Evening star., 1913-03-02

coast a mountain that rears
tie head among perpetual SHOWS anu
nurses on its sides glaciers that never
melt, yet carries in its vitals nery
demon that now and again cries denance
TO the gods of the north and unieashes
it's furies upon them.
Such an occurrence took place last
June, and for three days the pail or the
great wrath OF the volcano hung over
half of the Alaskan coast. The noun
tain flung aloft pillar of ashes and
sulphur smoke and defied the winds 10
carry snow cloud so high. For three
days those ashes descended until they
lay twenty feet deep at the mountains
base. and enshrouded the land hum
dred miles away to a depth OF foot
The ineXhaustible resource of the great
mountain may be somewhat appreciated
II one figures that al area containing
10000 square miles was buried on an
average of three feet in depth.
These ashes would have covered the
state of Connecticut to depth of twen-
ty-four feet Under its influence Rhode
Island would have become a Pompeii a
hundred feet beneath the surface. 1t
would have spread a foot of ashes over
n, y,
Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Had this ash been piled up on base
mile square 1t would have reached
twenty-five miles into the air. Yet this
quantity of matter was erupted by
single mountain cone in a period of
three days.
Katmai is on the mainland of Alaska.
I'm its very elbow where starts that
arm which terminates in the AleutIan
Islands. half way to Japan. This arm
separates the northernmost waters of
the Pacific from those of the Bering
sea. In its crook lie Kodiak and Woody
islands.
1t was in a haven at the town of
Kodiak. on the island of the same name.
and seventy-ive miles as the crow
flies from Katmai volcano, that the
good ship Manning of the United States
revenue cutter service lay peacefully at
anchor at noon of the 9Th of June last.
Capt. K; w. Perry was fishing Off the
wharf. the seamen were overhauling the
vessel. and some of the Junior officers
were hunting mountain sheep in the
nearby mountains.
About midafternoon things began to
happen. 1t is best that Capt Perry
should himself relate the story. and
through him the detailed account or tins
great cataclysm of the isolated north
is now told for the first time
about o'clock in. the afternoon"
said Capt. Perry. "a peculiar-looking
cloud appeared to the south. 1t rose like
gray wall to an incredible height. Com
pared to the clouds that are familiar 1t
looked to me more like snow cloud than
any other and I remarked that We would
probabl have some raw weather. Pres
emily a similar cloud appeared to the
northward, and as the two approached
each other all light seemed blocked out
IN those directions. But still no partlcu-
lar demonstration was anticipated. Al
about the same time reports as of heavy
cannonading were to be heard from the
direction of the mainland L remarked
that il sounded like either blasting or
target practice in the navy.
.It was nearly o'clock when the man
with whom / was converstng reached
over and attempted to brush something
from my coat. The result was a smear
The appearance was as OF damp ashes
I noticed the same powder on his coat
and we simultaneously came TO the reail-
zation that an ash dust was falling from
the clouds.
I've hurried to the ship and. all being
curiosity hunters, each OF us got whisk-
broom and began to sweep this ash to-
pether on the smooth deck. We ex-
nected the fall to cease and we wanted
q biz of the ashes in an envelope as
souvenir. All the envelopes on the ship
We're soon used-an unnecessary sacrf-
fee.
'.Soon the two clouds merged into one
and the deluge of ashes was upon US. IL
was but : O'Clock and the sun was yet