The Calumet news., 1914-07-29
CRATER'S BOOM
HEARD ESQ MILES
Alaskan Mountain, Now erupting,
Shakes Whole Island

washington, ID. c.. July 29.-Mt
Katmai. reported by Capt. McMullin,
of the steamer Dirigo, to be throwing
ont GREAT volumes of sulphurous- laden
smoke. is a peak $500 feet high, sit
roted relatively near the eastern end
~ the Alaska peninsula and of the
Aleutian Mountains. The seaman re-
norts the ocean for a distance of 100
niles 20 be discolored by sulphur dust
and pumice. The last eruption OF the
yolcano i'm June 1912, as described in
q statement by the National Geo
cronhic Society, at Washington, ID. c.,
compiled from data collected by Geo,
q Martin. the geologist who directed
the society's Alaskan volcano re.
searches following Mt. Katmai's out
hreal, was one of the most violent OF
historic time.
"Au southern Alaska knew at once
NJ Katmai's eruption on the morning
NJ June 9, 1912" reads the society's
statement. "The sound of the first
mighty explosion carried down the
coast as far as Juneau, $50 miles away,
and was even heard across the Alaska
Range at Dawson and Fairbanks, dis
tont $50 and 500 miles respectively.
The column of steam and ash that
rose several miles in the air was car
ried eastward by the wind and with
In a few hours had shed a shower OF
ashes all over the east end OF the
Alaska Peninsula, the east half of Ko-
dak Island and all of Afognak Island.
Intense darkness accompanied the fall
and midnight blackness in the daytime
extended ns far east as the Kenai Pc
ninsula. Darkness lasted for GO hours
at Kodiak. 100 miles away. Dust fell
ps far away as Juneau, Ketchikan
and the Yukon Valley. $50. 900 and 600
miles. The fumes were reported from
points as far remote as Vancouver ISL
and and Puget Sound, 1900 miles
away. Subsequent terrific explosions
occurred at and IL p. m. of the same
day.
Graphic Tale Of Shower.
"A description of the fall of ashes is
given by John e. Thwaites. OF the
steamer Dora. which was 50 miles
away when the shower began. And
row began the real rain of ashes: II
fell in torrents; it swirled and eddied,
he says. Gravity seemed to have
nothing to do with the course of the
fall The under side of the decks
seemed to catch as much ashes as the
sides or the decks under our feet.
Bright clusters of electric light could
be seen but few feet away. and we
had to feel our way about the deck. 1t
was with the greatest difficulty that
the man at the wheel could see the
compass, through the thick dust that
flled the room. Lurid flashes or
lightning glared continuously, while a
constant boom of thunder, sometimes
COnciding with the flash, increased
the horror of the inferno around us.
As far as seeing or hearing anything
pertaining to earth, we might as we'll
have been miles above the surface IF
the water. And still we knew the
sun was two hours above the horizon.
Birds foundered, crying wildly,
through space and fell helpless to the
deck
Eruption Of Great Magnitude.
THE magnitude of an eruption is
not properly measured by the loss of
life and damage to property. but rath-
er in terms OF the natural phenom-
ena; the quantity and distribution OF
the elected material. the distance at
which the sound waves, dust, darkness
and fumes were observed, the violence
OF the accompanying earthquakes, and
the distribution and intensity of the
resulting atmospheric conditions. The
greatest eruptions on record include
those OF Krakatoa in 1888. Coseguina
In 1885, Tomboro in 1915, Skaptar-
Jokull in 1888 and Papandayang in
l72. The eruption of Katmai was
apparently of magnitude compar-
able with some of these. The deposits
from Katmai vary in thickness from
90 inches at the head of Amalik Bay,
l1R miles from the mountain. to az