular wall
standing in grim silence as head
stone at the grave of the departed
peak.
However. neais- view disclosed
The fact that McCulloch peak had not
died without struggle or without
leaving some evidence of its short eX-
istence, for astonishing changes had
occurred in tho proiiles of the peaks,
| 'he rugged outlines of each of which
| had been soltened to a general SYM
mctry by padding of lava dust that
Utmost disguised them beyond recog,
| lition, while the sand spit connecting
he PEAKS had attained a height vary
ng from 20 to 100 feet, as shown by
| he contour lines In the sketch.
"Incalcuable tons of material. hun
| lrcds, of feet in depth, had been de.
posted over the entire island. Fire
island and Perry peak now lowered
| into the air with gentle incline ris-
| ing from the beach several hundred
| yards distant to their SUBMITS.
! AT intervals mass Of lava dust
| would be Jared or blown from It's bed
high up among the rocks and come
| Tearing down the cliffs TO the beach,
| raising cloud of dust with 1t that
IS almost identical in appearance with
the vapor rising nearby, and leaving
| Is starting point bare and white In
| contrast with the color Of the undls.
| urbed dust covering the adjacent
| rocks"
The officers decided not to land,
3ut they sailed around the island and
| noticed that while there had been a
disappearance of the peaks and trans,
formation In topography, the island
had actually widened
| A deep bay more than half milo In
diameter had appeared since the last
visit, and on one side Of Il a precipi.
tous wall 100 feet high appeared From
| the surface of the bay dense cloud
of steam and smoke arose. A thick
deposit of sulphur was on the beach,
| and It's fumes could be detected by the
| officers two miles away. The officers
| took final leave of their discovery, for
| they realized that it might disappear
entirely before their next visit.