Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-06
ISLANDS OF MYSTERY
By F. v. Collins

| A NEW island has just been reported in
that strange Bogoslof group among the
Aleutians off the western extremity OF
Alaska This one suddenly rose through
seventy fathoms of water and far above on
September H. Its 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
in 1907. On July of that year, ofhcers OF
the revenue cutter McCulloch made SUR
vey of a mountain then smoking and tuning
as though from its exertion in rising vol
cancaly from the sea among the Aleut1an
Islands 1t was reported in the survey that
the peak was two thousand feet through its
base and four hundred and ninety-fve feet
high. One of the surveying party, 1t is said,
wanted the mountain to be named Indie
pendence Mountain" in honor of the day
the survey was made; but it was christened
"McCulloch Peak" A little more than
three months later the McCulloch again Wis
tied the place, and found that the peak of
the same name had totally disappeared, and
where it had stood a large harbor had
formed, with an outlet to the sea near a
promontory known as Castle Rock.
occurred has long engaged the attention of
scientists, and is, in fact, 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 1870 by a
Russian Admiral of that name, and it then
constituted single island, now called Castle
Island. During the winter of 1869 new
island appeared two and half miles west
northwest from Castle Island, which was
named Fire Island. A narrow neck of land
connected the two islands; but gradual
subsistence took place, and by 1900 there was
a passage between the two with not less
than seven fathoms of water.
It is now conjectured that these islands |
were probably thrown up by deep sea vol
cano, which may thus be regarded, both lit |
orally and iguratively, 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 19O5-O6 there ap-
peared new peak about halfway between
the old islands. When this peak developed |
it formed connection with Fire Island, and
left passage between it and Castle Rock in
which the least depth of water was five faith
oms. 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 filled in the space to Castle |
Rock, thus making practically one island of
the group. 1t is thought that this peak ex-
ploded on September L, 1907, as on that
day, at five o'clock P. M, a dense black
cloud passed over Unalaska 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 Bogoslof.
BIN 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 its highest point; the entrance to
| the harbor near Castle Rock had filled in;
| high land was formed to the west; and an
entrance was opened to the west-northwest,
near Fire Island. The navigator of the Rush
made survey of the harbor as it then ex-