New-York tribune., 1910-11-06
ISLANDS OF MYSTERY
By F. V. Collins

3
that strange BOgOslOf group among the
! AleutIans of the western extremity OF
/ Alaska. This one suddenly rose through
seventy fathOrls OF water and far above on
| September Il It's rise was accompanied
! by an earthquake that shook Unalaska and
/ Dutch Harbor, the same disturbance as
occurred when Percy Peak suddenly popped
out Of the sea last year.
One Of the most remarkable events in the
history Of this mysterious cluster occurred
n 1907. On Tulv i Of that year, officers of
| he revenue cutter AIcCulloch made a sur
vey Of q mountain, then smoking and tuning
Is though from its eXertIOn IN rising vol
canically from the sea among the Aleutian
Islands. Il was reported IN the survey that
the peak was TWO thousand feet through its
base and four hundred and ninety-hve feet
high. One Of the surveying party, It IS said,
wanted the mountain to be named Inde-
penGence Mountain, IN honor of the day
the survey was made; but 1t was Christened
" "McCullOch Peak" A little more than
three months later the AlcCullOch again Wis
tied the place, and found that the peak of
the same name had totally disappeared, and
where i had stood large harbor had
formed, with an outlet to the sea near a
promontory known as Castle Rock.
The region in which this remarkable event
occurred has long engaged the attention Of
scientists, and Is, IN fact, one OF the strangest
localities on earth. There seems to be going
on here & sort Of continuous performance OF
the character Of a geographical vaudeville
show. in which Nature assumes the role of
quick change artist. These startling changes
are said to be due to the action Of the BogOs-
lOf volcano IN the Aleutian Islands. This
volcano was discovered about 1890 by a
Russian Admiral Of that name. and it then
: L,
Island. During the winter Of lSS6-S7 a new
island appeared two and a half miles west
northwest from Castle Island, which was
named Fire Island. A narrow neck of land
connected the TWO islands; but a gradual
subsistence took place, and by 1900 there was
. passage between the TWO with not less
than seven fathOms Of water.
It IS now cOniectured that these islands
were probably thrown up by a deep sea vol
canO, which may thus be regarded, both lit
orally and fguratively, as at the bottom OF
all weird natural phenomena IN this region.
SURVEYS made by revenue vessels show that
the islands must have come from great
depths, the thousand-fathom curve being
less than four miles TO the northwest.
During the winter Of l905-06 there ap-
peared new peak about halfway between
the old islands. When this peak developed
It formed connection with Fire Island, and
left q passage between it and Castle Rock IN
which the least depth Of water was five faith
ons. This peak was surveyed by officers Of
the revenue cutter Perry in June, 1906, and
was named Perry Peak. The mysterious
island surveyed on July 4, 1907 by the
McCullOCh's officers was then, as has been
said, giving forth sulphurous fumes show
ing its recent volcanic origin. This peak had
absorbed in its uplift about half Of Perry
Peak, and had filed in the space 10 Castle
Rock, thus making practically one island OF
the group. Il IS thought that this peak eX-
pIoded on September !, 1907, Is on that
day 1t five OclOck P. NJ a dense black
cloud passed over UnalasLa Island, covering
the land with ashes, falling to a depth OF
three-sixteenths Of an inch on the board
walks in Iliuliuk, sixty miles from Bogoslot
In July, 1908, the revenue cutter Rush
visited the island, and found great changes
Perry Peak had Disappeared high ridge Of
land extended from Fire Island to Castle
Rock, having an elevation Of three hundred
feet at It's highest point the entrance TO
the harbor near Castle Rock had filed IN;
high land was formed 10 the west; and an
entrance was opened to the West-northWest
near Fire Island. Theuayigator Of the Rush