The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-06
What Capt. Quinan Saw

II was but last summer that Captain
j. IL, Quinan of the revenue cutter Ia
homa went ashore one day and explored
the Island OF Bogoslof. In the center of
II the year before had been a lake of
water heated from within and intensely
hot, Its surface had been a steaming
last summer two peaks had Just begun
to appear above the surface of the water
A party from tho Tahoma went ashore
cne day and explored the island. Then
they sailed to Unalaska forty miles dis
tant. and were the next day returning
for more exploration, But before they
reached the volcanic Island II had blown
up. For. days it was In constant state
of eruption and the cutter observed the
phenomena from a distance. So long
continued was the action that it was not
so the later appearance of the island Will
not be known until the revenue cutter
Of this season returns late in the fall;
messed by the he Tahoma fall 90 not It to Ti1 the
lot Of many men In lifetime. And
such an occurrence is made doubly Inn
pressive when the people witnessing 1t
realize that few. hours before they
were upon the land that is being up
heaved.
It was but a little earlier that the
with map that had been made the
previous season. 1t showed Fire Island
at one extreme and Castle Rock at the
Haf of PerTy Peak ad been bown
and much more imposing rock stood
over and obscurcd it, This was named
McCulloch Peak in honor of the vessel
II was mass of seetning hot stone from
the crevasses OF which hissed steam and
sulphur fumes. The Aleutc hunters
climbed Its sides and cooked their sea
lion meat In this gushing steam.
The Birth of an island
'It was" said Lieut. b II. Camden of
In. n r,riI
foot on such virgin soil as McCuloch
peak. which had never before known the
touch of man, Its sides were at the time
spouting steam. discolorng the rocks
with sulphur and filling the air with Its
dlsaSrccable fumes. \ closer eXamina-
ton showed that there were innumerablc
small openings In tho sides OF the rock
acting as vents for the steam generated
hundreds OF feet below The temperature
NJ the opening az these vents vas about
200 degrees. From the side of the peak
we caught our first view Of the lake in
closed by the island and which was kept
heated by the stcaHl that came mp
through It. and which was shrouded by
vapor becaus" It was much warmer
than the surrounding air.
The danger IN ascending the peak was
very great; The slices of 1T were strewn
with houlders Of such sizc 60 weigh
from 100 10 200 pounds. and these were
rradv TO start as an avalanche on the
slightest provocattcn ana bury the party
beneath the debris. Then there was the
danger q being asphyNiated by the sui
phur fumes. ri falling over Il cliff IN the
haze or stepping into steam dssurc as
th" escaping Vapor WAS so dense toward
the top OF the peak that We would have
been Obliged 70 trust 10 our sense of
touch instead Of sight IN proceeding along
the summit, Altogether an cxporat don
OF The island was a wandering in maze
OF dangers that It would be hard to con-
ccive under any other conditions.
Our first visit was IN the month of
July. on our return from the north in
October we again stopped at Bososlof TO
note what changes had taken place in our
absence. AS we approached the islands
our first surprise was the absence OF the
halo Of steam that had formerly hung
about il. was somewhat prepared 70
observe many interesting changes even
20 the upheaval OF another peak, hut i'm
asine my surprise when II dawned upon
me that McCuiloch peak had entirely dis
appeared. having split off half OF Perry
peak and left its perpendicular wall
standing In grim silence as n headstone
at the grave Of the departed mountain.
A Mantle Of Ashes
However. a nearer view disclosed the
fact that McCulloch peak had not died
without a struggle or without leaving
some evidence OF its short existence. for
astonishing changes had occurred in the