Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, March 12, 1913, Page 8

'NCLE SAM owns a volcano that last June came near shaming | Vesuvius at her best. It is Kat- mai, that Titan of the Alaskan | coast, a mountain that rears its head among perpetual snows, and | nurses on_ its sides glaciers that never | melt, yet carries in its vitals a flery | demon that now and again cries deflance | 10 the gods of the morth and unleashes | its furies upon them. i A Three-Day Deluge. ®uch an occurrence took place last| June, and for three days the pall of the great wrath of the volcano hung over half of the Alaskan coast. The moun- tain flung aloft a pillar of ashes and| sulphur smoke and defled the winds to carry a snow cloud so high. For three days those ashes descended until they lay twenty feet deep at the mountain's is Pl Wi &t cared for in trouble. So it happened that the peo- e of the village, in thelr dismay, hur- Tled to the | The Americans assurances were would be Manning. ere taken aboard and ven the natives that t case of emergency. base, and enshrouded the land & hun- ““The ni, 3 3¢ ight that came o vas of dred miles away to a depth of a foot. | terrof. The downpour of wohes was The ifexhaustible resource of the great|IFISNful. There were already . several mountain may be somewhat appreciated i one fgures that an area containing 40,000 squate miles was buried on an average of three feet in depth. These eshes would have covered the state of Connectiout to a depth of twen- ty-four feet Under its influence Rhode | Island would have become a Pompeli a | hundred feet beneath the surface. It Wwould have spread a foot of ashes over the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland, Had this ash been piled up on & base & mile square it would have reached twenty-five miles into the air. Yet this quantity of matter was erupted by a single mountain cone in & period of three days. | Katmai 1s on the mainland of Alaska, | in its very elbow where staris that arm which terminates in the Aleutian | Islands, half way to Japan. This arm ®eparates the northernmost waters of the Pacific from those of the Bering mea. In its crook lie Kodiak and Woody Wi It 1y i te to fe! m ai inches of 1t as a pail over the shi heavy was it th o 1001 hewey © that it began to look as arive it ordered to the decks and put to work air breath. ages of the nose and throat almost yond ‘endurance. The Wame offect. wi DProduced hour, adopted, a man had to b < adoptec ad to be taken below, under these conditions, that not So it might .swamp the vessel and to the bottom. All hands were ith shovels and improvised tools clean- ing off the ashes, ‘This work was most distressing. The as_fairly filled with the ash dust. s drawn_ into the lungs with ever: Combining with moisture, burned the lungs and the pass- = e of it The fsame effect the eyes; the vells that were w and after an upon despite soon and ghroat were aflame and ust have treatmsnt. It was the natural ndency to remain in sheltered quarters but I must say one of the Americans ylelded these tendencies. Men and officers 1t that responsibility rested upon them, and all labored without ceasing that the ost might be tions. ““Of course, mone of us had a very clear made of the tragic con- the | mountaln’ on Kodiak, and we thought that this was probably responsible for the fall of ashes. It never occurred to us that such a demonstration was due to Katmai, seventy-five miles away. Rea- soning that the volcano in question must be near by, we were prepared at any mo- ment for a flood of lava or a shower of rocks that would be our end. “Then there came a still greater peril. With the chenging of winds there would come to us occasional whiffs of sulphur fumes. These were strong enough to cause violent coughing and great suffer-| ing. We knew well that these fumes need not become very dense to suffocate us all like so many rats in a ship that is belng fumigated. “Dr. Stlverman. the local physician at Kodiak, with whom I was discussing the situation along toward morning, showed ‘me a lttle, ivory-handled pistol he was carrying. “1 may use this on myself and Mrs Silverman,” he said, ‘if the fumes grow much worse. It is more merciful than slow suffocation.’ “In the meantime the hours arrived when the light should have raturned, Tor it i3 dayliEnt by 3 o'clock that far tection. and render every possible service. from this, and the searchlights =o ineffective the walls of falling ashes that there was no possibility of getting to sea until the downfall abated. their work on the decks with lanterns and bumped into each other. They were constructing a roof over the deck that a space in which the alr was more breathable might be available. was to take the whole village aboard and put to sea. The plan “By this time we had taken aboard a hundred natives who had pleaded for pro- Many others were huddled in | their houses and_ still others were con- gregated in the Greek church which has found its way into these parts by way of Russia. | was praying among them. Father Kasherveroff, the priest, ““We sent word that all should come aboard and that we would put to sea as soon as the light would permit. of the natives responded, however, the others cowering ashore. But half ‘We held a con- sultation, and the opinion seemed to be unanimous among the Americans that it was our duty to remain with these people Aside the darkness was So A Blanket of Ashes, senting itself. All the water sources were filled with the ashes and there was not a drop of water ashore with which natives or Americans might cool their burning throats. The evaporators of the Manning had early been put to work and we were distilling plenty of drinking wa- ter for all comers. Without this every individual faced death and it made the plan of remaining doubly imperative. “By_ the time twenty-four hours had passed the whole island was covered with a blanket of ashes a foot deep. The fall had ceased for a tims June 7 and there was hope that the disturbance was over. At noon, however, it began again and gradually the pitch darkness settled down. The glimmer of hope was gone. The bell in the Greek church began to toll the call to pravers and the natives stumbled their way through the darkness to that haven. T sent word to Father Kasherveroff that all the natives might be taken care of either on the Manning or in the ware- house on the dock. By this time they were ready to accept the dictation of the priest, and soon there were 150 of them in the warehouse and 185 on the Manning. The pinch of hunger was already upon the multitude and we undertook to sup- ply them with food as well as water. counted for, reports began to come in of isolated parties that might be suffering great hardships. There was, for instance, & party of six men half a mile down the beach at a cannery. Nothing was known of the condition of these men. Lieut. W. K. Thompson of the Manning came to me on the second day and asked that he be ordered to the rescue. I told him that I would give him no such order, as it would be like sending a man to certaln death, but that he might go of his own accord i he so desired. Off to the Rescue. *He immediately proceeded to make up a party of volunteers and starf for the cannery. This party consisted of a sec- ond Heutenant in the revenue cutter serv- 1ee, @ third lleutenant of engineers, the ship's writer, the assistant master-at- arms, a seaman, the master of a private tug that happened to be in port and one local resident. “In the intense darkmess the first fear of these men was In losing each other. This was obviated by the use of a long rope, each man attaching himself to it at a given distance. This precaution also helped toward safety from another great danger in the expedition. There are high hills just back of the town of Kodiak and upon’ these the fall of ashes had become so heavy that great slides were breaking loose and from time to time coming down upon the town like an avalanche. If one of these should strike the party the rope might aid in those escaping sub- mersion rescuing the others. islands. : idea of what was happening. The na-[north. But 6 o'clock came, and still no K{&;{L‘in”éh:sh,‘;:;;“““ih;‘l‘tmfg:“ "e’ tives sald that there was 2 ‘smoking!glimmer of light. The men went about| *Then there was another danger pre- “With most of the inhabitants thus ac-| “Davis, the local resident, spiked this and seventy-five miles as the crow flles from Xatmai volcano, that the ®ood ship Manning of the United States revenue cutter service lay peacefully at anchor at noon of the 6th of June last. | Cept K. W. Perry was fishing oft the | whart, the seamen Wwere overhauling the vessel, and some of the junior officers were hunting mountain sheep in the nearby mountains. | About midafternoon things began to| happen. It is best that Capt. Perry | should bimself relate the story, and | through him the detailed account of this great cataclysm of the isolated north s