The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-09
ALASKAN ERUPTION
RECALLS KRAKATOA
Mt. Katmai's Blowout Heard n
Juneau, $50 Miles
Distant.
WILD ANIMALS BLINDEt
All Life Destroyed Within 4
Radius Of Fifteen
Miles.
WILD ANIMALS BLINDEN

WASHINGTON. Aug. s.-Mount Katm.,
reported by Captain McMulln OF IA.
steamer Dirigo to be throwing out r-..,
volumes OF sulphurous laden smoke e..
peak 1900 feet high. situated relatir.,,
near the eastern end of the Alaska penn.
sula and cf tho Aleutian Mountains, IN.
seaman reports the ocean for a distane.
OF 100 miles to be discolored Nv sulphu,
dust and pumice.
The last eruption OF this volcano 4,
June. 1912. as described in a statem.r,
by the National Geographical Society
compiled from data collected nv Ceors.
e. Martin. the geologist who directed The
society's Alaskan volcano researches fol
lowing Mount Katmai's outbresk was on.
of the most violent of historic time
"All southern Alaska knew at ono. a,
Katmais eruption on the morning o,
June 8. 1912" reads the society's stat.
nent THE sound OF the first mighty sr
plosion was carried down the coast A.
far as Juneau, $50 miles away, and wa.
even heard across the Alaska range A
Dawson and Fairbanks, distant $50 ana
500 miles respectively. The column o.
steam and ash that rose several miles N
the air was carried eastward by the Wind
and within a few hours had she'd
shower of ashes all over the east end o.
the Alaska peninsula, the east half a.
Kodiak Island and all OF Atograk Island
Intense darkness accompanied the far
and midnight blackness In the daytlm,
extended az far east as the Renal PENN.
sula. Darkness lasted for sixty hours a,
Kodiak, 400 miles away Dust fell a.
far away as Juneau Ketchikan and the
Yukon Valley, $50. 900 and 500 miles ~
spectively. The fumes were reported from
points as far remote as Vancouver Island
and Puget Sound. 1900 miles away. Sub
sequent terrific explosions occurred a,
3 and II 7. NJ. Of the same day.
"a description Of the fall OF ashes 4.
given by John f.. Thwaites Of the stearnAy
Dora. which was ffty-fve miles ava,
when the shower began. And now Be
gan the real rain OF ashes: II fell in tor.
rents; 1t swirled and eddied.' he saw
Gravity seemed to have nothing TO a.
with the course Of the fall The under
side Of tho deck seemed to catch as
much ashes as the sides or the deck'
under our feet. Bright clusters of cleo.
trio light could be seen but q few fee
away. and We had to feel our way abov
| the deck. II was with the greatest az.
fculty that the man at the wheel could
see the compass through the thick dust
that filled the room.
Laird flashes of lightning glared cor
| tinuously. while n constant boom OF thun
| der, 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 a.
well have been miles above the surface Of
the water And still we knew the SUI
was two hours above the horizon Birds
fioundered. crying wildly. through space
! and fell helpless to the deck
THE magnitude OF an eruption Ia no
properly measured by the loss Of life and
| damage to property, but rather W terms
of the natural phenomena; the quantity
| and distribution of the elected mate-ia.
/ the distance at which the sound waves
/ dust darkness aud fumes were observed
/ the violence OF the accompanying earth
/ quakes and the distribution and inten
| sity of tho resulting atmospheric cond
tioaA
THE greatest eruptions on record 10.
| clude those of krakatoa in 1883. Cose
guina in 1885, Tomboro in 1913, Shaptaf
Jokull in 1888 and Papandayang in l773
The eruption OF Katmai was apparently
of a magnitude comparable with some o.
these. The deposits from Katmai vary In
thickness from ffty-fve inches al the
head OF Amalik Bay. fifteen and a h'
miles from the mountain. to three and q
half inches at the east end OF Afognai
Island, ll3 miles from the volcano.
The effect of the eruption OF whatever
vegetation clothed the TANKS OF the vol
cano was humiliation. The position OF
the death line around the volcano cams
practically down to the sea, fifteen miles
from the crater. Marine life was affected
to a larger degree than would perhaps Be
expected Bears rabbits, reindeer and
other animals and birds we're made blind
Dead geese, ducks. ptarmiRan. .nips
hawks and many small birds were found
at the mouth of the Kakhinak River
MAN was indirectly affected by th'
eruption through the injury to other AMI
NAL life and TO vegetation. The eruption
differed from almost all other known sres
1 Iowa IN hat no ltat. a y
10 property was almost nothing. and that
as far az II known. II was not the direc'
and sole cause OF the loss OF single hu
man life. Tho sparse settlement OF hs
district alone was responsible for TIM
condition"