Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-12-18

study the mysterious natural processes by
which the earth became habitable For this
entire volcanic field is m isolated patch on
the surface Of the earth where. through some
backward physical process, that surface still
"a in the making. This region, IN . word. Is
IL bit Of the earth that remains much a. all OF
It wss millions Of years ago, before man had
appeared.
Chemists, photographer. 1oologists. and
Various other Socialists who made up tho e.
psdtfiuu now are preparing their reports.
There ars two aspects Of the expeditions work.
revealed in these reports. which are OF marked
general Interest
A preliminary report shows that the region
north q the nstionaI monument ara aboande
in fsh and game; and Will therefore be q
great interest to sportsmen and scientists.
For the Arst time IN expedition Of this Kind
was oqufpDed to take extensive motion picture
photographs; 50 that It brings back material
not only for the prolonged study Of labosatpEy
microscopes, but record that may be con
veJed, IN . few hours. to millions Of eyea.
This record shows that nature not only IL psE.
forming some queer pranks in Alaska. but
that this region also has natural beanties
which some day Will vie In popularity with
those Of the Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Mesa
Verde
The so-called Valley Of Ten Thousand
Smokes 10 such an unusual phenomenon that
IL is hard to convey q mental picture Of it,
wonders. 1t most resembles q magnided train
yard WHERE thousands Of engines are splitting
forth Kissing columns Of steam. But many OF
the fumaroles, the technical name for these
natural smokestacu, spurt forth vapors far
too hot to be visibie-as steam. The early e.
petitions foEnd that some Of them were SO
hot that instruments taken along could not
measure the intensity Of the heat. Prepare
ton for this contingency was made on the
1918 expedition, and the highest temperature
found was 1.1s1.2 degrees Fahrenheit! A
heavy piece OF wood kindles as quickly whom
held over the opening Of many Of these seeth-
ing fumaroles, As does q match over gas
fame. In the course Of centuries. or more
likely after several milleniums, this region
will resemble the geysers to be seen in our
western national parks. As yet most OF the
region has not reached the comparatively late
stage in surface developments when geysers
are formed.
A discovery Of importance made during this
summer was the finding Of q lake IL miles long
The body Of water is one of great natural
beauty and adds one more to the scenic won
ders Of a region which practically was un-
known until Mt. Katmai blew OF its Gargan-
tuan lid, and attracted men there for human
ity's sake who returned in the interests q
science.
Tho party reached an UNEMPLOYED end OF the
valley and found volcanoes which hitherto
have not been viewed by civilized man. The
crater Of one was half a mile in diameter. The
explorers traversed 1900 miles Of uncommon
country, and surveyed much Of the region.
Some parts were extremely rugged. More than
] one hundred miles Of uncharted or incorrectly
charter coast line was mapped.
But some Of the most valuable results OF
| the trip are yet to be revealed-those results
which only will be known after thorough tests
| OF the comprehensive collection of lava speci-
mems brought back for photographic examina-
ton. and laboratory study Of many specimens
| Of plant and animal life.
| Explorations Of this sort are not new
thing for the National Geographic society. In
the more than thirty years OF its existence
| this society has sailed the seas, climbed the
mountains. pushed out into the frozen zones.
explored other volcanic craters, and studied
the past Of the earth.
Once the north pole was the goal apparently
beyond the reach of men. founder of the
society, Greedy. reached farthest north: then
| Il was the hardy NAnsen, and finally came
Perry, who conquered the earth's ultimate
north. The society helped support his under
itakings.
| Mont Pelee exploded in distant Martinique.
at Messina the earth developed an ague that
destroyed a great city and snuffed out thou
sands Of lives, and then Mt. Katmai the Alas
kan Titan. exploded. and to all three places
the National Geographic sent expeditions
/ which brought back data about the relation
between volcano and earthquake
| Another achievement was that OF unearth-
ing city where conquered race with a van
ished religion had fed for refuge. At Machu
Picchu the ancient Incas lived. and their city
was preserved for present day study by the
debris Of centuries, which National Geographic
explorers removed. wealth Of information
about the people who lived here before Co
lumbus came was the result Of the study OF
these ruins. For example. it was found that
when the Incas desired to commemorate he
roic life it was their custom to construct, as
| memorials. wonderful agricultural works
hanging gardens greater than those Of ancien,
Babylon. and probably on these hanging gar
dens the potato, Peruvian gift to civilization
was originated.
Since the National Geographic society Is On
institution for the sole purpose OF working to-
ward the increase and diffusion Of geographic
knowledge" It pays no monetary dividends, mol
does any pecuniary profit accrue to any indi-
xidual or group Of individuals from its work
Neither does It accept endowments. The mites
of the many outweigh the bounty Of the few
and the explorer who faces the unknown with
100000 representative American homes inter.
ested in his welfare and his success goes well
equipped to his task