now told for the first time. Like Cannonading. in the afternoon,” sald Capt. Perry, “a peculiar-looking cloud appeared to the south. Tt rose like & gray wall to an incredible height. Com- pered to the clouds that are famillar it | iooked to me more like a2 snow cloud than eny other, and I remarked that we would probably have some raw weather. Pres- ently a similar cloud appeared to !hel. northward, -and as the two approached | each other all light seemed blocked out in those directions. But still no particu- | lar demonstration was anticipated At about the same tlme reports as of beavy cannonading were to be heard from the direction of the mainland. I remarked that it sounded like either blasting or target practice in_the navy. “It was near 5 o'clock when the man with whom I was conversing reached over and attempted to brush something from my coat. The result was a smear. The appearance Was as of damp ashe: 1 noticed the same powder on his coal and we simultaneously came to the reali- zation that an ash dust the clouds. “"We hurried to the ship, and, all being curiosity hunters, each of us got a whisk- proom and began to sweep this ash to- gether on the smooth deck. We ex- pected the fall to cease and we wanted a bit of the ash in an envelope as a souvenir. All the envelopes on the ship were soon used—an unnecessary sacri- e “Soon the two clouds merged into one and the deluge of ashes was upon us. It was but 5 o'clock and the sun was yet three hours high, for dark does not come in these latitudes until 10 in the sum- mer. Yet aimost Instantly absolute dark- nees set in. This darkness was Dot like that of the ordinary lightless aight. It can be appreciated when it Is said that & lantern at a distance of six feet was entirely invisible. The falling ashes threw up an impenetrable wall between it and the observer. On Woody Island, the wireless station, o structure as big as a six-room house was burned, vet the light of it was not visible to people living forty yards awayl “Kodlak is a village of some 400 peo- ple, mostly Aleut natives. There are a few Americen traders residing there with their families, some Russian priests, an Amerfcan doctor and his wife and a plucky United States marshal. ‘I Breathing in Flame. “The revenue cutters are accustomed to dealing with the emergencles that arise among these isolated peoples. Both Americals and natives have formed the habit of leaning upon these government boats Whanavex thax §ia Gsar and there “About 4 o'clock is 2 most to the limit by sayini peac. ed that the record. was falling from | n take a short recess, men involved will not be bound by par- llamentaryslaws in their manner of set- tling Ben Johnson, representative from Kentucky, is a ourceful per- son. While he was presiding over a long and spirited congressional _ in- gation not long two of the at- involved each par- lan- one ve ago torneys began to call other liars. in liamentar guage. Finall of them went al- made was false, “That statement you and you made it knowingly.” Every one looked for a fight, while a ably inclined congressman suggest- matter be stricken from the “I suggest,” said Representative John- standing up to his full height, which six feet, “that the committee so that the gentle- over their differences.” There was no more calling of names during that hearing. A Soft Answer. Before he came into national pror-- inence Walter L. Fisher, the Secre- tary of the Inte- rior, was trying a case in Chlcago. It came at the end of a hard day, and al- most e ver ybody connected with the Jitigation had be- come some what peevish. C o unsel for the other side had become par- ticularly personal. Finally he pounded his fist on the table, Mr. Fisher: and shouted across to “Do you drink?” ‘What's that?’ queried Fisher. “Do you drink?” *“I don’t understand your question.” “I demand to know - pageated the other lawyer, plainly frritated, “if you drink?” A smile came across Mr. Fisher's face, and he replied, very Seriously: “If counsel for the defense will ask me that questlon after court has adjourned, and change the tense, I may be able to now insisted Murdock. agent. sald the customs of- “But 1 want to pay duty on the beads,” “The schedule—" again pleaded the continued “That's all right,” “On an ad valorem basis, answer."” Murdock, “I should pay— It is related that both lawyers took “It's all right, I tell you,” cried the the same. agent. “You got ’'em in Tehuantepec, . you paid eight dollars, but their value is Looking