The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-07-19
A Vivid Description

.
Charles, of Cordova. Alaska, gave a
remarkable description of events
occurring during the Katmai erup-
tion and conditions prevailing since
then. Following are few para
graphs from his article:
Until seen one can scarcely ina
gine the scene of desolation which
reigns in and around Kodiak, Afog-
max and the small inhabited islands
in the vocalnic belt. Gray ash from
ten to sixteen inches on the level.
and from six to eight feet in drifts
covers everything houses, trees.
gardens. yards and meadow land.
At Katmai were found large pum-
ice stone boulders, but so light that
they would float on the water.
The day the writer reached there
sky was lead gray. The streams
running from the hills were of a
yellow mud color, tinting the waters
of the bay near the shore, and the
bay itself and strip of water be-
yond was blush gray.
AS result IF the fall of the ash,
hundreds OF dead ducks drift with
the tide. The waters Of the ocean
are streaked with the volcanic ash
and steamers plow through verita-
BILE gray seas of ash. sometimes
stretching as far as the eye can
reach. Dead clans. candle fish and
other fish line the beach in places.
Blind ptarmigan run crafty
about the hills and many dead ones
may be picked up on the hill sides.
In the lake just to the rear of Ko-
diak all the salmon and last years
fry are dead. Naturally this is
true of other lakes and streams in,
the ash belt. Four large Kodiak
bears were found dead around the
point not many miles from Kodiak.
Nearly all the ewes of the govern
ment experimental farm were
found dead or nearly so. although
most of the thirty lambs came
through alive.
The fall of ash began at $3.50 p.
m. thursday. June g.. and continued
all night. 1t was difficult to
breath. Peoples eyes became in
famed and their throats parched.
1t was pitch dark. The cries of
eagles. ravens. sea gulls. lions, ducks
and other wild fowl made the night
hideous overhead. There was al
most constant play of lightning
and peal after peal of thunder.
Earthquake shocks kept rattling
the buildings. People stumbled
about with lighted lanterns, collid-
ing with each other. getting lost a
dozen feet away from their own
doors, expecting death every min
ute, but determined to visit those
who needed attention and do what
little they could to encourage them.
They were uncertain whether death
would come in the form of suffocat-
ing sulphur gases, whether they
would be buried by the falling sand.
struck by lightning or destroyed by
earthquakes.
Another strange fact is that while
the vegetation was singed around
Cordova and other points on the
mainland over 5OO miles away from
the scene of disturbance. the grass
and flowers and shrubbery at ko-
diak, where it outcrops in places
through the ash. is gresn and ap-
parently unharmed.
After the people made their
homes habitable again. they set
about in some instances to shovel
| ing the ash clay from their gardens
In regard to the large patches. how
ever. which more nearly approach
farms. it will prove an impossible
task.
Made desperate by hunger. ravens
lighted upon the backs OF sheep.
and in at least . couple OF instances
bears followed cattle almost % g
the very door.
nl-r>%:c,,e nnw nr0ve that k0-