Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1922-12-15

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington. D. Co. a
On the Alaskan peninsula, cut of
reach just now but more accessible
than was the Yellowstone national
park when it was established, Ameri
cans possess a wonderful national
monument and potential rival for
Yellowstone about which many of
them know little. 1t is the Valley of
Ten Thousand Smokes, q wonderful
area Of steaming assures unlike any
thing else in the world. This marvel
Gus valley may be considered by
product Of the great eruption of Kat
mai volcano in 1912, one of the most
stGpendous volcanic explosions in his
toric times. The existence Of the val
ley was not even suspected until an
expedition sent out by the National
Geographic society to study other
phases Of the devastated area sudden
~ came upon its myriads Of fumaroles
sending their faint wisps and roaring
volumes Of steam into the atmos-
phere.
This Is one Of the greatest wonders
Of the world. II not indeed the very
greatest of all the wonders on the
face Of the earth. The valley cannot
be described; only after one has spent
many days within it's confines does one
begin to grasp the proportions.
To one coming for the first time into
the valley there seems but the thin
nest Of rinds between himself and
molten material below. Several times
when members of the exploring party
accidentally put foot through thin
place in the crust, steam came spout
ing out of. the hole, forming new
fumarole. But it was always one foot
only and the owner did not take long
to get it out.
In many places the valley round
about the vents is covered with a pc
culiar blue mud, thinly coated with a
chestnut brown crust, which some
times supports one and sometimes
gives way suddenly, letting one down
to his shoetops in the soft, scalding
mud beneath. At such times one Is
apt to feel that his feet are taking
hold on hell in very truth, particular
ly If the place happens to look stick
fish" otherwise.
Vents All Down the Valley.
The area in which the vents occur
Is not simple valley but includes a
complicated system of branches, the
whole forming a tract Of very irregu-
lar shape. The main line of activity
extends directly transverse to the
axis of the Alaskan peninsula from
Katmai pass northwestward toward
the head Of Naknek lake. In this d.
rection vents occur all the way down
the valley as far as the bend to the
north. There Is clear evidence that
when the steam jets burst forth this
line of activity also extended straight
across the pass and down through the
upper valley of Mageik creek to OBJ
servation mountain.
Activity occurs In various branches
Of the main valley. The total length
Of all Of these smoking valleys is 80
miles. The area is 20 square miles,
the average width being something
over two miles.
One of the questions most frequent
ly asked by persons interested in the
geysers. None was observed, and the
conditions are such as to make their
development unlikely for the present.
Geysers belong to a declining stage
of volcanic activity, while the present
region is in a youthful stage. A gey-
ser consists essentially of a column
Of hot water mixed with steam, which
Is periodically projected into the air
by the sudden formation of the steam
from water gradually heating up to
the boiling point.
A geyser can exist, therefore, only
In rock cool enough to permit the &C.
cumlatien of the water. The vents
Of this steaming valley are so hot
that they would instantly vaporize
any ordinary quantity of water that
might find It's way into them. One
can readily see that II the valley cools
off gradually there may come time
favorable for the formation of gey-
sers.
To attempt any catalogue of the in
dividual vents or any description of
them would be utterly futile. They
vary all the way from microscopic
Jets Of gas to mighty columns of
smoke which overtop the mountains.
To explore the valley thoroughly and
,ecome acquainted with the charac-
sezs Of the various vents would re