for Trouble. nothing! They're brass!” Victor Murdock, the Kansas insur- gent congressman, not long ago toured Mexico with a party of newspa- per men from th: states, he being a pencil pusher when not worxing at pol- ftics. In Tehuante- pec, an Indian vil- lage on the nar- row neck in south- ern Mexico, he one day wrangled with & native woman for an hour and finally induced her to sell him for eight dollars a string of gold beads for which she had originally asked twelve. He didn't need the money, but he had a lot of fun out of the native woman. Having finally made the purchase he was inordinately proud of his beads, iui, it was alleged, the gold for them had been mined from the deposits owned by those Indians and the beads had been fashioned by their own workmen. When the party approached tne Texas border the majority of its members showed little disposition to produce the various trinkets they had purchased, but Congressman Murdock, having had a hand in framing the tariff laws, insisted on declaring everything he had and pay- ing duty on it. He had shown his opals and blankets and silks to the authorities and had been soaked good and hard Yor them because of the annoyance of collecting on such small things. Finally he dug up the beads from a vest pocket. 1 . appear; Clap the injunction to make his, followers dis- pose of all but one ator. wives away. back to their fathers.” Murdock subsided. That Settled It. Quanah Parker, untfl hisrecent death chief of the Cher- okee Indians down in Oklahoma, won the reputation of being the wit of his race. An occur- rence in Washing- ton. a vear before his death illustrat- ed the peculiar la- conic wit of this cpresentative of a people that is sup- posed to have no sense of humor. Quanah had appeared a few years RN .,‘\\\\\\fi” = earlier before the committee, and its chair- man had given him some very definite instruction to the effect that polygamy on his reservations should be stopped. was told that his bucks should be made to send their surplus wives back to thelr parents. ! He \ Two yéars elapsed and Quanah again before the committee. Senator asked him if he had remembered vife. Me tell 'em,” said Quanah. their wives home “Yes. “Did they send all but one?’ asked tae senator. “Yes. Bucks got one wife, no more,” said Quanah. “Now, Quanah,” sald Senator Clapp, “I am told upon good authority that you yourself have six wives. “Yes. Me got six,” said Quanah. “This will never do,” insisted the sen- “You must go home and send those You must tell them to g0 “You tell ‘em,” sald Quanab. -~ i R epr e sentative Kahn of San Fran- cisco tells a story upon Luther Bur- bank and a certain congressman high in the councils of democracy, but whose name is not revealed because of his size and fighting reputation. It seems that this congressman two Fears ago toured the state of Call- fornia. At Santa Barbara he met the wizard of plant life and the two dined to- gether. According to Representative Kahn, Bur- bank immediately returned to his experi- mental gardens and began the cultiifs of a peculiar variety of pea It was to be & Bquare pea in order that it might not ol off OF— off of the,democratic con- gressman’s knife! He Was. A numbe: years ago Joe” Cannon and a party of congress- men made a trip down through the ‘West Indies. Rep- resentative J. Hampton Moore of Pennsylvania was historian of the ex- pedition and the late Vice President Sherman and Rep- resentative James R. Mann of Illinois, now republican leader of the House, were two of its most active members. At San Juan, Porto Rico, they found the local legislature in session, and were warmly received. ‘One of them seemed very much In- terested in Mr. Mann,” said Mr. Moore, “and told him he had read every one of his speeches in the Congressional Record “At this Sherman & , and, grasp- ing the colored member warmly by the hand, exclaimed: “‘Allow me to express my pleasure upon meeting the busiest man in Porto Rico.” ** It was on the same trip that Cannon, then Speaker of the House, got off his famous epigram on “how to bulld a Panama canal.” “What do you think of the canal?” he was asked. “My boy, it's gin’ and damm! Playing It Both Ways. Two senator simply a matter .”" he answered. of aig- wer( wateching preparations for an aviation flight at the army training school at College Park, Md. One of the army fiyers was having diffi- culty in starting his machine. “Reminds me of the old farmer and his wife who first standing at t ““Well, what do you think of it, pa? asked the old lady, after her husband had looked the engine over carefully. - “‘She’ll never start, sald ths old man with conviction; ‘she’ll never start! “Presently the engine gave a prelimi- pary snort, sot slowly under way and the train began to grow small in the dis- tanc “ “Well, now, what do you think of it?" demanded the old lady “Her husband watched until ths tail of the train had disappeared around a curve. ““She’ll never stop,” he declared, ‘she’ll never stop.’ ™ Really? Gen. Leonard Wood wrote out a long and impressive-looking report on the sub- Jject of fleld artillery in the United States not long ago, and had the papers marked “confidential.” As a result, portions of them leaked out everywhere and were published widely. His secretary asked him about it in awestruck tones once, but Gen. Wood re- plied: ““Well, you see I wanted to get some of that stuff printed. It was rotten dull, and I knew. the newspaper men wouldn’t touch it unless it looked as if I didn't want them to.” saw a train of cars | | | | and corn e chain of rescuers. His familia the neighborhood of the village him to feel his way with some certainty in the direction of the But when half the jc traversed and a great ha set up, a dreaded avalanct countered. It is probable t brations of air caused started this avalanche from a struck only the advance por party and Davis suffered pa Wwas bowled over, carrled do side and completely subme ashes. His comrades hauled on the rope and he was brc ) surface before being completel thers ed. Eventually the can was reached the res men_were 1 into the chain and the entire party found " back In safety to the Mannir A Desolate Waste, “Tt was 2:30 on the aflern t the 8th that the darkne J way to a reddish g sve. Soon objects began to be d e. Tree shapes festooned fanta t ash burdens_ besan om’ out ¢ 5 in an ashen pallor. T ¥ 4 their s now showed through t Occasional great sca t vealed the course of t which had hed Y whole houses i village “With the coming of consultation was held. portunity to make a r Eea, and the r become so t elements that all _wer | = 2 1. Wh 1 loaded itself with every 1 { community it partook inc £ ‘ pearance of an ex X ing a picnic party. Bvery a e inck was oceu ie wives and nt £t « an residents had been q 1 P cabins below and were A q service as nurses in ting in thelr treatment of thos The native men cleaning up t was turning out such supplie « beef as would ri “ ingman’s e district du Capt. I an old’ and sk ' of the waters, steered th the channel as she got und ing toward this ash-cover village of the northia one figure to be seen, that tes Marshal Armstrong, wh sent his wife aboard 1g the wn, Lcl serted but maintained t of duty was with the strl d refused to leave it. ving at the ou: harbor,. where the p might clear into the o sea at a moment's notice, we made - and sent a boat ashore on Wo 1 where had stood the wireles i the government, and where mi s had- established an orphanage for pare less children of this far northern r Here were found 103 inhabitants alm. famished for want of food and wa brought aboard to i merous population of tha ralsed the number r 488, exclusive of t were nd they to the already nt ship. This | men and v . a new villa te H for them A i selves to thelr new surroundings gnd find a way of providing themselves with food Their potato crops were gone, the salmon streams had n filled with ashes, and the running of the fish consequentl pended. The food for thelr live stock had been So covered up that the and orses were threatened with st B s Tdcdd & hard woasom faced those peopl ernment plies were shipped to nd helped them to tide over the months that fole lowed. “As soon as it became apparent that the disturbance was not to be resumed we manned all the small craft we had availabl a immediately began to scour the nea: island and the coast of the for any isolated groups ot mainland fishermen who might into suffering becaus sparsely settled s this country, that two or three camps we and it is believed that there wer. ha e been ers the existence of which was u “The expedition to the mainland Tre- ported a fall of ashes some five feet deep on the level, with drifts twenty or thirty feet in depth. I estimate that the ash fall at Kodiak, seventy-five miles from the volcano, was twenty-two inches deep. It would seem that the old man of the snows had not emptied his ash can for some time before this occasion of his go- ing on a mighty rampage.”