The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-07-30

that rose several miles in the air was
carried eastward by the wind and
Within q few hours had shed a show
err Of ashes all over the east end of
the ALASKA peninsula, the east half of
Kodiak island and all of Alognak is
land. Intense darkness accompanies
the fall and midnight biackness IN the
daytime extended as far east as the
Renal peninsula. Darkness lasted for
sixty hours at Kodiak. 100 miles away.
Dust fell as far away as Juneau. ket-
chikan and the Yukon valley, $50, 900
and 500 miles. The fumes were re-
ported from points as far remote as
Vancouver Island and Puget sound,
1900 miles away. Subsequent ter
rife explosions occurred at and IL
Z. 81. OF the same day.
"A description Of the fall Of ashes
Is given by John f. Thwaites. of the
steamer Dora. which was sixty-fve
miles away when the shower began.
And now began the real rain of
ashes: II fell In torrents; II swirled
and eddied, he says. Gravity seem
ed 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 hight 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 flied the
room. Lnrid flashes Of lightning
glared continuously. while constant
boom OF thnder, sometimes coinciding
VITA the fash, Increased the horror
of the inferno around us. As far as
seeing or hearing anything pertain
Ing to earth we might as we'll have
been miles above the surface OF the
water. And still we knew the sun
was two hours above the horizon.
Birds ffoundered. crying wildly.
through space and fell helpless to
the deck,
The magnitude of an eruption is
not properly measured by the loss of
Afpe and damage TO property, but
rather in terms of the natural phe-
nomena; the quantity and distrihu-
t:on OF the elected material. the dis
lance at which the sound waves, dust.
darkness and fumes are observed. the
violence Of the accompanying earth
quakes, and the distribution and in
tensity Of the resulting atmospheric
conditions The greatest eruptions on
record include those OF Krakatoa, in
1883, Coseguinar in 135; Tomboro, in
1SA5. Ska ptar-I okUll. IN lTSS, ana
papandayang, in 1732. The eruption
of Ka;mai was apparently Of magni-
tude comparable with some of these.
The deposits from katmai vary in
thickness from fifty five inches at
the head Of AmaIik bay, fifteen and
one half miles from the mountain. to
three and one-half inches at the east
end OF Afognak island, ll3 miles from
the volcano.
The effect of the eruption on what
ever vegetation clothed the TANKS OF
the volcano was humiliation. The po-
sition OF the death-iine around the
volcano was practically down to the
sea- fifteen miles from the crater.
Marine life was affected to larger
degree than would perhaps be ex-
pec;ed Bears. rabbits, reindeer and
other animals and birds were made
blind. Dead geese, ducks, ptarmigan,
snipe. hawks ard many small birds
We're found dead at the mouth OF the
Kakhinak river. Man was indirectly
affected by the eruption through the
injury to other animal life and to
vegetation. The eruption differs from
almost all other known eruptions in
that the immediate damage to prop
erty was almost nothing. and that, as
far as is known, II was not the direct
and sole cause of the loss OF a single
human life. The sparse settlement
of the district alone was responsible
for this condition"