New Britain herald., 1922-12-22
WONDER SCENES IN
 VGlCAN|C REGIONS
River That Flowed on a Ridse--
 Gigantic UpheaYalS, Etc.

How much volcanos mean in the lives of all human beings, even if they never have been within sight or sound of an eruption, is told graphically in a new volume just issued by the Ma tional Geographic soceity
 A wealth of new information in this little developed field of science is con- tained in this first complete summary of the findings of six expeditions sent to the region of Mt. Katmia and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in Alaska and of the results of several years careful compilation of observa- tions made by the expeditions.
 The book, 'The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes" is written by Dr. Robert F. Griggs. and has foreword by Dr. Gilbert Grosvenor. president of the National Geographic society which sent out the expeditions. Within re- cent years the fascination and TO- nance of science have begun to cap ture the popular imagination and this hook adds chapter to the wonder story of modern explorations and scientific study with many new facts about phenomena which hitherto have largely eluded careful observa- ton.
 River That Flowed on a Ridge
 Not only does the book reveal the tremendous upheaval by which Kat mia blew from its top 40 times the amount of earth and rock dug up to build the Panama canal, leaving a hole big enough to contain all the buildings in 15 cities of New York's size, but 1t also deals with the world encircling climatic effects of volcanic eruptions and with that vast, ferment- ing inferno from which it takes its title In addition 1t describes the Alice in Wonderland phenomena in the wake of the eruption-such phe- nomena as a temporary giant river that cruised along on top of a ridge, of streams that shifted their courses ash showers that formed great ther- nal blankets to preserve permanent snow drifts, and a flood which had one million times the destructive power of the Johnston dam-burst
 Thrills of personal adventures, told in matter of fact fashion by the ex- plorer-author. relate how members of the party walked over acres where a misstep would have plunged them to a parboiled death in seething caul- drons of the valley, with the ever- present fear that chance gust might snuff out their lives with some gas that was more poisonous, if less odor- ous, than those among which they ad- vanced.
 Set Aside By President
 Yet this region, now that it has been studied, would seem safer than Broadway or Michigan avenue. since not a life wasfost during the explora tions and reports and pictures brought back from an early trip were so impressive that the president of the United States immediately set it aside as a national monument. some day to become park for the American peo- pie comparable only to Yellowstone in it's natural beauty, and like nothing else on earth in it's amazing wonders
 The writer, after apologizing for his necessary use of superlatives, admits the fear that he. like Jim Bridger, herald of the Yellowstone's marvels, might be set down as a Munchausen until future generations should vindi- l cate him, as they did Bridger. He says:
 ''Many times also have I been | thankful for the tools which modern invention has placed in our hands. | With kodaks and halftones and mo- tion pictures to record our discoveries, | our advantage over the old time ex- plorer. who could supplement his ac- counts with nothing better than six etches, was enormous"
 The 262 halftones and color plates in the book tell the scenic story ,of this new American wonder of the | world better than verbal description.
 Chemist Counts the "Smokcs"
 The text of the book forms a valu able contribution to the scientists store of information about volcanism, mountain slides, foods, and kindred phenomena and is no less accurate for being written so that the lay read CT will be fascinated by its word pie lures. An amusing instance of this careful checking of all fact is related by pr. Griggs who tells how a skep- tical chemist, after learning of the proposed name. the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, set out methodical- Iy to count the columns of missing steam over the panoramic cauldron, for fear the name was an exaggera- ton. He returned to camp to sober | y report that the name had been an ought to have been called the Valley of Million Smokes.