Evening star., 1923-02-06
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM

AL RANDOM
! THE VALLEY OF TEN THOUSAND
1 SMOKES. BY Rober: r. Grggs.
National Geographic Society.
The membership OF the National
Geographic Society. contributing
share and share alike, supported the
enterprise upon which this story
rests. Each OF tho 100000 members
of that organization must. therefore.
have keen personal pride In the
achievement set down hero. Each
must In a sense also feel as II he him
self had been at Katmai pass on that
July morning OF 1915 looking down
upon the stupendous spectacle Of the
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
+ \ + y
Katmai pass on that day have each
taken a hand at trying to picture the
vast scene of desolation spread out
below and stretching away far be-
yond the reach of sight. Each has
made an attempt also to register his
own feelings Of stupefaction and awe
In face of the astounding panorama
Valhalla, Dante's Inferno, the ortho-
dox hell, the Arabian Nights-pagan
and Christian and pure romantic
are here impressed to the service of
record and Interpretation. One says:
Human endeavor and achievement
seemed dwarfed to insignificance here
I felt out OF place, an intruder in this
land of the gods. This valley appear
cd to be on another planet that was
in the process of formation" A diary
reads: Spent sixteen days in the
valley. Glad to leave. Came out of
the steam for good. Lucky to get
out. Glad to sec trees and grass
again. Feel as If I'm just waking
out OF two weeks nightmare. Valley
wonderful, but no place to camp.
Walter says: Lots of steam. He'll OF
a place Agree heartily Another,
-Astonishment at the great dimen-
sions of the valley, at the countless
numbers of assures and fumeroles out
or which steam was pouring. Never
In my widest dreams had l imagined
Of rather more comprehensive outlook
and more connected speech, says:
THE broken hills, the falling noun
tain. the magnificent glaciers, the
! sIcdiuiHS IuINeToleSs InS EOlliu6
clouds of vapor, may all be described.
but their wonderful profusion and
the manner IN which they encroached
upon one another must remain large
ly in possession of him who is fortu-
nate enough to visit the place where
these things abound in 30 extraordi-
nary splendor."
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And do you know what katmai is?
A mountain. Not surprising, since
only the scholars and travellers to
lqueer places and the handful of set
tiers roundabout did know till the
recent sensational behavior of that
Imoun tain brought it out from It's long
seclusion into wide notice and acute
general interest Katmai mountain is
IN Alaska, down in the southwest. a
hundred miles in from Kodiak. And
Kodiak, IL you recall, opened up as
way station TO Nome in the days of
the Klondike gold rush. Now, Katmai
ihad from time immemorial behaved
with the sobriety and discretion COM
lmon TO old and settled mountains. 1t
fhad appa rently never come under sus-
ipicion. One rather wonders why 1t
ihad not, since the scientists show us
inow that this mountain Is part of
1.-THE volcanic chain that loops across
from the Aleutian end Of Alaska to
past the Philippines and on south
ward through the line of islands end
ing in Java and Sumatra- Neverth g.
Hess, Katmai had, by its demure de-
fmeanors escaped observation with Its
familiar sequence OF suspicion and dis
trust
Then, one day in 1912, II was clear
THAT something big, volcano-wise. had
happened. Kodiak was half buried
in volcanic ashfall. And this falling
lash drifted, in diminishing bulk and
iforoe. far inland, reaching the whole
Northwestern section OF the country
In no time at all suspicion pointed
upon Katmai. 1t was then that the
National Geographic Society fitted out
Ian expedition for the scientific study
lcf the character of this ashfall in its
effect upon vegetation. The expedi-
ltion contemplated also the study of
other vital phenomena of great
volcanic eruption. The suspicion
iagainst Katmai had become knowl-
edge. So geologists, meteorologists.
Horticultural chemists, map-mak ers
and picture-takers. all under the gen.
leral leadership of Robert +. Griggs
set out for that region. 1t was true
Katmai had blown its head off under
the stress and strain of its interior
forces. Incidentally. 1t had also in
the meantime spread out more than
lone object lesson in world making
in changing the face of the country
in opening UP certain secrets of min
teralization, in suggesting the mechan-
ism of its own dynamics 1t played
Ian open hand, after all. in demonstra-
ton OF some OF the original gestures
of the gods in the business of earth
building.
Then on another day-this tho grea,
day, July 81, 1s16-all In the way OF
usual exploration. the Katmai pass
twas made. The Valley of Ten Thou.
sand Smokes. "one of the marvels o,
1.-The world" was discovered. BY way
Iof this discovery the field of science
; was enlarged, knowledge was either
extended or confirmed, a new wonder
field for the traveller was opened. Al
. this point a full description of the
valley Is made. apart from the indi.
lyidual Impressions of the various ex.
plorers. This gives the extent ane
shape of the valley. 1t describes
springs. mud pots. clouds and worlds
LOT rising vapor; no sign of vegetation
Tor animal life in all the vast ex
ipanse. 'Uncanny to see hot stream:
Tissue from beneath banks of snow
extensive glaciers hobnob with steam
ling fumeroles; icebergs and hot wa
ter in the. same little lake: enor-