Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-06

OF "hlch Missed steam and sulphur
fumes. The Aleute hunters climbed II!
sides and cooked their sea lion meat
in this gushing steam.
1T was" said Lieut.. 3. H Camden IF
lie McCulloch, "a novel sensation to put
foot on such virgin soil as MCCulIoch
Peak, which had never before known the
touch Of man. Its sides were at the time
sHouting steam. discoioring the rocks
with sulphur and filing the air with its
disagreeable fumes. y closer examina-
ton showed that there were innumerable
small openings in the sides Of the rock
acting as vents for the steam generated
hundreds OF feet below. The temperature
al the opening of these vents was about
POO degrees. From the side IF the peak
we caught our first view of the lake in
closed by the island and which was kept
heated by the steam that came up
through it, and which vas shroude1 by
vapor because II was much warmer
than the surrounding air.
The danger in ascending the peak was
very great. The sides OF il were strevn
with boulders Of such size as to weigh
from 100 to 800 pounds. and these were
ready 20 start as an avalanche on the
slightest provOcation and bury the party
beneath the debris. Then there was the
danger of being asphyxiated by the sui
phur fumes, Of falling over cliff in the
haze or stepping into a steam issure as
the escaping Vapor was so dense toward
the top of the peak that we would have
been obliged to trust to our sense of
touch instead Of sight in proceeding along
the summit Altogether an exploration
Il the island was wandering in a maze
of dangers that il would he hard to con-
ceive under any other conditions.
Our first visit in the month of
July. On our return from the north in
October we again stopped at Bogoslof to
NJ tie 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
"A bout ii. : was somewhat prepared to
observe many interesting changes, even
to the upheaval Of another peak. but i'm
agine my surprise when it dawned upon
me that McCulloch Peak had entirely dis
appeared. having split off half of Perry
Peak and let its perpendicular wall
standing in grim silence a headstone
a the grave Of the departed mountain.
However. a nearer view disclosed the
TACT that McCulloch peak had not died
without a struggle without leaving
some evidence of it's short existence, for
astonishing changes had occurred in the
profile of the peaks the rugged outlines
of each of which had been Softened to
general symmetry by a padding of lava
dust that almost disguised them beyond
recognition, While the SdndSplt connecting
the peaks had attained height varying
from twenty TO a hundred feet.
'Incalculable tors of material, hun
dreds Of feet in depth. had been deposited
over the entire island. Fire Island and
Perry peak now lowered into the air with
a gentle incline rising from the beach to
their SUBMITS. At intervals a mass of
this lava dust would be Jared or blown
from it's bed high up among the rocks
and come tearing down the cliffs and
plunge upon the beach below.
LAS soon as l realized that this new
development was composed Of lava dust
my mind reverted to the fall of that ma
terial which had occurred at Unalaska
September l. and about which the natives
had told us many weird but contradictory
stories It is undoubtedly true that Nc
Culloch peak in its blowing up had strewn
the whole country with a layer OF
ashes
It was found impossible on this return
trip of the McCulloch to make any land