The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-03-15
Amcrie.a's Garden OF Fireworks

Amcricl'S Garden OF FIREWORKS
"The waking into activity Of
Mount Redoubt III Alaska just re-
ported by wireless and cable serves
to remind people of the United
states rhat in the Alaska pen1nsu-
Ia and the Aleutian Islands. which
sweep from it almost to Asia. they
possess one OF most extensive and
most active volcanic regions on the
face of the Garth" says q bulletin
issued from the Washington, D. c.,
headquarters Of TIE National Geo
graphic Society.
..Redoub, * not remote from the
settled portions Of Alaska" con-
lnues the bulletin, but rises close
TO the western shore OF Cook In
let. at the head Of which is Anchor
age, an important port on the Alas
Ia railroad recently constructed by
the Federal government. This
mountain and a companion peak.
Hanna, are conspicuous landmarks
for ships which steam up Cook In
let. They are almost perfect cones
and with their snow-covered caps
serve we'll as American versions OF
the famous Fujiyama OF Japan. Re-
doubt forms. so far as is now known
the landward end OF the long chain
Of volcanoes which stretch to the
southwest ward along the Aleutian
Islands for more than 1900. miles,
and which have been spouting fire
at intervals for hundreds OF thou
sands Of years.
Mountains that BLOW Their Heads
Off,
Although RedOubt, passive for
nearly 20 years, is showing only
clouds Of steam, these who have
observed volcanoes Of the Alaskan
! chain are not treasured. for these
volcanoes have a disconcerting way
Of blowing their heads off with
little warning. Katnlai. 200 miles
10 the south, which IS one OF the
chain that had long been dormant,
exploded suddenly in 1912, consti-
tuting one of the dozen greatest
eruptions of historic times. a
scientific expedition sent to the
! crater by the National Geographic
Society found that TWO cubic miles
Of material had been blown from .
this previously passive mountain.
II was while, making a study Of
Katnlai that the Society's expedi-
ton found that unique natural
phenomenon, The Valley of Ten
Thousand Smokes. Augustine
Mountain, in Cook Inlet. less than
100 miles from Redoubt, ard long
noted for It's perfect cone, blew
its top off suddenly inllsS3 Ieav-
ing only jagged stump. The
whole Alaskan volcanic chain is a
unit of volcanic action, and it is
always problematical where the
next outburst Will occur.
Chance to Solve Stubborn Prob
lens
"To scientists one Of the signifi-
cant fetures in connection with the
existence Of the extensive volcanic
region in Alaska is the fact that it
is situated where. in the future at
| least it will be easiiN accessible for
/ study. And there is much room
! for the study of volcanoes. Al
though volcanism was probably
one OF the first Of Natures spectac-
! ular phenomena 10 thrill man il
presents one Of the few obvious
problems about which science has
(: no satisfactory hypothesis Just
| where heat come Sfrom which melts
stone, why it is concentrated with
i in definite areas, from whatsdepths
! the molten material rises ard why
it rises-these are sonlesTof the
problems about which there has
1 been much speculation buzz in re-
gard TO which few sat Msacrory
theories exist.
.Tell-taie fossils nd fypes of
rock show that the mountains of
the Alaskan. peninsula. and tie
Aieutian Islands are oldaa. than
! either the HilnalayaS or the Alps,
systems which are practically with
/ out volcanoes. It does nosssTollow.
| however, that vo1caaic ACTIVITY ae-
] companies age, for the Appaiachi-
ans. among the Oldest mountains OF
the earth, have no volcanoes