The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-31
Great Alaskan Volcano and Its Steaming Valleys Pro- claimed a National Monu- ment,
ITS EXPLOSIVE
 ERUPTION
The Valley of Ten Thou
 sand Smokes" the Begin ming of a New Geyser Field Like Yellowstone's.

At the end of September last President Wilson created by procla- nation the Katmai National Monu- ment. This reservation inc1oses what the explosive eruption of June, 1912, left of Mount Katmai, on the south ern shore of Alaska, together with several neighboring valleys of steam ing vents, the largest Of which the National Geographical Society, which explored it in June, 1917, named the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes"
 The two features are intimately related. Rock strata superheated since the great eruption underlie Katmai near enough to the surface to turn to instant steam the spring and drainage waters of many a sur rounding mile of foothills. Thus originates the steam which bursts from the myriad valley vents. The phenomenon IS familiar in the reighborhood of most volcanoes which still are classed as active. 1 Steaming springs, a later stage of the vents in this valley, are found l upon the Hanks of several of the l most prominent of our Cascade vol | canoes, and are numerous around l the base of Lassen Peak.
 The comparison, however, be- | tween KatmaPs steaming valleys and the geyser basins of Yellowstone is especially instructive because Yel- l lowstone's basins once were what Katmars steaming valleys are now. l The ''Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is probably a coming geyser | field of enormous size. The expla- nation is simple. Bunsen's geyser | theory, now generally accepted, pre- supposes a column of water filling ! the geyser vent above a deep rocky i superheated chamber in which trick ling spring water Is being rapidly l turned into steam. When this steam becomes plentiful enough and suf1- ciently compressed to overcome the 1 weight of the water in the vent, 1t suddenly expands and hurls the water out. That is what makes the 1 geyser play.
 Growth of a Geyser Basin.
 Now, the difference between the . lnai's steaming valleys is just a differ once in temperature. The entire depth of earth under these valleys is | heated far above boiling point, SC that it is not possible for water to remain in the vents; 1t turns to steam as fast as it collects and rushes out St the top in continuous flow. But
 when centuries or hundreds of cen
 tUries enough elapse for the rocks
 between the surface and the deep in-
 ternal pockets to cool, the water will
 remain in many vents as water until
 at regular intervals, enough steam
 gathers below to hurl 1t out. Ther
 these valleys will become basins ot geyers and hot springs like Yellow.
 stones.
 The crater of Katmai's is very , large. It's circumference, says Rob ert F. Griggs, who headed the expe
 ditions which explored the entirt
 area, is 8.4 miles, measured alonl the highest point of the rim. 9Th, area Is 46 miles. The precipitou
 abyss which does not extend to tn, rim of the southwest side, is some
 what shorter, measuring 2.6 miles il
 length, 7.6 miles in circumference
 and Az square miles in area. Tn
 milk blue lake at the bottom is l. . miles long and nine-tenths of a mil <. wide, with an area of II squar 4 miles. The little crescent-shaped is land in the lake measures 400 fee
 from point to point. The precipic
 from the lake to the highest point c
 the rim is 370O feet"
 MT. Griggs estimates the capacit Il of the hole at 4,5O0,000,0oo cubI = yards. If this hole were filled wit 5 water, there would be enough { l. supply New York city for 1885 day l. The great eruption blew out II r. 000,000,000 cubic yards of materia y more than 40 times the amount rt Il moved in the construction of tn O Panama Canal