Gareloi yet flames, but not with violence. On Uminak there are 11 craters, and three volcanoes, of which the twin Isanotskis and Pogromni have been silent for a century. Shishaldin, of whose cone Griggs says it is the most perfect in the world, confines its activities to infrequent clouds of smoke by day and of flame at night.

Volcanoes of the Alaska Peninsula

While threatening, the volcanoes at the base of the peninsula, west of Cook Inlet, have never done damage. A most violent eruption was that of Augustine, which in 1883 blew off its top, leaving a great jaggedrimmed crater. For several months, by daily clouds of dense smoke, and its nightly flames, Augustine made more or less anxious the settlements fifty miles distant. The most striking features of this region are the volcanoes of Iliamna, 10,020 feet, and Redoubt, 10,200 feet, the loftiest of the volcanoes of the chain. Of them Griggs declares: "The perfection of their conical forms is evidence enough that neither has ever suffered a great eruption." Iliamna in 1867 by an eruption covered Kodiak with an inch of ash. The eruption of Redoubt in 1902 showered the country for many miles around with dust.

Volcanoes of the Katmai District

The eruption of Mount Katmai in 1912, one of the greatest of historic times, drew international attention to the volcanoes of Alaska. Until that time

Not Geographic Soc

By courtesy of the National Geographic Society.

Mt. Katmai, Before and After the Eruption. (White upper line shows crest before eruption.)

Katmai was a name on the map, being shown as a triple-peaked mountain, with elevations of 7,500, 7,360, and 7,260 feet. It was not recognized as a volcano, although there is little doubt that it is the mountain, which as the natives said, smoked occasionally, on which account they named their village Katmai.

The scientific researches, full descriptions, and detailed published accounts of this remarkable eruption are due entirely to the foresight, energy, and persistent efforts of the National Geographic Society, which has spared neither labor, money, nor pains in this work. Its six expeditions were led first by G. C. Martin, in 1912, and the four others by Doctor R. F. Griggs.

Martin's excellent description of the scenes following the eruption were published in the National Geographic Magazine, February, 1913. Doctor Griggs's reports and scientific publications were followed in 1922 by his "The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes," a beautiful volume published by the National Geographic Society.

The following summary, from an unpublished account, by Doctor Griggs sets forth the principal points:

On June 6, 1912, Mt. Katmai blew up. The eruption was one of the half-dozen greatest within historic times. the explosions were heard at Juneau, 750 miles away. Ash fell as far as Puget Sound, and at Kodiak, 100 miles from Katmai, it was ten inches deep; total darkness prevailed for three days.

The inhabitants of the Kodiak district suffered abject terror, but there were no fatalities. The inhabitants of Katmai village, fortunately absent fishing, have abandoned their ruined village, and were removed to a location west of Chignik.

Just before Mt. Katmai exploded, the valley, through which ran the old trail across the peninsula, burst open in many places, and a great mass of incandescent material poured through the fissures. This molten magna was surcharged with gases like the distinctive clouds which emanated from Mt. Pelée. Flowing down the valley under gravity, it filled an area more than 50 square miles in extent, with a deposit of fine ground tuff.

After the extension of solid material, the valley continued to emit gases in great volume, forming millions of fumaroles, which constitute one of the most aweinspiring spectacles. This feature of the eruption was discovered by the expedition under me in 1916, and the basin was named "The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes." Subsequent expeditions in 1917, 1918, and 1919 were despatched by the society, and the results published in popular accounts in the Magazine and scientific results in technical papers and in a volume by the Society.

The wonders of the Katmai district, which in time will attract thousands of annual visitors, have been saved from despoliation by the action of President Wilson, who, in 1918, proclaimed it a National Monument. This wonderful district contains more than a million of acres and its area exceeds that of Rhode Island.

Within the Katmai district are the volcanoes of Katmai, Mageik, 7,250 feet, Martin, 5,000, Knife Peak, 7,800 feet, Novarupta, about 3,500 feet, and